GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released a report with details on the sitatunga killed by a pygmy hippopotamus at the John Ball Zoo.
The report used notes from zoo keepers and other information to inspect the incident in May when an adult male pygmy hippo, Jahari, killed an adult male sitatunga named Chopper.
The zoo said that they were attempting a controlled introduction of Jahari into a new multi-species habitat when he suddenly attacked Chopper and killed him.
The USDA report says that the hippo "consistently exhibited behaviors noted as aggression by the keepers during at least eight introduction preparation events." The report lists some of the behaviors as "marking of the exhibit, territorial aggression, charging at the door where the sitatunga was housed, grumbling noises with opening its mouth."
The report also notes that both animals were under stress during these introductions.
The USDA alleges that there were no individuals during the introductions that had direct knowledge and experience with introducing pygmy hippos with other species.
"Introduction of dangerous species of animals in the presence of behaviors consistent with incompatibility can lead to injury or death of animals involved," the report warned.
The John Ball Zoo has updated their animal safety policies following the incident.
According to zoo officials, there have been updates to protocols and procedures when introducing animals, like finding ways to change habitats for better safety and more reviews on the animals before introductions.
After an internal investigation, the zoo said that the incident was likely due to "individual animal behavior."
In a statement on the incident John Ball Zoo's CEO Peter D'Arienzo said:
“At John Ball Zoo, our mission is providing world-class animal care and promoting education and conservation efforts to preserve wildlife and wild places. We remain heartbroken by this incident which occurred after years of research and careful planning for the habitat and visiting other institutions with experience and knowledge regarding pygmy hippo and sitatunga behavior and introductions.
Correspondence from the U.S. Department of Agriculture does not include important context and details about the 300 hours of visual introductions between the pygmy hippo and the sitatunga, during which the vast majority of interactions were positive and supported a successful introduction, which does a disservice to the scientists and animal care specialists trying to use this tragic incident as a moment to learn, improve and prevent incidents like this from happening again.
Our internal review and analysis have identified additional opportunities to modify the habitat to promote enhanced safety during future introductions, and we have already begun implementing some of these protocols and procedures today. John Ball Zoo values our collaboration with the USDA to champion animal care and increase the scientific body of information on the care of wild animals.”
John Ball Zoo officially opened their pygmy hippo exhibit in June of this year.
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