Catherine Rusoff
A rare antelope died after choking on the plastic lid of a compressible bag at the Bright Zoo in Tennessee over the weekend.
Leif, a Sitatunga antelope, was in his enclosure Saturday when a zookeeper was performing a routine check and noticed the animal was “acting strangely,” zoo director David Bright told CBS News. Fluid was leaking from the antelope’s mouth and the keeper immediately called the veterinary team to remove the plastic cap.
Courtesy of Bright Zoo
But “the team couldn’t get it done in time,” Bright said.
Bright said the private zoo, which specializes in exotic animals, conducts bag checks for visitors as the zoo does not allow bags that can be squeezed, among other items.
“The reason is simple – the packaging is dangerous for our animals,” the zoo said said on his social media page. “If you look at these lids from an animal’s perspective, it looks like food. This is what forced us to search the bags, but still some people find ways to stuff them. Park as many times as you want and enter the zoo again.”
Courtesy of Bright Zoo
Bright said that since news of Leif’s death became public, most people have been supportive, but no one has come forward with information about how the hat landed in the room.
“I would respect the person more if they came forward and took responsibility,” Bright said, adding that not knowing exactly what happened or who did it makes it worse.
Bright said the cap “had to be thrown” as there was no other way it could have landed inside the enclosure housing Leif, his companion and several other animals.
The young antelope was known for his calm demeanor and zookeepers often joked that he “liked being in your pocket,” Bright said. He followed the keepers during feeding time and often let them touch him. This was markedly different from other wild animals, Bright said, which tended to be skittish and shy.
Since Leif’s death, his companion has been wandering around looking for him, perplexed by his absence, Bright said. The antelope was 7 years old and would have turned 8 on July 30, Bright said. The antelope could have lived to be 20 or 21 years old, and Bright said it still had “a lot of life left in it.”
In addition to the Sitatunga antelope, an animal that lives in the swamp and is distinguished by its long length hooves, the zoo is home to an addax, bongos and scimitar oryx.
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