What Killed 5 Meercats at the Philadelphia Zoo?

Philadelphia Zoo has shared the news that five meercats have died under their care. What happened?

Meerkats Ari, Nkosi, Lula, Nya, Kgala, all siblings who came to the Philly Zoo 10 years ago, all became sick and passed away over the course of a month, according to Sky News.

Although it has yet to be 100 percent confirmed, zoo officials reportedly believe the meerkats were poisoned by a dye used to mark and track them.

According to Rachel Metz, the vice president of animal well-being at Philadelphia Zoo,  Nyanzol-D dye had been used by their zookeepers for over 30 years as a way of differentiating animals like meerkats from one another. The zoo has reportedly never experienced an incident like this before.

My heart is shattering just thinking about how these poor Meerkats must have suffered before they died. Anyone who ever watched the TV show Meerkat Manor knows how fascinating the creatures are and how communal. It'll also be so sad to walk by the Meerkat habitat at Philly Zoo the next time I'm there.

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Metz emphasizes that the zoo has implemented a 'robust internal and external fact-finding mission' into the tragic deaths of the five meerkats.