Flooding Causes Zoo Tragedy In Duluth

MSNBC reporting on our beloved Lake Superior Zoo. It was a sad day for Duluth and for the LS Zoo, as several animals at the Lake Superior Zoo drowned overnight when torrential rain caused flooding across the city, swamping roads and sending sewage spilling outside overflow tanks.

"We have 11 confirmed dead animals, most of them barnyard animals," zoo marketing director Holly Henry told msnbc.com. "Two thirds of the zoo is under water."

All but one of the zoo's barnyard animals died, zoo spokeswoman Keely Johnson said in a statement. That included the zoo's donkey, goats and sheep.

"Our entire staff is devastated," added Peter Pruett, the zoo's director of animal management.

The zoo's seal was able to swim out of its exhibit and was found on nearby Grand Avenue, after being photographed by passers by, the animal was rescued.

The polar bear also got out but was quickly darted and is safe in quarantine, Johnson said. None of the zoo's dangerous animals got outside the zoo's perimeter fence, she added.

Police helped locate Berlin, the female polar bear, the Associated Press reported. "Even though it's a large white object, it's pretty nerve racking," police spokesman Jim Hansen said.

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