Disney's Unnatural Selection
Harper's Magazine, August 1998, p. 29.
“The following list is taken from an April 22 report by the United States Department of Agriculture on its investigation of several widely publicized animal deaths at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The park opened in Orlando, Florida, on the day of the report’s release. The report cleared Disney of any wrongdoing.”
| ANIMAL | CAUSE OF DEATH |
|---|---|
| Black rhino | Perforated colon and diaphragm after eating a 21-inch-long stick |
| Greater kudu | Pneumonia |
| Cheetah cubs (4) | Drank poison |
| Southern gerenuk | Failure to thrive |
| Chinchilla rabbits (8) | Maternal neglect |
| Nile hippopotamus | Sudden onset of septicemia |
| Guinea hog | Died under anesthesia during routine examination |
| Mhorr's gazelle | Injuries resulting from being kicked by a greater kudu |
| Greater kudu | Euthanized after trying to jump out of warthog enclosure. |
| Mole rats (2) | Unknown cause |
| Guenther's dik-dik | Died during castration |
| White rhinoceros | Died under anesthesia during routine examination |
| Oriental small-clawed otters (2) | Ate poisonous loquat seeds |
| Thomson's gazelle | Injuries likely resulting from being kicked by an ostrich |
| Mhorr's gazelle | Cerebral trauma of an unknown cause |
| Sabel antelope | Entangled in electric fence |
| Crowned cranes (2) | Run over by Disney tour vehicle |
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