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Vulnerable native animals killed as invasive predator breaks into Aussie zoo
In a rare security breach, a wild animal has broken into an Australian zoo and unleashed on the resident animals inside. Despite being surrounded by high brick walls, some topped with barbed wire, an invasive red fox somehow breached security.
Details of the heartbreaking incident were released this week by Melbourne Zoo, which confirmed to Yahoo News that several animals were killed, including long-nosed potoroos, a species federally listed as vulnerable to extinction. Wild free-roaming native animals, including brushtail possums, also fell victim to the fox.
Zoos Victoria said via email that it was unknown exactly how long the fox was roaming its grounds, but added it was 'several weeks ago'. It is also yet to be established how the animal breached the zoo's fences.
'Additional monitoring and security measures have been implemented, as have regular, ongoing risk assessments by a pest specialist. This is proving effective with no further evidence of incursions by foxes,' a spokesperson for the zoo wrote.
Foxes are incredibly intelligent, and trapping them is difficult, even for experienced pest controllers. How Zoos Victoria successfully caught the animal remains a mystery, as it would only reveal the animal was 'humanely dealt with' by contractors. Luckily, its efforts appear to have worked, and there has been no further evidence of foxes on its grounds.
While breaches of security are uncommon, they do occasionally occur. A decade ago, a fox entered the zoo's grounds and massacred 14 little penguins, forcing staff to move the survivors to a secure location until the predator was stopped.
Moments when animals have broken out of Aussie zoos
In popular culture, it's more common to imagine animals breaking out of zoos, and when this occurs it is usually major news.
The last major breach in Australia was in 2022 when five lions wandered from their enclosure at Taronga Zoo. That same year, a red panda escaped from Symbio Wildlife Park and was sadly killed by a vehicle on a main road.
Two years earlier, a small group of baboons escaped from a Sydney hospital, making international news. And in 2024, a false alarm about an escaped baboon led to Melbourne Zoo being temporarily forced into lockdown.
In another sad incident, a free-roaming possum living at Perth Zoo was thrown across an enclosure by a captive orangutan. The possum did not survive.
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Incident highlights danger foxes pose to Australia
There are signs around the zoo's perimeter warning visitors not to leave gates open, to prevent foxes from entering. Foxes are known to live around Melbourne, including Royal Park, which surrounds the zoo.
The recent breach of Melbourne Zoo's security by the fox, highlights the threat the invasive predators pose to Australia's wildlife.
Following the introduction of European foxes in the 1800s, they have contributed to the rapid decline of native species. Much of Australia was once teaming with small marsupials, many of which are only seen in abundance in Tasmania, where the fox has not yet become established.
It's believed foxes played a role in the decline of greater bilbies. This species used to roam across 80 per cent of Australia, and now they are only found in isolated pockets of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and are listed as vulnerable to extinction.
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