Maryland Zoo's 5-Year-Old Arctic Fox Timber Dies Suddenly
BALTIMORE, MD — The Maryland Zoo's Arctic fox Timber has died, the Zoo announced Thursday.
Timber, who was five-years-old, died suddenly on Tuesday, August 4.
"We were all shocked and saddened by this loss," said Erin Cantwell, mammal collection and conservation manager. "While he wasn't one of our larger animals, he had a huge effect on our staff and guests. He was a great ambassador for the dynamic changes of the Arctic demonstrating seasonal coat changes to match the surroundings - pure white in winter and dark in the summer. His energy and enthusiasm will be greatly missed."
His animal care team found him unresponsive late Tuesday morning.
"We found Timber struggling to breathe," stated Dr. John Flanders, associate veterinarian. "Timber was not currently under any medical treatment and was completely normal earlier in the morning. Despite our best efforts, we were unable to stabilize his condition, and he passed away at our hospital. We hope to find out what caused his sudden decline by doing a full post-mortem evaluation."
Timber came to the Zoo in 2016.
