A tiger got the better of a Eurasian eagle owl in the Minnesota Zoo after the bird flew away from its handler during a demonstration.
The bird, after escaping the exhibition, found its way into a tiger enclosure. According to the USDA report of the incident, it was there that the bird was tragically killed and eaten. The USDA inspection report was released in July, although the incident itself had taken place in April.
According to USA Today, the bird's handler had been training the owl during a bird show before the owl flew away. It is particularly interesting that the bird to be eaten at the Minnesota Zoo would be a Eurasian eagle owl. The species does not even reside at the zoo year-round. Rather, they are part of a seasonal group of birds, brought in for the summer. According to Zach Nugent, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Zoo, the bird in question was in the early stages of training when it flew off.
Nugent continued that zoo staff had every intention to intervene once the bird landed in the famed "Tiger Lair" exhibit. Tragically though, the tiger in the enclosure got to the bird before any staff could save the day.
Eurasian Eagle-Owl Killed at Minnesota Zoo
Notably, April's death marked the second Eurasian eagle-owl to be killed while stationed at the Minnesota Zoo in three years. In October 2021, an owl named Gladys went missing after flying into a nearby tree during a training session at the zoo's amphitheater.
Gladys was found weeks later, by a neighbor, only after being hit by a car. The zoo sent medical staff to Gladys, but the bird had died by the time they arrived.
Moreover, another Eurasian eagle owl was killed in New York City earlier this year. It was February 23rd, when that bird, which was named Flaco, died after crashing into a building in Manhattan.
Flaco had been released from an enclosure in the Central Park Zoo about a year earlier. Someone had cut through the stainless steel mesh which made up the exhibit.
The Eurasian eagle-owl is the largest species of owl, and their escapes from zoo enclosures often lead to death, and a subsequent media frenzy.
