The Audubon Zoo in New Orleans is set to remain closed throughout all of Saturday, July 14, 2018, after a jaguar escaped its habitat and killed a number of other animals.
As reported by NOLA , a release was issued by officials of the Audubon Zoo who did indeed confirm that the jaguar escaped its habitat early on Saturday morning. After getting out, the jaguar made its way to other enclosures and pens at which point it ended up killing six animals.
Around 7:20 a.m. on Saturday morning, a male jaguar went rogue from his habitat and began making his way around the zoo’s enclosures. Close to an hour later, officials from the Audubon Zoo had been able to not only find him but capture him and return the animal back to its habitat.
Unfortunately, the damage had already been done in that short period of time that the jaguar was on the loose. Six animals ended up being mauled and killed by the jaguar, and they were:
- One fox
- One emu
- Four alpacas
Fortunately, there were no human injuries reported and the other piece of good news is that the Audubon Zoo had not yet opened for the day. After the capture of the jaguar, the zoo did decide to remain closed for the rest of Saturday.
‘Tragic loss’ at Audubon Zoo after jaguar escapes, kills six animals; zoo closed Saturday https://t.co/hliLweLsha
— New Orleans Advocate (@theadvocateno) July 14, 2018
The Advocate confirmed that by 8:15 a.m. local time in New Orleans, the jaguar had been captured after being out for less than an hour. The jaguar is housed in a location called the “Jaguar Jungle” which also houses the alpaca enclosure and other animals.
The news release from the Audubon Zoo called Saturday a “difficult day in the Audubon family” and said that the deaths of the animals were a “tragic loss.” An investigation is ongoing and will continue until officials are able to determine just how the jaguar escaped its habitat.
Back in March, the zoo ha acquired five alpacas from different farms in south Mississippi and Mobile, Alabama. As of this writing, it is still not known if any of the animals that were killed were from those brought into the zoo earlier this year.
While it has not happened in quite a long time, the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans is not a stranger to an escaped jaguar. Back in 2001, a 70-pound jaguar cub was on the loose for about 10 minutes before being captured with no injuries to humans or animals. The zoo is going to remain closed through Saturday as officials continue their investigation, but it is expected to return to normal operating hours on Sunday, July 15, 2018.
