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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Forget the chunk of asphalt. It now looks like a falling log may have been the culprit in the death last October of Jasper, the Tasmanian devil, at the BioPark Zoo.

Although the official manner of Jasper’s death remains “undetermined,” an independent investigation summary released Thursday says the more plausible scenario involves a log that slipped off another log inside the animal’s enclosure, then struck poor Jasper on the noggin.

A chunk of asphalt found in the enclosure originally triggered speculation that someone standing outside the exhibit threw it at Jasper and hit him on the head. That is now looking unlikely, although zoo officials already have said that the cause of death was trauma to the head.

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Investigators said that “since asphalt pieces are contained in the fill dirt area that gets placed in some of the animal exhibit yards,” the asphalt could have been in the enclosure long before Jasper died.

Further, the chunk of asphalt was found “at a distance from the devil’s body, which would not be the most likely resting place” if it had been thrown at and struck him.

Based on interviews with zoo employees, investigators re-created the “crime scene” and propped up a log against a second log. As pressure was applied, the upper log rolled off the lower one and came to rest in a position similar to where the log was when Jasper was found dead. Because the log was curved, Jasper, who was found under the log, was not crushed.

The investigation was conducted by Robert Caswell Investigations, a local firm, at the request of the city’s Risk Management Division. The city paid just under $9,000 for the probe, said the mayor’s chief of staff Gilbert Montaño.

Although the investigation found that Jasper was not the victim of random human violence, it did find that some areas of policy, protocol and security at the zoo were “lacking.” Among them:

Taller fencing should have been installed on the east side of the Tasmanian devil exhibit, which was bounded by posts and ropes a mere 18 inches off the ground, making unauthorized access easy.

That communication between zoo administration and security personnel was inadequate “when an incident, such as an unforeseen death of an animal, occurs.”

There was no written policy or procedure in place specifying the measures to take when a zoo animal unexpectedly dies. Neither was it clear who should secure the exhibit before removal of a dead animal, and who was charged with investigating and writing reports.

The perimeter surveillance system had “holes” that could allow unauthorized personnel to gain access to the zoo, particularly along the eastern side of the property.

Montaño said that regardless of what led to Jasper’s death, “the important thing to take away is how do we prevent this from happening again and how do we better protect our animals?”

As a result of Jasper’s death and the investigation, the BioPark Zoo has adopted a number of changes, Montaño said. Among them are stepped-up perimeter and internal security patrols, additional cameras at the Tasmanian devil enclosure and other exhibits, and rebuilding the east wall around the Tasmanian devil exhibit.

The zoo also has adopted new policies on daily animal welfare checks and new protocols that spell out who performs what function and in what sequence when an animal is found dead in an exhibit, he said.

Jasper’s death prompted state Rep. Georgene Louis, D-Albuquerque, to introduce House Bill 300, which seeks to protect zoo animals in cruelty laws already on the books. The bill unanimously passed the House and has been sent to the Senate.

It is not the first time a chunk of wood led to the death of a zoo animal. Last August, Bea, a camel at the zoo, died instantly when she was struck by a falling tree limb.