Rare Oryx Dies At Zoo
November 2, 2009 |12:50 | Zoo News By : Team X
The National Zoo says two older Scimitar-horned oryx, which are extinct in the wild, have died. A 17-year-old female oryx died at the zoo's main campus on Oct. 24.
The animal had been anesthetized two days earlier for a routine health assessment, but during her recovery she became agitated.
She died while being anesthetized again for an emergency follow-up exam.
A 16-year-old male oryx died at the zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Va., on Oct. 14.
He died while also being anesthetized for a routine reproductive assessment.
Zoo spokesman Pamela Baker-Masson says it's always risky to anesthetize animals. Scimitar-horned oryx once lived in northern Africa.
The zoo now has one remaining on exhibit and a herd of 13 surviving at its research center.
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