Wallaby missing from Memphis Zoo after storms strike Tennessee
-
Loading... - Michael Sorensen
- 15 Apr 2022
- 309 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Zookeepers at the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee said a wallaby went missing Wednesday during a move to an animal hospital prompted by rising floodwaters around its outdoor enclosure.
The forecast for severe storms across Tennessee had prompted zookeepers to closely monitor the wallabies and other Australian animals that were housed together in the new KangaZoo exhibit, Jessica Faulk, a spokesperson for the zoo, said Thursday in an email.
Faulk said flooding had caused Lick Creek, which runs around the KangaZoo, to overflow its banks in the past, but "nothing that compares to the flooding we saw last night."
"The team had been watching the creek for any signs of flooding. But, as with all flash flooding, it happens so fast," Faulk wrote.
The zoo said in a news release, "We had staff at the zoo as it started to flood and began evacuation procedures."
But when keepers tallied the animals at the hospital, they realized one was unaccounted for.
"Immediately, zoo staff began searching for the missing animal during the massive storm. Zoo staff has continued actively searching for the animal this morning, however, the wallaby has still not been located," the release said.
The Memphis Police Department is assisting in the search. Faulk said no wallaby sightings had been reported as of Thursday afternoon.
The Memphis Commercial Appeal reported that the wallabies "had been overseen by zookeepers in a separate section in preparation for a VIP section featuring wallabies meant to open in April" after the KangaZoo's debut in March.
Faulk said there were four wallabies in total, including the missing one.
Any member of the public who sees the wallaby is encouraged not to approach it and to contact the Memphis Zoo at 901-333-6500. The zoo said wallabies are gentle and "fairly skiddish" animals that are shorter than kangaroos. Read More...
