DES MOINES — Blank Park Zoo announced Monday that an okapi was euthanized humanely after being injured on Friday.
The zoo says Kidomo, a 13-year-old okapi, sustained during an incident between him and Cloud, an 11-year-old male nyala, on Friday. The animals were in their outdoor shared habitat during zoo hours when the incident occurred.
“We are deeply saddened and mourning the loss of such a wonderful animal,” Blank Park Zoo CEO Mark Vukovich said in a statement. “Based on initial information, the animals were playing together and unfortunately the okapi was injured.”
The species were picked to share a habitat together based on the fact that they are calm and compatible, and the zoo says Kidomo and Cloud were typically friendly with each other.
“On a typical day you could watch them groom each other,” Director of Animal Care Shannon McKinney said in a statement.
Kidomo came to Blank Park Zoo in the spring of 2018.
