Neither the zebras nor the Bennett tree-kangaroos have had much luck at Temesvár/Timișoara Zoo. On Tuesday night, three dogs entered the zoo, located next to the of Vadászerdő/Pădurea Verde, and slaughtered all the tree-kangaroos living there.
According to Călin Călămar, the administrator of the zoo, they found out about the massacre Wednesday morning — when they also found an emu roaming around on the walkway. The latter had also been forced to flee from the dogs but evidently had more luck. The peaceful tree-kangaroos, which reach a maximum height of 90 centimeters, had no chance against the dogs.
Workers at the zoo called the Danyflor dog shelter to come pick up two of the aggressors: a German shepherd and a hybrid Rottweiler. Călămar does not blame the dogs for the massacre because they are natural hunters, but he doesn’t understand how the animals could have possibly gotten into the zoo in the first place. “I’ve been working as an employee of the zoo since 2008, and this is the first time a strange dog has entered and left victims,” Călămar said. As to getting any chance of justice vis-à-vis the owners of the attackers, this is unlikely, as the captured dogs have no microchip.
In recent years, two zebras died in Temesvár/Timișoara Zoo but not due to being victims of a dog attack. One of the zebras got startled and drowned in a lake for wild ducks, and the other one died because of intestinal torsion. As to the slaughtered tree-kangaroos, the zoo administrator promises that they will soon be replaced.
Featured photo: Nyugatijelen.com
