Gretta was one of the senior members of the zebra herd. (Photo courtesy of Cape May County Zoo)
A female zebra at the Cape May County Zoo died after suffering a fall that left her paralyzed.
Gretta was running with the rest of the herd in the zoo’s zebra exhibit on July 9 when she kicked her hind legs in the air in “a typical zebra action,” fell to the ground and could not get back up, the zoo said in a news release Friday.
Zoo staff members were alerted and rushed to the fallen zebra within minutes. Staff members and veterinarians cared for the zebra for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, but she died later.
A necropsy revealed that when Gretta landed after kicking out her legs, she broke multiple vertebrae and was left fully paralyzed, the zoo said.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Gretta, a beloved member of our Zoo family, who brought joy to thousands of visitors who came to see her and her foal. We are thankful to the Zoo staff for their expertise and care in making her comfortable until the end. Gretta will be greatly missed,” Cape May County Board of Commissioners Vice Director Andrew Bulakowski, liaison to the zoo, said in a statement.
Gretta died only a month after giving birth to a female foal on June 12. It was the third time that Gretta had given birth while living at the zoo.
“Our veterinarians are working closely with staff to ensure Gretta’s foal is well taken care of after losing her mother. A care plan has been crafted and will be updated as the foal continues to grow. She is currently eating and acting normally,” the zoo said in the release.
The zoo noted that employees are extremely saddened by the death of one of the most senior members of the zebra heard.
“All staff, security, and volunteers’ performance exceeded expectations as they jumped in to help during this emergency. We’d like to thank all of them for their hard work and dedication to the animals,” the zoo said.
