From zoo to circus: it's time for real inquiry

2009-012-17

Paula Arab, Calgary Herald

I was a zoo convert until the recent circus act of animal deaths. Ironically, it was thanks to the embattled Calgary Zoo that made me change my mind about the cruelty of caging animals meant for the wild. It was the first zoo I ever visited, having boycotted them all my life. I found it to be a good facility that puts animals first, at least it seemed that way on the surface.

The zoo appeared focused on the right priorities: it provides ample space in landscapes that closely match habitats in the wild; it rescues orphaned cubs, injured animals and other wildlife at risk of dying if allowed to remain in their natural environment; and, through its Centre for Conservation Research, it supports projects to learn how humans can better coexist with other species. For visitors, this tranquil oasis in the heart of Calgary provides a brief respite from the hectic pace of to-day's busy life, and brings out the child in us all.

Unfortunately, a slew of unnatural animal deaths has undermined all of those early good efforts that began decades ago, under the direction of former president Peter Karsten. He turned the Calgary Zoo into a world-class model for others to emulate, and pushed the facility in a direction that was less about attraction and more about animal conservation, especially of those most suited to Calgary's climate.

That approach gave way to profits and entertainment when Karsten was replaced by former CEO Alex Graham, who broke fundraising records and proposed controversial and ambitious expansion plans, such as bringing whales to a landlocked zoo, thousands of kilometres away from the ocean.

He thankfully left in 2007 and was replaced by the current CEO Clement Lanthier, a veterinarian.

Karsten's legacy seems to be slipping even further away under Lanthier, who refuses to accept there's a pattern to the some 50 animal deaths since 2004. He won't even call for an independent inquiry, instead asking the industry Association of Zoos and Aquariums in Washington and the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) in Ottawa to investigate -- via a panel of former zookeepers, curators and veterinarians.

Asking the accrediting bodies to investigate is hardly independent, as these organizations have already found the zoo to be operating according to industry standards and regulations, therefore giving it accreditation.

CAZA already delivered its verdict in the media, with its national director Bill Peters saying this to the Globe and Mail: "Yes, there has been a series of unfortunate incidents and they've been looked at and reports have been done in the various occurrences, but is there a pattern? No, I don't think there's a pattern there."

Absolutely, there's a pattern, and it's a disturbing one because it also involves less than full disclosure. The zoo issued a statement regarding the death of 41 cow nose rays last fall saying the cause may never be known. They knew the cause was human error as early as November but never admitted it until months later, with Lanthier finally acknowledging the obvious, that the zoo's "main expertise is not in fish."

It happened again with the latest unnatural death, that of a capybara crushed in a hydraulic door earlier this month. Human error again, and revelations of another failure to disclose the death last summer of a first capybara, when it got attacked by a fellow giant rodent in its cage.

In January, an exotic goat hanged itself, while several elephants and numerous gorillas have all died since 2004.

Lanthier and CAZA insist the unfortunate incidents are unrelated. Someone more independent sees it quite differently. "This is really serious," says Marc Bekoff, a prominent U.S. biologist who was part of an independent panel convened to investigate similar problems at the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. "You just don't have that many deaths at zoos. There is a lack of oversight."

Zoo officials fail to realize the perception is more damaging than reality, and the public is getting the distinct impression there is a lack of will to truly root out the rot.

"I've had 25 e-mails and 22 were from Canada, from people who like zoos and like animals," Bekoff said in an interview Wednesday. "They were really upset about this so-called independent assessment."

Zoo officials kept a low profile this week, failing to return media calls Tuesday or Wednesday.

Let's hope they're in high level meetings figuring out a strategy to handle this crisis.

The Calgary Zoo's credibility with the public hangs in the balance. An independent inquiry and a shift back to the vision articulated by Karsten might just be what it needs to get back on solid ground.