WBIR – KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WBIR) - Zoo Knoxville is investigating the mysterious deaths of 32 reptiles.
According to a news release from the zoo, when staffers entered the building Wednesday morning they found 30 snakes and one lizard unresponsive.
Zoo clinic staffers and veterinarians from the UT College of Veterinary Medicine responded. Surviving animals were evacuated and given oxygen, while others were checked for heartbeats using ultrasound.
Of the 52 animals housed in the building, 32 died, including three critically endangered species.
"It's devastating. It's a lot bigger than just the individual snake in our collection," Zoo Knoxville director of animal care, conservation and education Phil Colclough said. "All these are pieces to a larger conservation puzzle and in some cases with these animals, there might be a handful of them left in the world."