Five meerkats dead in suspected dye poisoning at Philadelphia Zoo

All 5 meerkats astatine Philadelpha Zoo person died wrong a substance of days, starring zoo officials to fishy that a dye whitethorn person poisoned them.

The tiny members of the mongoose household from confederate Africa each became sick and died wrong little than a month.

Named Nkosi, Lula, Nya, Kgala, and Ari, they each were brought to the zoo successful 2013 arsenic siblings.

A necropsy is pending, but officials judge they whitethorn person accidentally consumed a dye utilized to people them.

"We fishy that they whitethorn person accidentally consumed thing toxic," said Amy Shearer from Philadelphia Zoo.

She said the dye utilized to people and differentiate animals, Nyanzol-D, is specifically thought to beryllium the culprit.

"We person utilized this carnal dye... for implicit 30 years," she told CBS News.

Rachel Metz, the zoo's vice-president of carnal wellbeing, said unit were struggling to header with the deaths.

"Our unit walk much clip with these animals than they bash with their ain families oregon adjacent their pets astatine home," she told Philadelphia ABC affiliate Action News.

"So there's a existent morganatic enslaved they consciousness with the animals, and evidently they're devastated close now."

The dye was utilized connected the meerkats connected 1 June, according to the Associated Press. One was recovered dormant 30 minutes aboriginal and the 4 others starting showing signs of sickness soon after.

Zoo officials are present coordinating with the US Department of Agriculture and the Association of Zoos and Aquarium to place what caused the deaths of the animals.

Philadelphia Zoo, which says it is "America's archetypal zoo", archetypal opened successful 1874 and presently houses much than 1,900 animals, according to its website.

Elsewhere, and successful much cheerful news, the Smithsonian's National Zoo successful Washington DC announced past period that it was celebrating the commencement of meerkat pups for the archetypal clip successful 16 years.

The 3 pups are 2 weeks old, and are starting to unfastened their eyes and research their habitat. Keepers accidental mum Sadie has been nursing the newborns, and that they look steadfast and strong.