Antelope dies from suffocation at Tennessee zoo due to a plastic lid

A beloved antelope in Tennessee died over the weekend after getting suffocated by the plastic lid of a snack bag. The announcement was made by the Tennessee zoo, and the animal was only 7 years old.

A small antelope died because of a small piece of plastic.

Lief, a 7-year-old sitatunga antelope, died at Brights Zoo, and they made a Facebook post to raise awareness about it. The animal choked on the cap of a squeezable fruit sauce pouch, which, according to the zoo, is not allowed on their grounds.

The sitatunga antelope can live up to about 22 years under human care, as explained by the Smithsonian National Zoo. "Lief still had a lot of life to live," Brights Zoo said.

Reasons not to bring plastics to zoos

Brights Zoo explained on its Facebook page the reasons for not allowing this type of material to be brought to its facilities: "Some ask why we do not allow the entry of compressed bags to the zoo. The reason is simple: the packaging is dangerous for our animals."

"If you look at these lids from an animal's perspective, they look like food," the post continues.

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The zoo allows squeezable bags, but only outside its facilities.

The zoo added that visitors are more than welcome to enjoy their squeezable bags of fruit sauce and other snacks in their cars or in designated picnic areas in the parking lots and then re-enter the zoo as many times as they want.

After Lief's death, the Facebook post was filled with indignation, as rules must be followed.

“If we know when it happens, we can have staff arrive there immediately to remove the objects, and with a description of the visitors we can help them find the zoo’s exit quickly,” wrote the zoo.