Houston Zoo mourning deaths of zebra and leopard

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- The Houston Zoo is mourning the loss this week of two of its residents.

A Grant's zebra died following an incident Monday with an eland and an elderly female leopard was euthanized Tuesday.

According to the zoo, the zebra and eland had lived together for months in an exhibit at the zoo and had never shown aggression toward each other. After the attack, veterinarians performed emergency surgery on the zebra, but it didn't survive.

As for the leopard, zoo officials say it suffered from chronic bone and joint issues that got to the point of being critical. After reviewing all options, zoo staff determined the most humane option was to euthanize it.