DENVER—The death of a hippopotamus who spent nearly 29 hours in a crate as she was transferred from Denver to Canada was an accident that no one could have reasonably foreseen, an independent veterinarian concluded this week.
In a report released Tuesday, veterinarian Jacques Dancosse nevertheless recommended steps to prevent another death like that of Hazina, a 6-year-old hippo who died Oct. 27.
Denver Zoo officials had sent Hazina to the Calgary Zoo in Alberta, Canada, as part of a breeding program because the other male hippos in Denver were her brother and father.
A worker had checked on the hippo and offered food and water every 3 to 4 hours but never saw Hazina stand in her crate, even though she had room to do so, wrote Dancosse, a consulting veterinarian for the International Air Transport Association. Sitting on her hind legs for such a long time would have put pressure on her legs, blocking circulation and depriving her muscles of oxygen and nutrients, thereby setting off a fatal chemical reaction in the animal, he said.
Workers in Calgary moved her into water after her arrival, but she was already in shock, the report said.
Dancosse wrote that the Denver and Calgary zoos had planned well for the transfer.
His recommendations to prevent another death included using a crate with a non-slip floor to make it easier for an animal to stand, using crates wide enough for an animal to lie on its side instead of sitting on its hind legs, and using a closed-circuit camera to keep an eye on the animal while driving.
The report said the Denver Zoo had transported 14 hippos since 1966 but that those animals were younger and weighed less than Hazina.
