Suspicious death of endangered vulture marks 3rd incident at Dallas Zoo in 2 weeks, with unusual wound. Death not from natural causes according to a USA Today article. They say,

“An endangered vulture has been found dead Saturday at the Dallas Zoo with an “unusual wound,” facility officials said, marking the third suspicious incident there in the last two weeks.

Pin, an adult lappet-faced vulture, died over the weekend while inside its enclosure at Texas’ largest zoo, faculty there said.

“The circumstances of the death are unusual, and the death does not appear to be from natural causes,” the zoo posted on Twitter Monday.”

Dallas Zoo offers $10,000 reward for information in endangered vulture’s death, police and US Fish & Wildlife Service investigate. Zoo increases security with more overnight guards and cameras according to a BBC news article which report, 

“A spokesperson for the Dallas Police Department said the US Fish and Wildlife Service had been called to assist with the investigation into the vulture’s death.

The zoo has recently ramped up its security efforts across the 110-acre campus, Mr Hudson said, including doubling the number of overnight security guards and adding to the 100-plus cameras already on zoo grounds. It is also offering a $10,000 (£8,122) reward for information leading to an arrest and indictment, according to a statement from the zoo.

The lappet-faced vulture, named Pin, was 35 years old and had been at the Dallas Zoo for 32 years, during which time he sired 11 offspring and one grandchild.”

The lappet-faced vulture found dead at the Dallas Zoo is one of only 27 in US zoos, with a global population of only 6,500.