Zoo fox attack: Several animals killed after intruder sneaks in
The attack at Melbourne Zoo highlights the ongoing threat invasive predators pose to Australia’s most fragile native species.
Three animals considered vulnerable to extinction have been killed after a European red fox broke into Melbourne Zoo in Australia.
The fox managed to breach the facility’s tall brick walls, which are topped with barbed wire. Once inside, the predator hunted brushtail possums and three long-nosed potoroos, small hopping mammals native to the forests and shrublands of southeastern Australia and Tasmania.
The long-nosed potoroo is listed as Near Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, meaning it could soon face a higher risk of endangerment. In addition to red foxes, feral cats and wild dogs are also known threats to the species, which has suffered further from habitat degradation and loss.
Red fox: the hunted becomes the hunter
The European red fox was deliberately introduced to Australia in the mid-1800s by settlers for fox hunting. The move quickly backfired as the species spread in the wild. According to the Australian government, the fox has played a “major role” in threatening the survival of several native species, including the greater bilby and green turtles.
In November 2015, a red fox broke into the same zoo in Melbourne and mauled 14 penguins in an overnight attack. In 2022, the world’s oldest known rockhopper penguin was also killed by a red fox at Edinburgh Zoo in Scotland.
Melbourne Zoo told Yahoo News Australia it was still unsure how the animal had managed to enter the facility. The zoo said the fox had since been “humanely dealt with” and that additional monitoring and security measures to prevent future intrusions have proved effective.
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