The determined agouti who briefly escaped his cage at the Smithsonian National Zoo last month has died.
Zoo officials say Macadamia, a South American rodent about the size of a large house cat, died Monday while receiving veterinary treatment after zookeepers realized something was wrong with him.
Officials say Macadamia's escape was not a factor in his death. They say his habit of skittering around his habitat may have led to a head or neck injury.
Macadamia chewed his way out of an enclosure on July 15. Staffers found a hole in the stainless-steel mesh of the outdoor habitat.
Staffers kept Macadamia in sight while herding him into a contained space within 30 minutes and the hole in his enclosure was patched.
Macadamia was new to the zoo, arriving just a few months ago. He was brought to the zoo to breed with an agouti named Hazelnut.
