Philadelphia Zoo looking into mysterious deaths of meerkats, possibly poisoned
The meerkats have been at the zoo for about ten years.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Five meerkats at the Philadelphia Zoo died by what's believed to have been an accidental poisoning.
An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of death.
It happened about a week ago.
The meerkats were siblings named Nkosi, Lula, Ari, Kgala, and Nya.
Necropsies are underway.
"We actually suspect that we lost the animals to a topical dye that helps us mark our animals for identification so we can tell them from one another because they do look so similar, and it's a dye we have been using at the zoo for over 30 years," explained Rachel Metz, the zoo's Vice President of Animal Wellbeing.
Metz said the dye is called Nyanzol-D.
The dye was used on the meerkats June 1, and one of them was found dead about 30 minutes later, officials said. The four others started showing signs of acute illness minutes later, so veterinary staff anesthetized them and pumped their stomachs. But three of the meerkats then died within 36 hours. The last one died Monday night after being under medical supervision for more than a week.
Whether the animals ingested that dye and if protocols were followed remain under investigation.
The zoo is investigating internally and also working with partners including the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
"Right now we're not actually sure how it happened, and we're not even 100% sure that it was the dye that caused this, but we're in active fact-finding mode right now," Metz said.
Action News covered the story in 2016 when the zoo opened 'Meerkat Maze' at the Small Mammal House, which allowed the curious small, African carnivores to explore and burrow.
The meerkats have been at the zoo for about ten years.
"We embraced them and so did our visitors. They are very popular, very charismatic animals with individual personalities," Metz said.
She added, "Our staff spend more time with these animals than they do with their own families or even their pets at home. So there's a real legitimate bond they feel with the animals, and obviously they're devastated right now."
The zoo has stopped using the dye until they find out the root cause.
A spokesperson for the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums released the following statement:
"The zoo is investigating in cooperation with USDA, and our independent Accreditation Commission will expect a report from the zoo. The report will be evaluated when received. In the meantime, we support the zoo's efforts to determine the cause of this terrible loss."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
