Bighorn Sheep Struck by Hit-Run Driver After Escaping From LA Zoo

A bighorn sheep that escaped from the Los Angeles Zoo died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in a Los Feliz neighborhood Saturday, police said.

The adult female sheep went missing from an exhibit about noon and  traversed the Santa Monica Mountains from the area in Griffith Park where the zoo is located, zoo spokeswoman April Spurlock said.

It was struck by a car near the Greek Theatre about two hours later.

Los Angeles park rangers and police found the sheep on a home driveway in the 2200 block of North Commonwealth Avenue.

When zoo personnel and veterinarians got to the sheep, they tranquilized the animal with a dart to bring it back to its habitat but it died at the scene about 3 p.m., Spurlock said.

The sheep is believed to have died from its injuries, but the official cause of death will be determined by an autopsy, Spurlock said.

The sheep was one of five bighorns at the zoo. Officials are trying to figure out how it escaped.

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The desert bighorn sheep has been listed as endangered since 1998 due to loss of habitat, disease brought by domestic sheep and cattle and predation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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