DEATH OF ELAND
Broken Neck Found (N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, June 9. Wellington Zoo's new female eland was killed by Wednesday nights earthquake. The eland died yesterday, but its mate guarded the- body so well that zoo attendants were unable to remove the body for post mortem until today. The post mortem showed its death was caused by a broken neck. The zoo director, Mr C. J. Cutler, said this afternoon that the eland was all right in its new home on Wednesday evening. The injury occurred during the same night. “The only explanation is that the earthquake, just after midnight, startled the eland into ramming the concrete wall,” he said. “It was unfamiliar with the home and it was in darkness. The eland must have leapt up and hit the wall.” The eland with its male mate arrived last Tuesday in the Wanganella. and with gifts from Sir Edward Hallstrom. director of Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney. Mr Cutler said he had known of one other instance of a startled zoo animal breaking its neck against a wall. That was in Auckland about 20 years ago when a fire caused a Sumatra water buffalo to panic.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume C, Issue 29536, 10 June 1961, Page 9
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196DEATH OF ELAND Press, Volume C, Issue 29536, 10 June 1961, Page 9
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