A “beloved” antelope suffocated to death this weekend in the plastic cap of a snack bag, a Tennessee zoo announced.
Lief, a 7-year-old sitatunga antelope, died on Saturday, Brights Zoo reported on Facebook. The animal choked on the cap of a squeezable bag of fruit sauce, which the zoo said is not allowed on its grounds in Limestone, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) northeast of Knoxville.
According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, a sitatunga antelope can live about 22 years under human care. Lief “had a whole life left to live,” Brights Zoo said.
“Some wonder why we don’t allow squeezable bags in the zoo. The reason is simple: the packaging is dangerous for our animals,” the zoo said on Facebook.
“If you look at these lids from an animal’s perspective, they look like food,” the report continued.
The zoo searches bags, but “some people find ways to sneak them.” [pouches] inside,” it said.
The zoo added that guests can enjoy their squeezable bags of fruit sauce and other snacks in their vehicles or at designated picnic areas in the parking lots and later re-enter the zoo as many times as they wish.
Commenters on the Facebook post expressed outrage that breaking the rules led to the death of an animal. In response to a comment, the zoo said it does not believe anyone will take responsibility for Lief’s death.
Another commenter wrote that he had witnessed adults throwing human food and waste into the animal enclosures, prompting the zoo to encourage reporting such behavior.
“If we know when it happens, we can get staff there immediately to remove the items, and with a description from the guests we can help them quickly find the zoo exit,” the zoo wrote.
According to the website, Brights Zoo is private and family owned. It is home to some rare and endangered species, as well as ‘more common but exotic creatures’.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
