Deaths in the family

Good morning weekend zookeepers,
I thought Sunday would be a good day to reflect upon the zoo deaths from the past few days. Formal obituaries on each of these great beasts will follow...

7 kangaroos died at the Guadalajara, Mexico zoo after experiencing severe stress during a season of rain storms. Red kangaroos are widely considered the most high-strung of marsupials.

While environmental stresses may cause anxious twilight foraging in the Western Grey Kangaroo, abstinence from sexual activity in the Eastern Grey Kangaroo, or general malaise in the Antilopine kangaroo, none really lose their cool like the old Red Kangaroo.

Here's a test question from the Zookeeper Credentialing International Exam(ZCIE) that illustrates the well-known behavior.

HYENA: MARTIN LAWRENCE:: RED KANGAROO: ?

A) Will Smith
B) Mandy Moore
C) Charles de Gaulle
D) Rodney Dangerfield

For those playing at home, the answer is D.

In other animal tragedy news,
at the Zoo of Northwest Florida, Sammy the giraffe died of a neck injury this week. And while investigators stated that the necropsy revealed evidence of trauma, no one knows yet if the death is related to the death earlier this year of baby Niles, a one and a half year old hippopotamus. Theories abound about the possible motivations for the deaths...poor Pensacola zookeeping, trans fats in the animals' diet, violent video games. Feel free to post your own thoughts.

RIP kangaroos, Sammy and Niles.