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Are there animal care problems at
National Zoo?
December 10, 2013 cbsnews.com
WASHINGTON - The National Zoo
has a reputation as a leader in animal care, science and cute photo
opportunities such as the naming of Bao Bao the baby panda earlier this month.
But a CBS News investigation has
learned that behind the scenes, there are insider allegations of mismanagement
involving animal care. Five sources with more than 35 years' combined experience
at the National Zoo have raised concerns to CBS News about recent animal
injuries, deaths and escapes.
The sources don't want to be identified for fear of retaliation. They say
problems began last year when the zoo decided to double the population of the
Cheetah Conservation Station, adding a half dozen new species but no extra
space. Besides cheetahs, the CCS also houses zebras, gazelles and other species.
CBS News asked animal biologist and ethicist Marc Bekoff to look at the
complaints. He was an independent reviewer of a 2005 National Academy of
Sciences investigation of the zoo that found “systemic problems at the highest
levels.” Of the newly raised issues, Bekoff said: "I call it 'fetch and pray.'
You get the animals and then you pray that the project will work out."
The CCS' new animal mix didn't always work out. Issues identified by the zoo
sources include two newly acquired hornbill birds that were kept in an indoor
shack for seven months because their exhibit yard wasn't ready. Only after a
volunteer complained were the birds allowed in an outdoor space. But the wallaby
that had to share its yard with these new arrivals became frightened, according
to sources, bloodied its nose and spent much of its time frightened and hiding.
One of two new red river hogs quickly became malnourished and died of an
infection. The other hog, along with oryxes and sitatungas (two types of
antelopes), sometimes became overly aggressive when mixed together, and some
were injured in vicious fights.
It's not unusual for animals to spar, but the zoo sources say management failed
to predict easily foreseeable conflicts between species and genders, and had
ineffective backup plans for separating and protecting the animals when the
conflicts arose. "It's no surprise to me as a field biologist that so many of
them do not work out," Bekoff told CBS News. "They're just too hastily put
together and they’re not well thought through."
Zoo spokeswoman Pamela Baker-Masson says the National Zoo meets the highest
industry standards and the animals always receive the best care.
"We take great care in introducing our animals to these various habitats and
transitioning them. Ideally, these things wouldn't happen, of course," said
Baker-Masson. "I think my colleagues were very well aware and they know these
species and they know how to take care of these species. … Every single animal
has a very specific course of action and a plan."
Bekoff says the zoo's plans appear to have been inadequate. "They should only be
able to get the animals when it can be shown that they can properly house them
and care for them."
Two animals in the CCS, a Dama gazelle and a pregnant kudu (another type of
antelope), died when they got spooked on separate occasions and ran into
barriers in their confined spaces, breaking their necks.
The gazelle death happened last month after a zebra attacked a veteran
zookeeper. The commotion apparently frightened the gazelle, which is on the
endangered species list. Zoo sources say it wasn’t found for hours. The pregnant
kudu died last June. Zoo sources say as the animal lay suffering with a broken
neck, workers were unable to quickly locate necessary veterinary records.
Baker-Masson says Dama gazelles and kudus are skittish animals by nature and
were housed in adequate spaces that met the requirements of the American
Zoological Association, which recently re-accredited the facility.
As for the hornbill birds that were keep indoors for eight months, Baker-Masson
says the space was "more than adequate and it gave the staff a very good amount
of time to prepare and work with the hornbills" but "ideally they would have
[had] access to their outdoor yard space more quickly."
Bekoff calls the lengthy indoor confinement "totally unacceptable." "There's not
one single excuse that I would accept," he said. "Basically this is a form of
animal abuse and animal neglect. …They get an 'F' in this project.'
Zoo sources also expressed concern about two escapes from the CCS: a vulture
whose wings were allegedly not properly clipped and a red panda who managed to
climb out of its exhibit. Both animals were later recaptured and zoo officials
say the failures that allowed the escapes have been fixed.
CBS News has learned that the zoo convened a task force last summer to
investigate the internal complaints about animal care at the CCS. The task force
made findings last August and Baker-Masson says some of its recommendations are
already being implemented.
Zoo officials refused CBS News' repeated requests to release the task force
report even though, under public records law, it's considered public material.
As to why the National Zoo is withholding the information, Baker-Masson provided
a number of rationales. First, she said that the task force report was still
only a draft, four months after it was scheduled to be completed. However, when
CBS News asked for the draft, she would not provide that either.
Later, in an interview, Baker-Masson said that the task force report is
finished, but that the zoo isn’t ready to release it. "We're more than happy to
[release the task force report]," Baker-Masson told CBS News. "But we have to do
it in a thorough and process-oriented way that makes sense." She acknowledged
that some of the concerns investigated were founded.
"Absolutely," Baker-Masson said. "Anytime a concern is raised, it's looked at
very seriously and we have to examine, you know, what changes are appropriate
for that particular species, what changes are appropriate for the staff, what
changes are appropriate for the facility itself. So yes, absolutely, some
changes have been made."
Another incident the zoo is keeping mum about is the November zebra attack on
the zookeeper. Baker-Masson says that AZA standards require that there always be
a barrier between a keeper and zebras, which can inflict serious bite wounds.
But the zoo says three weeks after the attack, it still has not identified how
the zebra got to the keeper and it would not release the incident report or
other public information about it. The injured zookeeper was recently released
after several weeks in the hospital.
Comment: This is nothing
new but animals held in
captivity is sad and troubling nonetheless. There are so many incidents that
remain hidden from the public.
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