SPCA investigates death of four zebras at Vancouver Zoo

2009-04-22

Canadian Press, Globe and Mail

Four zebras that died within days of each other after two buffaloes were introduced to their enclosure at the Greater Vancouver Zoo succumbed to exertional myopathy, a muscle disease that occurs when animals are chased or stressed.

“(Zoo officials) released the cape buffaloes into the enclosure where the zebras were and immediately the zebras started running around and stressing out, busting through fencing, and one ended up in a pond,” said Eileen Drever, an animal protection officer with the B.C. branch of the SPCA.

One zebra died within hours, the others followed in the coming days. Ms. Drever said the SPCA, which learned of the deaths just this week despite the fact they occurred in early March, is conducting an investigation.

“Our legislation, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the offence states that a person responsible for an animal is guilty of an offence if they permit or continue to permit an animal to be in distress,” she said.

“So clearly we know the animals were in distress. Could it have been avoided?

Well, that's what we're trying to figure out right now.”

When asked why zoo officials didn't remove the buffaloes from the African Savannah enclosure at the first sign of trouble, Ms. Drever declined comment, saying she didn't want to jeopardize the SPCA investigation.

In a written statement released Tuesday, zoo officials claimed they did all they could to save the zebras, though they conceded problems were evident almost from the get-go.

“Based on the reaction of the zebras, we think they determined that the buffalo were a threat, and a predator-prey response was triggered,” the release said. “A team of animal care staff were there to do everything they could to comfort and calm the zebras.”

“Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, the zebras did not survive.” The statement did not elaborate on how staff attempted to calm the zebras, nor did it explain why the buffaloes remained in the enclosure.

A necropsy was performed on the zebras and the results showed exertional myopathy was the cause of death, zoo officials said.

This isn't the first time the zoo has been at the heart of an SPCA investigation.

In 2006, the Crown laid charges of animal cruelty against the facility for its care of a two-year-old hippo named Hazina, who was kept alone on the property in a shed.

“She had to stand on a concrete floor, which for any animal or anybody causes unnecessary stress on your joints. She had a small pond built in but she outgrew the pond,” Ms. Drever said.

The charge was eventually stayed when the zoo moved Hazina into a new facility, a result that Ms. Drever called “disappointing.”

Ms. Drever said the SPCA is also looking into the sudden death of a rare albino black bear at the zoo in January.

Earlier this month, a macaw named Chuva escaped from the zoo's parrot gardens and was found alive under an RV a few days later.

Last May, someone broke into a cage at the zoo and stole a spider monkey named Mia after killing her partner Jocko.

In 2006, an eight-day-old giraffe died while inside the facility.

And in 2003, an elephant named Tina developed health problems while inside the zoo and had to be moved to another facility. She died the following year.