Mexico: 65 zoo animals dead as cold front sweeps through
Sixty-five animals died at a zoo in northern Mexico over the weekend as a cold front swept through the area, CNN reports. A 6-month old monkey, parrots, crocodiles and peacocks were among the dead.
Temperatures at the Chihuahua Zoo dropped as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit early Saturday morning, killing about 10 percent of the zoo's animals. Chihuahua is experiencing the coldest weather in 60 years.
Zoo officials were caught off guard as the temperature dropped unexpectedly and no weather advisory had been issued, according to zoo owner Alberto Hernandez.
Electricity at the zoo, located in the city of Aldama, about an hour from Chihuahua, then went out, and this caused the heaters to stop working.
"There were lots of factors that led to this accident happening," Hernandez said. "We are accustomed to extreme weather, but nothing like this."
The baby Capuchin monkey, named Botitas, or Little Boots, had been born at the zoo. His father, named Boots, and mother came from Central America.
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