EL PASO, Texas -- Many folks visiting the El Paso Zoo Thursday, hardly noticed that two animals were missing. But when they heard the news that dogs broke into the zoo and killed two animals, they were shocked.

Zoo managers say late Wednesday night two pit bulls and German Shepherd dug under a fence, squeezed through a tiny area and made their way into the American Grasslands exhibit, where they mauled an pronghorn antelope and a sandhill crane. El Paso Zoo Safety and Security Coordinator Nancy Juvrud was there when it happened.

"They [animal control] were attempting to catch them and about two seconds later, she said, we have dead animals here,” said Juvrud. “That made me sick."

The pack of dogs got away. The antelope named Hope had been at the zoo for almost 20 years. The Sandhill crane named Dakota had been with the zoo since 1994. Both of them will be missed.

"It's very sad,” said El Paso Zoo curator John Kiseda. "These animals have personalities, you get to know them, so it's a loss," he said.