In Animal News...

Thanks to alert reader Reggie Cleveland for forwarding a story with the headline "Zoo's Outback train kills kangaroo on tracks". Basically, there is a train running through the "Australian Adventure" area, aka the kangaroo pen, of the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Why the zoo's management felt it was prudent to install a railroad in the kangaroo habitat is anyone's guess, but believe it or not, this train has a history of kangaroo collisions. Five of them in fact, the latest resulting in a 'roo fatality.

The story does not end there however, because now PETA wants the zoo fined for the kangaroo death. According to the story "PETA is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to levy "harsh penalties" against the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo".

The story continues: "The corpse flower isn't the only thing that stinks at the Cleveland Zoo. How many more animals have to suffer and die before the zoo is forced to clean up its act?" says PETA Director Debbie Leahy. "The zoo had five chances to save another kangaroo from being hurt but did nothing for seven years. The USDA must investigate and assess all appropriate penalties and fines."

In May, a female wolf was killed by other members of her pack. In 2005, three Wallabies died after eating a corpse flower, a toxic plant that was placed in their enclosure by a zoo employee; a Grant's zebra died from a ruptured aorta after being kicked by another zebra; and a gorilla died after he was anesthetized for an examination. In 2003, a lion died after being attacked by another lion.

As a commenter about 8 comments below the article notes: "Those zoo keepers should have seen that zebra planning the attack on the other zebra, it was so obvious."

When this whole kangaroo/train saga first came to my attention, I refrained from publishing it "out of respect" for the kangaroos, you could say. As alert reader Reggie Cleveland points out though, "Once PETA gets involved, anything's fair game". Pun intended.