WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Palm Beach Zoo is investigating how an exhibit flooded, presumably killing two bush dogs.
Employees at the West Palm Beach zoo discovered the flooded habitat Monday during a routine check of the animals.
"Something occurred between Sunday night and Monday morning," zoo spokeswoman Naki Carter told WPTV.
Carter said the bush dogs, named Lilly and Carino, were likely overwhelmed by water.
"The likelihood when water came into the habitat, they were going to run away from the water, and they were going to burrow and likely burrow even deeper," she said.
Employees pumped out the water and the burrows were excavated.
"We just did not find any sign of them," Carter said.
Carter said there's a chance that the bush dogs escaped the zoo's habitat and could still be alive.
"We did leave some food out, and we're hopeful in the next couple of days that maybe they would surface," she said.
Zoo officials are looking into every potential cause of the flooding.
Bush dogs are endangered species native to South America.