7 February 2-8, 2023 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents hopes that Stein will realize that this race is more crucial than clicks on YouTube. “If I saw him face to face, I would person- ally ask him to withdraw,” she said. “Because at the end of the day, this is a leadership posi- tion for a service-oriented candidate who’s willing to serve, and someone who has our children’s best interests at heart. And in my humble opinion, that’s not Alex Stein.” Highland Park ISD’s board of trustees election will be held on Saturday, May 6. ▼ CRIME ZOO CRIMES A DEAD VULTURE AND MISSING LEOPARD HAVE SOME CONCERNED ABOUT THE DALLAS ZOO. BY JACOB VAUGHN A nother mystery is brewing at the Dallas Zoo. As the Dallas Police De- partment continued its investigation into the escape of a clouded leopard, it had to launch a new investigation on Jan. 21. That day, the zoo notified DPD that one of its endangered vultures was found dead in its enclosure. The cause of death hasn’t been de- termined yet, but DPD is investigating it as suspicious. An autopsy will be performed on the bird as part of the investigation. DPD didn’t have any more details to make public, but the zoo said in a statement on so- cial media that the circumstances of the vul- ture’s death were unusual: “… the death does not appear to be from natural causes. ... Given the recent incidents at the Zoo, we alerted the Dallas Police Department. We cannot share many details until Dallas PD has had more time to look into this matter.” At a press conference, the zoo said it is of- fering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and indictment of who- ever is responsible for the vulture’s death. As for the cause of death, zoo staff would only say at the press conference that the vulture was wounded. The dead bird was a 35-year-old lappet- faced male vulture named Pin. He’d been at the Dallas Zoo for 33 years and was one of four of his kind at the zoo. “Pin was much beloved by the bird department,” the zoo said. The bird sired 11 chicks that now live at the Albuquerque BioPark, Zoo Atlanta, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Cincinnati Zoo and the Dallas Zoo. Pin’s first grand- chick hatched in early 2020 and now lives at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. The species, native to Africa and parts of the Middle East, gets its name from the folds of skin on its neck called lappets. Vultures play a critical role in consuming dead ani- mals and preventing the spread of poten- tially deadly diseases throughout the environment. These vultures’ wingspans can reach up to nine feet, making them the largest in Africa. These birds live long and reproduce slowly. They are considered en- dangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are likely only 6,500 of them left in the world, accord- ing to the zoo. The greatest challenges these vultures face in the wild are poisonings by poachers and farmers, and habitat en- croachment. The Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for this species is hosted by the Dallas Zoo. Local environmentalist Ben Sandifer said there have been a number of animal welfare issues at the zoo over the years. Because of this and in light of recent events, he believes the zoo’s management should take a deeper look at the problem. Sandifer said there have been a few in- stances at the Dallas Zoo in which animals have died or escaped their enclosures. One of the more tragic examples he cited was from 2004. That year, a 300-pound gorilla escaped and injured several people at the zoo before it was shot to death. More recently, three giraffes at the Dallas Zoo died in October 2021. According to The Dallas Morning News, a 3-month-old giraffe named Marekani was euthanized earlier in the month after an irreparable leg injury. Two others, 19-year-old Auggie and 14-year-old Jesse, died within a week of one another later the same month. Based on the timing and au- topsy results showing Auggie and Jesse both had liver damage, the zoo initially thought the deaths were related. But it was later de- termined the deaths weren’t connected. Aug- gie died of severe hepatitis and liver failure, and Jesse died of colon inflammation. Even more recently, five of the zoo’s western lowland gorillas tested positive for COVID-19 in February 2022, according to WFAA. All of them were asymptomatic and were testing negative for the virus by the end of the month. “There have been some animal care issues in the past there,” Sandifer said. “Every living thing eventually dies. … Your pet dog and cat don’t live forever. But in regards to some of the deaths here, I think there needs to be more of an introspective look with the city zoo man- agement on how some of this is happening.” Sandifer also wondered whether the vul- ture death would have even been newswor- thy were it not for the recent, potentially criminal, escape of a young clouded leopard named Nova about a week before. Nova es- caped through a cut in her enclosure on the morning of Jan. 13. It was found at the zoo after a daylong search. But DPD announced at a press conference that day it was opening a criminal investigation into Nova’s escape, adding that the enclosure may have been cut open. As of the press conference, the crimi- nal investigation into Nova’s escape was on- going, according to DPD. “Health and safety of the patrons of the zoo is real important, but the health, safety and quality of life of the animals are also top of the list,” Sandifer said. “Everybody likes to go to the zoo to see animals. They are cap- tive, but you hope that they’re being treated well and that they’re living out their best life in captivity.” With security cameras now at a rela- tively low cost, Sandifer said he’s sur- prised at the level of mystery behind the vulture’s death and the escape of the clouded leopard. The zoo said in its initial statement that it was addressing some of these concerns with additional security cameras throughout the premises and increased on-site security overnight. “We will continue to implement and expand our safety and security mea- sures to whatever level necessary to keep our animals and staff safe,” the zoo’s state- ment said. Sandifer hopes these events will lead to better security and safety measures for the ani- mals, adding that he’s sure the animal care team at the zoo is heartbroken about the loss. Dallas Zoo A 35-year-old lappet-faced vulture named Pin was found dead in his enclosureat the Dallas Zoo. 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