Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management
A 500-pound nilgai antelope escaped Tuesday in a rural section of Hopkinton. Health officials have alerted the public to not hunt the animal; a sedation medication that was administered before the animal escaped could sicken or kill who consumed the animal's flesh.
HOPKINTON, R.I. -- A 500-pound Asian antelope that escaped Tuesday as it was being readied for transport to a Texas sanctuary remains at large, state veterinarian Scott Marshall said.
The nilgai antelope, imported with two other females about five or six years ago from a hunting preserve in New York, escaped when a private veterinarian shot a sedative to complete health export requirements, Marshall said.
The two other females and two males born in captivity to one of the females have been since sent to the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison, Texas, the sanctuary where Fanny, the Pawtucket elephant, spent the rest of her days when the city closed the aging Slater Park Zoo.
Marshall said the missing antelope had tested negative for brucellosis; it bolted out of the pen before veterinarians could confirm the tuberculosis test results. The other four antelopes, Marshall said, tested negative for TB.
Anyone who sees the antelope is asked to call DEM at (401) 222-3070.