One of the world’s most endangered mammals was accidentally crushed and killed by a heavy door at a Florida zoo, according to a report.
The 4-month-old African wild dog — one of just 6,000 left on Earth — was being moved to an enclosure at Zoo Miami when a cable attached to a solid metal guillotine door broke and fell on her, according to the Miami Herald.
“Initial indications are that the cable itself snapped,” zoo spokesman Ron Magill told the paper. “Now, we just need to find out why.”
The zoo has launched an investigation into the “equipment failure,” he said.
The pup, which had a gorgeous tie-dye-like spotted coat, was one of five puppies born on Jan. 23. It wasn’t immediately clear when the fatal accident happened.
“During a routine transfer of the pack which includes both parents and the five juveniles, for an as of yet unknown reason, a cable that supported a solid metal guillotine door separated and the door then fell on the animal,” Magill said.
The canines, also called African painted dogs, are excellent hunters and one of the rarest species in Africa, where in places such as Zimbabwe, their numbers are taking a hit because of the country’s worsening political and economic situation, according to the conservation group Wildlife Vets International.