A Eurasian eagle owl at the Minnesota Zoo escaped its handler, only to land in a tiger enclosure, where it was killed, according to a government report and the zoo.
The owl escaped during a flight training session for a bird show on April 29 at the zoo, in Apple Valley, a suburb of the Twin Cities. The owl didn’t return to its handler, and it landed in an outdoor enclosure where it was killed by a tiger, according to a U.S. Agriculture Department inspection report dated July 1.
Zoo spokesperson Zach Nugent told NBC News on Wednesday: “The bird flew into the Zoo’s Tiger Lair habitat. Before staff could intervene, the tiger within that habitat preyed upon the owl.”
The inspection report said the handling of animals during training sessions “should be done in a manner that does not cause trauma or physical harm to the animals.”
The zoo had to “develop and maintain a training program for free flight training that ensure all animals are handled as to prevent trauma or physical harm” by July 5.
Nugent said the zoo complied with the report’s suggestion.
“Animal welfare is a top priority in all facets of Zoo operations,” he said. “This was a tragic incident and the Zoo has been working closely with its free-flight bird training partners to review our policies and procedures.”
The July report further found issues with the zoo’s contingency plan for caring for animals sheltering in place during emergencies or disasters, as well as issues with a camel holding enclosure that was “not in good repair.” It also found the pest control program “to be ineffective in the garage bay where the supply of bagged feed and other foodstuffs used to feed animals at the facility are stored.” Similarly, the zoo was given July deadlines to resolve the matters.
Nugent said the zoo has "many years of experience training free-flight birds."
"We recognize that every animal is an individual and as such, we build programs around their individualized flight skill, experience, and general adaptability for being included in a free-flight program," he said. "This specific owl was at the beginning stages of its training and acclimating to its new environment."