The curator of the bird collection at the National Zoo in Washington was startled to see a wild fox leaving the Flamingo habitat.
It was too late.
The fox had killed 25 American Flamingos and one northern pintail duck, apparently after a softball-size hole in the metal mesh surrounding the birds.
Brandie Smith, director of the National Zoo, said in an interview that it was most likely the work of.
The zoo is beefing up security around bird exhibits in case the fox strikes again.
The first predator mesh breach at the zoo was at the Flamingo exhibit, a 9,750- square-foot expanse with a heated pool and barn, which has remained largely unchanged since the 1970s. The zoo's veterinary hospital was treating three other injured Flamingos.
The barrier used by other accredited zoos across the country passed inspection and is used by us. Our focus is on fortifying our habitats and well-being of the remaining flock.
The zoo has 49 of the pink-feathered birds in its collection, and they can live for up to 60 years. They are rare in the United States. They have been known to defy the odds.
A fishing guide spotted an African Flamingo in Port Lavaca, Texas, 17 years after it flew away from the Sedgwick County Zoo.
Washington has been known to be prowled by Foxes. A fox that was roaming Capitol Hill bit at least nine people, including a member of Congress, before it was caught, euthanized and tested positive for the disease. The three kits of the fox were euthanized because of their exposure to their mother.
The National Zoo said that employees check the perimeters of the bird exhibits twice a day to make sure they are intact, and that nothing was amiss when the outdoor yards surrounding the Bird House were last inspected on Sunday.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums inspects zoos and found a small hole in the mesh enclosure that was last replaced in 2017:
Dr. Smith said that the zoo was adding more wire mesh around the bird enclosures, as well as installing more fencing around the zoo to keep animals out.
She said that zoo workers were setting up live traps to catch wild animals, as well as digital cameras with motion sensors to keep an eye on the animals at night.
The ducks and the surviving Flamingos have been moved to a secure outdoor area. The zoo workers who tend to the flocks were devastated.
She said that the staff of people who had to respond to the death of the Flamingos were incredible.
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