A young pony has died from a ruptured stomach after it was given too much food by visitors in a zoo.
The adorable three-months-old Shetland Pony was fed to death by visitors who gave him sweets and bread in the city of Penza, in western Russia.
Penza Zoo staff sad the animal fell ill and lost consciousness on Saturday afternoon.
The calf was taken to the nearest vet in a critical condition and underwent an urgent medical examination.
He was diagnosed with severe overeating and performed procedures to stabilise his condition.
They battled seven hours, trying to save the pony’s life, but he died.
A post mortem revealed the animal's stomach was full of bread and candies which had been given to him by visitors, according to the zoo staff.
The amount of food was so enormous that the pony's stomach ruptured and caused his death, reports said.
The zoo employees say the visitors feed the animals despite the numerous do not feed signs.
The calf was the visitors’ favourite and the zoo announced his death on their social media.
In their post, they explained that the pony died after being overfed by visitors and demanded: “Do not feed our animals if you want to see them alive!”
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