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Philadelphia Zoo Investigates Mysterious Meerkat Deaths

Officials say there was unknown toxin in dye
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 14, 2023 6:20 PM CDT
Unknown Toxin Kills 5 Meerkats at Philadelphia Zoo
Stock photo.   (Getty Images/Jaroslav Frank)

The Philadelphia Zoo says it is trying to figure out why a dye regularly used to identify animals killed five meerkats last week. Rachel Metz, the zoo's vice president of animal well-being, says the meerkats were exposed to an unknown toxin in the Nyanzol-D agricultural dye, which it has used for more than 30 years, NBC reports. The five meerkats—siblings named Nkosi, Lula, Nya, Kgala, and Ari—had been at the zoo since February 2013, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. Dye was used so the zoo could tell the near-identical animals apart.

"The question is what is the difference that caused these animals’ deaths," Metz says. "We’ve been implementing a robust internal and external fact-finding mission." According to animal activity logs seen by the Inquirer, Nkosi was found dead about 30 minutes after the dye was reapplied on June 1. The other meerkats started vomiting and showing other signs of acute illness minutes later. Three others had their stomachs pumped but died within 36 hours. Ari survived for more than a week but died on Monday. Metz says that the dye is used on other animals at the zoo and that there has never been an issue before. Necropsy results are pending.

A zookeeper who asked to remain anonymous blamed the deaths on rushed training and high staff turnover, saying the meerkats are usually separated to make sure they don't lick dye off each other before it dries. Metz denies that the animals are separated during the process, but she says the zoo is "absolutely reexamining training policies." She says therapists are helping zoo workers deal with the deaths. "Animals die of old age or cancer or disease, but the hardest is when you don’t know," she says. "We spend more time with the animals here at the zoo than we do with our families or pets at home." (More zoo stories.)

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