Three animal deaths at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium this month have brought “profound sadness” to its staff, officials said Monday during a news conference.
“This is a lot for our staff to deal with right now,” said the zoo’s president and CEO Jeremy Goodman. “It is very tough when visitors come up and constantly ask what happened. It is a very trying time.”
The zoo closed on Feb. 17, a Saturday, as staff members mourned the deaths.
Still, it’s normal for a zoo to lose 15 to 25 animals a year, Goodman said. With two over the summer, the Pittsburgh Zoo has had five animal deaths since July.
The number of deaths the Pittsburgh Zoo has reported over the last year falls within an expected range for a facility with a large animal collection, according to Jill Nizan, director of conservation operations for American Humane, a Washington organization committed to helping ensure the safety, welfare and well-being of animals.
Mrithi, the first-ever male gorilla born at the zoo, died earlier Feb. 1 at age 31. A male silverback Western lowland gorilla, Mrithi had recently been showing mobility problems. The gorilla died while under anesthesia.
“Many of our staff had known him his whole life,” Goodman said. “This is heartbreaking.”
A 2-year-old elephant calf named Tsuni died Feb. 15 after a sudden and brief battle with elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus at the International Conservation Center in Somerset, the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium announced on Friday. Elephants from birth to age 8 are at highest risk for the disease, with an 85% mortality rate. It is a natural infection in all elephants, said Daryl Hoffman, vice president of living collections at the Pittsburgh Zoo.
“She fought very hard for a week,” Hoffman said. “It was absolutely devastating.”
Then, an 18-year-old sea lion named Seahawk died Feb. 16 while under sedation to diagnose an illness. The sea lion hadn’t been eating and would normally allow for its blood to be drawn, but not this most recent time. He had an adverse reaction from the sedation.
The Pittsburgh Zoo performs 125 to 175 anesthetic procedures a year because sometimes that is the only way they can diagnose medical issues, Goodman said, adding that each one is reviewed to make sure procedure was followed.
A 9-year-old red panda died in July 2023; a 6-year-old lion died in August. The panda had mobility issues and seizures. The lion had a blockage.
“All animals die but the timing (of these) is the unusual part of the tragedy, that they happened so close together,” Goodman said. “We hold ourselves accountable for these animals under our care.”
The Pittsburgh Zoo has the oldest living male sea otter in the country and the second oldest polar bear in the country under human care, Goodman said.
“The longevity of their lives is a testament to our care,” Goodman said. “We care for them for the entire lives. I want to assure everyone the zoo’s protocols have not changed at all. We hold ourselves to high standards.”
Goodman said there was no human error or miscalculation of drug doses. He added that he wants to be upfront to help the public understand what happened to the animals. Announcing the death of animals is a relatively new policy for the zoo.
“The zoo world is no different than the human world in that regard,” said Goodman.
The executive director of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians, Dr. Robert Hilsenroth, said oftentimes animals hide an ailment because it’s natural for them as a way to protect themselves.
He said having lost three in one month is “bad luck.”
Hilsenroth said a baby elephant can die in the wild or in human care and that scientists all over the world are working on a vaccine.
According to Hilsenroth, there are also studies called the Great Ape Heart Project to look at heart disease in apes. If a compromised animal is sedated, sometimes this can happen.
He said he hadn’t seen the report on the sea lion. The red panda and gorilla were older.
Dan Ashe, president and CEO of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums in Maryland, said animals are like people and may appear to be fine.
Ashe said he can’t speak specifically about the Pittsburgh Zoo because it is not accredited through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and he doesn’t know the specifics. The Pittsburgh Zoo is working on getting accredited. Goodman said he doesn’t think the recent deaths will affect this approval.
“I don’t know the circumstances, but there is nothing that tells me there was anything unusual there,” Ashe said. “We who have pets know they can get sick and die.”
He said if the Pittsburgh Zoo was accredited with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, inspectors would have been there to see if there was anything unusual going on. He said it is important for a zoo to be accredited because there will be additional assurance of a review in a situation like this.
Ashe noted that elderly gorillas have passed away at other zoos, and baby elephants have too, from the same virus. Sedating animals is risky, Ashe said.
“What happened at the Pittsburgh Zoo doesn’t seem out of the ordinary,” Ashe said. “They know what they are doing and take all the appropriate measures of care. I would be surprised if anything is amiss.”
Ashe said there is no way to compare the number of deaths at the Pittsburgh Zoo across facilities because they are all different in terms of numbers of animals.
“Three in a month is just a coincidence,” Ashe said.
For Goodman, “our staff’s well-being is still one of most important things we are concerned with right now, and that includes their mental health, which is why we closed two Saturdays ago.”
Goodman said the zoo provided grief counselors all last week to help staff.
“This has been a difficult time, having lost these cherished animals,” said Ron Gruca, chief advancement officer for the zoo. “We take this very seriously. We apologize for the delay in this briefing. We are committed to public transparency.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people and a weekly column about things to do in Pittsburgh. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.