Accident at a zoo - level 3
Staff at a zoo in Illinois are investigating how a life support system in one of its tanks malfunctioned, killing 54 stingrays. Brookfield Zoo in Chicago has closed the habitat after what it called the tragic loss of the animals. It’s understood the stingrays died when oxygen levels in the tank dropped, but vets were unable to save the rays.
In a statement released on Facebook, Brookfield Zoo said immediate action was taken by animal care staff to rectify the situation and get the levels back to normal, but despite tireless efforts by staff, all the animals succumbed.
It went on to say the Chicago Zoological Society has made the decision not to reopen the temporary exhibit for the remainder of the season.
It's not the first time animals have died in a tank at Brookfield Zoo. Sixteen stingrays were killed in 2008 when a tank's heating system malfunctioned.
Difficult words: malfunction (to fail to work properly), habitat (a natural home), tragic (very sad), rectify (to correct), succumb (to die), temporary (existing only for a limited period of time).