more on Chicago zoo deaths revealed

The deaths at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo have made the front page of the Chicago Tribune every day this week. You'll find the Thursday May 19 front page story headed, "Zoo opens records on animal deaths. Pathology reports contain no surprises" on the web at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/chi-0505190202may19,1,1416393.story OR http://tinyurl.com/7znwo

The Thursday, May 19, Chicago Tribune also includes an editorial (the newspaper's official opinion) on the issue. It is headed, "Sad days at the zoo." (Page 26.)

It opens:
"Lincoln Park Zoo is embroiled in controversy triggered by the baffling and heartbreaking deaths of nine animals since October. Three elephants, three rare monkeys, two gorillas and a camel have died either on site or in transit, a toll that has damaged one of Chicago's favorite institutions."

It notes animal rights protests saying they are based more on emotion than fact.

Summarizing the front page story, it reports:

"Wednesday, the zoo took a crucial step toward being more transparent when it made available to reporters key records on the recent animal deaths, records that held no great surprises. There was no 'smoking gun' that might have shown inadequate treatment or care. The reports confirmed what the zoo previously released about the deaths of the three elephants, Peaches, Tatima and Wankie. Peaches suffered from geriatric ailments, Tatima died of a disease similar to tuberculosis, and Wankie, who did not survive a journey to Salt Lake City, was weakened by infection and had lung lesions.

"Last week's inexplicable deaths of three Francois langur monkeys continue to trouble zoo officials, who await toxicology reports and blood and tissue cultures. The monkeys died after they were moved to a different exhibition space that had outdoor access."

It quotes the Zoo Director, who says there is "no mismanagement."

The following line is salient:

"The zoo's travails have sparked a legitimate debate about the future of zoos in an age when information about animals can be easily and widely disseminated on television and the Internet."

Then the piece concludes:

"Still, for most people, a zoo offers the only chance to see a gorilla up close, to take in the full measure of an elephant.
The Lincoln Park Zoo remains a marvelous place to visit, a tremendous asset to Chicago. It faces a crisis as it seeks to move forward in the wake of tragedy. The zoo's staff and officials deserve patience from the public, and in return zoo officials must display openness and honesty. The zoo appears to be heeding that message."

That is a summary -- you can read the whole editorial on line at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0505190144may19,0,988571.story?coll=chi-newsopinion-hed OR http://tinyurl.com/8tga9

The line questioning the future of zoos opens the door for letters on that issue. Please write. PETA has a good fact sheet to which you may wish to refer, headed "Zoos: Pitiful Prisons" at http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=67

The Chicago Tribune takes letters at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-lettertotheeditor.customform OR http://tinyurl.com/4lsug


(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)