Deer Doesn't Survive Visit To Zoo's Lions

Visitors to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. got a little more verisimilitude than they bargained for Sunday when a deer leaped into the lions' enclosure and found itself fighting for its life, just like an impala or a wildebeest encountering lionesses on the African savanna.

According to the Washington Post:

Zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Masson described the incident as highly unusual. It began about 2:50 p.m. as visitors lined the perimeter wall of an enclosure that contained two female lions, and it involved a deer that may have entered from Rock Creek Park.

"Everyone was cheering, 'Go, go, go' " to encourage the deer to reach safety, witness Josh Shpayher said. "Everyone was rooting for the deer."

As recounted by witnesses, the deer, over as much as 20 minutes, was in and out of a moat while the lions clutched, clawed or swatted it. A crowd of spectators grew. Some shrieked, cried out or took children away...

... Zoo personnel sent visitors away and got the lions indoors. With the enclosure empty, the deer left the moat on its own. It was anesthetized and taken for evaluation by specialists.