A bighorn sheep escaped from the Los Angeles Zoo Saturday and died after it was apparently struck by a hit-and-run vehicle near the Greek Theatre, authorities said.
The adult female sheep escaped an exhibit on the zoo grounds just before noon and made its way through Griffith Park, said zoo spokeswoman April Spurlock.
It traveled over the hills south, towards the Greek Theatre and into the Los Feliz district, she said.
A witness reported that the sheep was hit near the Greek Theatre by a car, whose driver fled the scene, Spurlock said.
The animal was located in the 2200 block of North Commonwealth Avenue, said Lt. Richard Parks of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Northeast Station.
Zoo staff and veterinarians went to the scene and set up a perimeter and tranquilized the sheep with a dart, but it died soon after, Spurlock said.
It is believed the animal was fatally injured from the car crash, but that won’t be confirmed until a necropsy is performed, she said.
It was unclear how the sheep escaped the zoo.
