Two weeks after the death of 4-year-old Knut the polar bear at the Berlin Zoo, another large animal has died at the same zoo.
A necropsy performed on Knut after his sudden death revealed the bear likely died of drowning after falling into a pool in his enclosure. However, Knut’s fatal plunge was likely precipitated by an underlying encephalitic infection, causing inflammation of the brain. Experts say it was likely Knut would not have survived the infection had he not fallen into the water and drowned.
It seems infection could have lead to the death of an elephant at the zoo today. Shaina Pali, a six-year-old elephant, has died and infection has been pegged a likely cause in the animal’s death. Berlin Zoo spokeswoman Claudia Bienek would only comment to say Shaina Pali’s death was “simply very, very sad.” Typically, elephants can live up to 80 years in captivity. A necropsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
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