Minnesota Zoo Euthanizes 2 Remaining Musk Oxen

APPLE VALLEY, MN— The Minnesota Zoo announced that it had made the decision to euthanize its two remaining musk oxen in late April.

Zookeepers noticed that increasing summer temperatures in Minnesota had begun to negatively affect the musk oxen, who are native to the arctic tundra, the zoo said.

“We saw firsthand just how much the seasons and temperature and humidity played a role in how they thrived or not,” Zookeeper Cindy Bjork-Groebner said.

Due to the hotter summers, the zoo said it stopped breeding musk oxen ten years ago, and not acquire any other herd members, letting the herd die out until only two senior female musk oxen remained. The two were experiencing age-related health issues in addition to the issues caused by the heat, the zoo said. Both of these factors led to the decision to euthanize them, the zoo said.

“It’s a long conversation between veterinarians, curators, and Zoo leadership,” Taylor Yaw, manager of the zoo’s Animal Health department, said. “We have a responsibility to these animals. When it comes to a point that we can’t manage clinical health issues, this is the most humane choice we can make.”

The former musk oxen habitat will be inhabited by a group of Asian wild horses, the zoo said.

"A special thank you to the Zoo’s Northern Trail and Animal Health teams who had been providing our musk oxen with the best care possible – and to all the former keepers and animal health specialists who have helped care for this species for more than 40 years at the Minnesota Zoo," the zoo said.