Zoo disputes hippo's death caused by trip

2007-11-01

Anne Imse, Rocky Mountain News

The death of Hazina the hippo came after a 28-hour trip from the Denver Zoo to Calgary that might have been completed in just 20 hours.

But zoo spokeswoman Tiffany Barnhart insisted the trip was normal, the transporter experienced and trusted. And the zoo sees no reason why Hazina died.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which licensed the animal transporter, will investigate the death of the 6-year-old female hippo, as will the Calgary and Denver zoos.

Barnhart said Hazina was not accompanied by a veterinarian or zookeeper because the driver, Chris Danhauer, was experienced, having hauled animals for the Denver Zoo 51 times previously without incident.

Hazina died Saturday after arriving at the Calgary Zoo unable to stand. A necropsy determined she died of pressure myopathy, said Calgary Zoo spokeswoman Laurie Herron on Wednesday.

During transport, the 3,000- pound Hazina lay down for too long, which cut off circulation to her legs. Both zoos denied that Hazina was overweight, as speculated by critics.

Asked what the Denver Zoo knew about how long hippos could stand to be transported, Barnhart said, "I don't know that that has been documented."

She said the Denver Zoo has transported 14 hippos since 1966.

Rob Laidlaw, of ZooCheck, said hippos' legs are not structured to take their weight for a long period of time.

But Barnhart said that Hazina's 28 hours without immersion in water, which would have alleviated the weight on her feet, should not have been a problem. "Hippos do not have to be in water," Barnhart said.

Deliberately tight fit

Hazina left Denver about 11 a.m. Thursday, Barnhart said. Her crate was 16 1/2 feet long and just under 7 feet high, a deliberately tight fit.

"She could stand, sit, lie down, walk backward and forward," Barnhart said. But there wasn't room for her to turn around, for fear that the jostling of the truck could break her neck, she said.

Danhauer checked on the hippo every 2 1/2 to 3 hours, Barnhart said. That would account for why the 900-mile drive to the Canadian border at Sweetgrass, Mont., took 17 hours, instead of 13 indicated by Google maps.

Danhauer then had to wait from 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. for an appointment for animal inspectors on both sides of the border. Danhauer said in an interview that he had deliberately left a little extra time for delays. Vets at the border said the hippo appeared well.

The 200-mile drive to Calgary from the border took about five hours, instead of the 3 1/2 hours suggested by Google maps.

ZooCheck, of Canada, an animal rights group, said Hazina's death was "senseless" and could have been prevented had she been transported by air. But the Denver Zoo said the noise of a plane can frighten hippos, putting them in danger.

Hazina was to be part of the Calgary Zoo's breeding program.