Zebra dies at Colchester Zoo after rhino ‘inadvertently punctures its belly’

A zebra that died at Essex Zoo after an “incident” with a rhinoceros was killed after the larger animal inadvertently pierced its stomach.

Over the weekend, Colchester Zoo revealed that a A male zebra has died following an “extremely rare” event with a rhinoceros, but it was not stated how the animal died.

In an update, the zoo said that on Friday, a female rhinoceros named Astrid paired with her son Tayo in the mixed species enclosure.

The rhino “unfortunately” tried to push aside the male zebra named Ziggy, but in doing so “inadvertently punctured its belly,” the zoo added.

The zebra died of its injuries a few minutes later.

The zoo said Ziggy had been living “happily” with other species in the enclosure, including a rhino, since November 2017.

In a statement, he added: “In light of these rare events, we are reviewing our animal care to minimize the risk of these events happening again.

“As a result, the animal care team will continue to closely monitor the animals’ behavior over the coming weeks.

“Incidents like this are extremely rare and we are devastated by this loss. Ziggy was a beloved animal who will be greatly missed.

“We would like to say a huge thank you to our supporters for their well wishes during this difficult time and thank our fantastic animal care team who have dealt with this very difficult situation extremely professionally.”

The zoo initially announced the zebra’s death on social media over the weekend, with some users claiming to have witnessed what happened.

“I was there and I feel so sorry for everyone,” one person wrote on Instagram.

“It was heartbreaking. The goalkeepers did a great job of dealing with it.”

Another said: “We knew it had to be something serious, but every member of staff handled it brilliantly, especially now looking back and knowing the circumstances.”

Both animals were kept in the zoo’s “Kingdom of the Wild” enclosure, which is also home to animals and birds including a crowned crane, an ostrich, a greater kudu and a reticulated giraffe.

According to the zoo’s website, the habitat was completed in 2001 and consists of an indoor building and an outdoor enclosure.

The rhinos are a near-threatened southern white rhino, and seven calves have been born at the popular tourist attraction since the first rhinos arrived in 1972.