Suspected dye kills five Meerkats at Philadelphia zoo

Five meerkats at Philadelphia zoo have died from suspected dye poisoning. All the 5 meerkats were brought to the zoo from the same parents. The dye which probably killed the animals according to the zoo officials were used to mark the animals on June 1, and 30 minutes later one was found dead while the remaining 4 developed signs of disease.

The remaining 4 Meerkats died few days after the first died. Although necropsy is still expected, zoo officials believe that they may have accidentally eaten the dyes used to mark them.

Information from the zoo officials shows that dye, Nyanzol-D, has been in use in the zoo for over 30 years. The death of the animals is very devastating for the zoo workers who have bonded with the animals over the years.

Meerkat or suricate is a small mongoose found in the Southern Africa. A mongoose is a small land carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. They are very social animals that live in groups within a range of an area. Their foreclaws are adapted for digging and are able to regulate their body temperature to survive harsh environmental situations.