Vulture dies under ‘unusual’ circumstances at Dallas Zoo, officials say

DALLAS. The Dallas Zoo announced that one of the endangered vultures in its wild African habitat died over the weekend, and that zoo officials alerted the Dallas Police Department, calling the death “unusual.”

“The circumstances of death are unusual and death does not appear to have been due to natural causes,” a zoo spokesperson wrote in an email. “We can’t share many details until the Dallas Police have more time to look into the matter.”

The zoo said in a statement that staff are “heartbroken at this huge loss.”

This is the second incident involving the animal at the Dallas Zoo this month after one of the clouded leopards escaped from a hole in the mesh surrounding its enclosure that police believe was deliberately cut through.

While they were returning the leopard, the police announced that they had launched an investigation into the disappearance.

The zoo has since said it has installed additional cameras throughout the zoo and stepped up patrols at night.

“We will continue to implement and expand our security measures to whatever level is necessary to ensure the safety of our animals and staff,” the zoo said in a statement.