THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 16, 1996 TAG: 9608160005
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 44 lines
Nyla, Norfolk's two-ton hippo, is dead. Her cement enclosure at the Virginia Zoo will remain empty for the foreseeable future, and the city will be hippopotamus-less for many years.
The 31-year-old herbivore died last weekend - probably 10 years before her time - from an obstruction in her small intestine. After her death, veterinarians found a 2-inch black racquetball lodged there.
Angry animal lovers have been calling the zoo, urging the offering of a reward for finding the racquetball culprit.
``I prefer to think this is the result of a thoughtless act rather than a deliberate one,'' said zoo superintendent Gary Ochsenbein. ``Most people don't realize that the hippo's intestine is about as big around as a quarter. If someone wanted to harm her they would have thrown something bigger to her.''
Recent trends in zoo design favor natural habitat with few barriers between visitors and captive animals over cages and enclosures like the one Nyla occupied. An unfortunate side effect of ``natural'' habitat is an increased danger to animals from careless or malicious visitors. As Nyla's death proves, even the old cages couldn't entirely protect animals from visitors.
Nyla's untimely demise provides an opportunity to caution visitors about the special dangers of littering in the zoo. Many zoo animals are sickened - some mortally - every year from small items blown into their areas or tossed near them.
Cigarette butts and foil wrappers are dangerous to all animals. Coins pose a special danger to marine mammals and flightless birds: When sea lions or ostriches swallow coins, their bodies transform pennies and nickels into razor-sharp pieces of metal which can kill or maim.
Visitors should be vigilant about not littering and should teach their children to use the garbage cans that abound at the zoo.
The Virginia Zoo is enjoying renewed popularity with the Siberian-tiger exhibit that opened last year. Plans for an expanded African exhibit are being developed and within the next few years giraffes, zebras, lions, baboons, cheetahs and reptiles will join the Virginia Zoo family in a natural habitat.
Hippos are not part of the plan. Nyla's death leaves a void at the Virginia Zoo. by CNB