Ostrich dies from hypothermia after feet are frozen to the floor during power cut

The bird's feet were frozen to the concrete floor of his cage. During a cold night the ostrich tried desperately to free himself, leaving feathers covering his floor. 

The ostrich was found dead by keepers early in the morning. 

Zoo director Tatiana Karpukhina said: 'The thing is we do look after all our animals well. This ostrich arrived to our zoo seven years ago and has wintered well since. The frosts this winter were truly severe. Of course we took some advance measures and bought extra heating devices - but sadly that night there was a power cut. 

'We admit that the animal died from hypothermia, the autopsy showed it clearly. We have already began an internal investigation.'

Animal rights activists in the Russian Far East want an independent probe into Adam's death. 

They suspect cutbacks at the zoo maybe to blame. 

Activist Melissa Malyarzhik said Adam possibly died because zoo workers did not cover the bird's cage with hay and manure, as in previous winters. 

This acted as a thermal insulation but there are concerns this procedure did not happen this year.