Blizzard Attacks UK Wildlife Park, African Wild Dogs Escape, Killing 16 Animals
According to Sky News, a UK-based media outlet, on February 14th local time, a pack of African wild dogs from Worcestershire Wild Animal Park escaped their enclosures due to damage caused by a storm in the Middle East, and killed 16 animals.
The park spokesperson said that on February 9th at 3 a.m., 12 wild dogs entered a nearby yard, killing 6 Père David deer and 10 Barbary sheep.
Previously, the park spokesperson had stated, "At any time, there is no risk to public safety, and there is no danger of animals escaping from the park's enclosures." Obviously, this was proven wrong by the facts.
She said that these wild dogs have been safely returned to their home.
The spokesperson explained: "There is a passage between the wild dogs' enclosure and the neighboring enclosure. On the day of the incident, the storm struck Worcestershire in the early hours of the morning, and the entrance to the passage was damaged by the storm, and the wild dogs entered the neighboring yard through this damaged passage."
She added: "We are very saddened by the loss of these sixteen animals, as our staff has deep affection for the animals in this zoo."
The UK Met Office issued a warning that another storm, Dennis, will arrive in the UK on February 16th. The spokesperson said: "We are aware of the weather warning this weekend, and we will closely monitor the local weather. As always, we will make decisions with the greatest interests of the animals and the public in mind."
According to data from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), African wild dogs are "one of the most endangered mammals in the world" as a result of habitat and food reduction. There are currently approximately 1,400 African wild dogs left in 25 populations, most of which are found in Southern and Southern East Africa. When hunting, they take a pack approach to hunt gazelles and other five animals, and wild dogs can run up to 44 miles per hour (approximately 71 kilometers per hour).
