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Officials in South Carolina are investigating the death of a man who was believed to have been killed while fighting a kangaroo in an enclosure at a children’s petting zoo.
Eric Slate, 52, died of “multiple blunt [force] injuries”, according to Tamara Willard, the chief deputy coroner of Horry county, as reported by WPDE News.
Local officials said Slate, brother of 5 Star Farm’s owner, Robert Slate, liked to enter the enclosure containing kangaroos and wallabies and “roughhouse” with a kangaroo named Jack.
Mark Causey, a Horry council member, told Newsweek that the animal was not euthanized, and that inspectors would visit the farm this week to look at the enclosure and assess conditions at the zoo.
A tribute posted to Facebook on Monday by Robert Slate featured a series of photographs of a man identified as Eric engaging with a kangaroo of almost the same height. “Your memory will live on, your voice will be heard, and Jack (your buddy, the kangaroo) will be fine,” he wrote.
“My brother, my friend, my rock, you left us with a smile on your face that won’t be forgotten.”
A statement from the Horry county police department, posted to Facebook, said Slate’s death happened on Friday, close to midnight.
“The death investigation remains active and ongoing,” the statement said. “The deceased was located within an enclosure with wallabies and kangaroos of varying ages.”
“There are a number of other animals at the incident location. All animals are accounted for and contained, and there is no risk to the community.”
A further statement from the farm’s owners stated that the kangaroo “was not nor has been out of his secure enclosure”, and that the family-owned facility “has been dedicated to providing a safe and enriching environment for animals and visitors alike”.
According to its website, the farm offers interactive animal experiences including a petting zoo, camel and pony rides, birthday parties and gem mining.
Fatal human-animal encounters are rare at petting zoos in the US, but they are not entirely unheard of. In 2022, a camel was euthanized after escaping its enclosure at Shirley Farms in Obion county, Tennessee, and fatally trampling two men.
