"This is a devastating and catastrophic loss to our zoo," Lisa New, president at the zoo, told the Knoxville News Sentinel Saturday. "These animals were important ambassadors who helped so many people understand the role snakes and lizards play in the balance of nature."
Veterinarians from the zoo as well as from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine are investigating the cause of death.
“We also lost breeding programs for several endangered and threatened species,” she added. “It is especially difficult for our herpetologists who have dedicated their careers to caring for and advocating for these animals.”
Three critically endangered species died; the Louisiana pine snake, the Catalina Island rattlesnake and the Aruba Island rattlesnake. The zoo’s forest cobra and albino Eastern diamondback rattlesnake also died.
"We don't know exactly what occurred to cause this terrible event, but we do know it was isolated to a single building," the zoo said in a post on Facebook. "We are continuing to investigate all the physical systems and conducting necropsies to see if we can gain any insight."
We're sorry to have to tell you that our Herpetology team has suffered a devastating loss. On Wednesday morning they...
Posted by Zoo Knoxville on Saturday, March 25, 2017
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