NEW ORLEANS – A ninth animal has died after a jaguar escaped its enclosure at the Audubon Zoo over the weekend.
A three-year-old male jaguar named Valerio was able to escape through the roof of the enclosure, which zoo officials have said was “compromised,” on July 14.
Before Valerio was located, sedated, and returned safely to its night enclosure, it attacked several animals throughout the zoo.
Valerio killed four alpacas named Noel, Micia, Alexandria, and Lil Melody, an emu named Elmo, and a fox named Maggie Mae during his rampage.
An alpaca named Daisy, a fox named Rusty, and a second fox named Copper were critically injured during Valerio’s rampage and later died of their wounds, bringing the total amount of animals killed to nine.
A memorial has sprung up in front of the zoo as people express their sadness for the tragedy, and even more people have taken to the Audubon Zoo’s Facebook page to offer their sympathies.