Two Rare Oryx Die at National Zoo
The animals are extinct in the wild
By ASHA BEH
Updated 3:30 PM EST, Sat, Oct 31, 2009
The National Zoo had three Scimitar-horned oryx on exhibit. Now it has one.
On Friday, the zoo announced that two of the animals -- a male and a female -- died this month. The animals, which are originally from northern Africa and extinct in the wild, both died soon after being anesthetized.
The 17-year-old female oryx had been sedated for a routine health assessment on Oct. 22. The exam proceeded normally, but afterwards, during recovery, the animal became distressed. After being anesthetized again for an emergency follow-up examination on Oct. 24, it died at the zoo's main campus in DC, The Washington Post reported.
The male, a 16-year-old, died of cardiac and respiratory arrest on Oct. 14 while being anesthetized for a routine reproductive assessment. It died at the zoo's research center in Front Royal, Va.
Zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Masson told the Post that no new techniques, drugs or practices were in use, but it's always risky to anesthetize older animals.
According to the zoo, some scientists believe that scimitar-horned oryx live up to 20 years in the wild.
In addition to the one on exhibit surviving, the zoo has a herd of 13 oryx at its research center.
First Published: Oct 31, 2009 2:09 PM EST
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