DENVER — An investigation has revealed the cause of death of two Malayan tapirs at the Denver Zoo.
The Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance announced last week that the two tapirs, 16-year-old JonHi and 18-year-old Rinny, had died in a “relatively short period of time” and said they were “thoroughly investigating” their deaths to determine the causes.
On Friday, the zoo said its Animal Care and Animal Health teams had conducted a thorough internal review and concluded that their deaths were connected to an accidental misdosing of copper, a common dietary supplement that is essential to the animals’ overall health. The zoo said the copper was part of the tapirs’ comprehensive care after low levels were identified…