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Toxic plant kills horse in New York's Central Park; experts warn of hidden danger
🇦🇷 Argentina /Health & Science

Toxic plant kills horse in New York's Central Park; experts warn of hidden danger

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A horse named Deniz died in Central Park, New York, after ingesting Japanese yew, a highly toxic plant.
  • The plant, native to Asia, is popular in the U.S. for its hardiness and adaptability to low-light conditions.
  • Japanese yew contains toxic alkaloids that can cause fatal cardiac arrest in humans and animals, with even small amounts being lethal.

A tragic incident in New York's Central Park has highlighted the dangers of a common garden plant: the Japanese yew. A 16-year-old carriage horse, Deniz, collapsed and died during a tour of the park after consuming parts of this toxic plant.

The cause of death was the ingestion of Japanese yew, a plant that is toxic to animals and humans, which many people have in their gardens without knowing it.

— Cornell University's College of Veterinary MedicineThe official finding on the cause of the horse's death.

An autopsy conducted by Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine confirmed that the ingestion of Japanese yew was the cause of death. The horse was reportedly pulling a carriage with passengers at the time of the incident. The Central Park Conservancy has stated that feeding vegetation to animals is prohibited and that handlers are responsible for supervising the horses to prevent such occurrences.

The norms prohibit animals from feeding on the vegetation of the place and stated that caregivers have the responsibility to constantly supervise the horses to avoid these types of situations.

— Central Park ConservancyStatement regarding the rules and handler responsibilities in Central Park.

The Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) is an ornamental plant originating from Asia, known for its resilience and ability to thrive in shaded areas. It is characterized by its needle-like green leaves and, in the fall, produces bright red, berry-like structures that enclose a seed. While visually appealing, nearly all parts of the plant, including its leaves, bark, and seeds, contain toxic taxine alkaloids.

Almost all parts of the plant contain taxine alkaloids, compounds that directly affect the functioning of the heart in both animals and humans.

— USDAExplaining the toxic components of the Japanese yew.

These alkaloids are potent cardiac poisons, capable of causing fatal heart failure in both animals and humans. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as little as 0.04% of a horse's body weight in Japanese yew can be lethal. For humans, consuming approximately 50 to 100 grams of the leaves can be fatal. The red pulp surrounding the seed is the only non-toxic part of the plant. Symptoms of intoxication can appear rapidly, leading to a swift and potentially deadly outcome.

Consuming between 50 and 100 grams of Japanese yew leaves can be sufficient to cause death in humans.

— USDAQuantifying the lethal dose of Japanese yew for humans.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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