Statement from North Carolina Zoo Director Pat Simmons

The North Carolina Zoo is heartbroken to announce that one of our employees died this morning during a scheduled drill.

At this time, we are not providing the employees’ name so that his loved ones may have privacy to grieve. Everyone at the Zoo wishes to express our deepest condolences to the family and that we are devastated by this loss.

The aerial drill involved rescue procedures and did not involve any of the Zoo’s animals. An aerial rescue drill entails a trained arborist ascending a tree to simulate the rescue of another potentially injured employee.

The details of the incident are still being investigated.  All relevant agencies, including the North Carolina Department of Labor and local law enforcement are involved. Any further questions should be directed to these agencies. Because this is an ongoing investigation, we are not able to answer questions related to details of the incident.

The Zoo is providing grief counseling for staff during this very difficult time.