A musk ox at the Assiniboine Park Zoo is being treated for injuries after it escaped its enclosure.
The two-year-old mammal was found in a “secondary containment area,” according to zoo officials.
The musk ox was found around 2:15 p.m. Friday, however it’s unclear how long the musk ox was out of its exhibit.
“We initiated the emergency response,” Senior Director of Animal Care and Conservation Gary Lunsford said. “The responders were on site within minutes and sedated the animal within minutes.”
The mammal was shot with a tranquilizer dart before several staff members were needed to carry it out of the area.
Musk ox can weigh upwards of 650 pounds.
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When the musk was revived it suffered head trauma and one of its horns was ripped off.
“Ironically this occurred after the event, when the animal was safe and secure and waking from sedation,” Lunsford said.
Officials said it is currently receiving veterinary care and will remain off display from the public until it’s healthy.
The gate between the two enclosure areas was found partially open and officials said it was deemed there was no mechanical issue.
“There’s no indication of any malfunction,” Lunsford said.
It appears it may have been caused by human error, although officials said they are still conducting interviews.
“What I don’t understand is if the animal was in a secondary enclosure that was adjacent, which it could access that main enclosure, it didn’t seem like a situation where they would need to tranquilize the animal,” Rob Laidlaw, Executive Director of ZooCheck said. “One of the risks is that the animal would stop breathing or have a heart attack during the process of being anesthetized.”
“That seems like a pretty dramatic injury to have a horn ripped off,” Laidlaw said.
“That’s quite a lot of trauma to an animal, I can’t imagine how that might occur.”
The zoo claims there was never any risk to visitors or the public.
There are five musk ox that live in the zoo’s Journey to Churchill exhibit.
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