Wild fox kills 25 flamingos and a duck at the National Zoo in D.C.

A wild fox killed 25 American flamingos and one Northern pintail duck Monday after breaking into an exhibit at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in the District of Columbia.

Three other flamingos were injured and are undergoing treatment at the zoo’s veterinary hospital, and the fox has not been caught, zoo officials said in a statement.

“This is a heartbreaking loss for us and everyone who cares about our animals,” Brandie Smith said in the statement. Ms. Smith is the John and Adrienne Mars director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. “The barrier we used passed inspection and is used by other accredited zoos across the country. Our focus now is on the well-being of the remaining flock and fortifying our habitats.”

Zoo staffers conduct multiple “exhibit-integrity inspections” per day — the Monday morning check showed a new softball-sized hole in the protective heavy-duty metal mesh, the statement said.

The fence has been reinforced and passed inspection by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, according to the zoo’s statement. Staff also set live traps and improved their motion-sensor digital camera traps to monitor the previous night’s activity.

“The Zoo’s Bird House and surrounding plateau are undergoing a major renovation and are closed to the public. The Zoo’s flamingo flock lives primarily outdoors in a 9,750-square-foot yard with a heated pool and barn. The flamingo exhibit has been at the Zoo since the 1970s as currently designed and this is the first predator mesh breach,” the statement said.

The flamingos were moved to an indoor barn, and the ducks were taken to a more secure outdoor space, the zoo said.

The American flamingo was placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species last year, according to the company’s website. There are between 150,000 and 205,000 “mature individuals” in the world, IUCN said.

Northern pintail ducks are common, but their population is declining, The Cornell Lab reported.