National Zoo troubles, also Lincoln Park Zoo

As Chicago deals with a spate of animal deaths at it Lincoln Park Zoo, the similar problems at DC's National Zoo are on the front page of the Monday, July 27, Chicago Tribune. An article headed, "National Zoo endured scrutiny now befalling Lincoln Park facility" opens with:

"The red pandas died after eating rat poison buried in their enclosure. The zebras died of hypothermia and malnutrition; the lion passed away after undergoing anesthesia for an X-ray. The bald eagle? Attacked by another zoo animal, it died on Independence Day 2003.

"Two years later, the National Zoo is still recovering from the criticism it received in the wake of the deaths, while its counterpart in Chicago, Lincoln Park Zoo, has begun facing similar scrutiny.

"In the coming weeks, two monitoring organizations are expected to complete their reviews of the venerable Lincoln Park facility, reports prompted by the zoo's own animal deaths.

"Since October, nine high-profile animals--three elephants, three langur monkeys, two gorillas and a camel--have died at the zoo.

"While the circumstances of the deaths differ, similarities between the two zoos are striking. Both are set in the middle of bustling cities and are free to the public. Both are among the oldest zoos in the country. And both have found themselves the target of animal rights groups and the media, asked to explain themselves and their animal care."

"At Lincoln Park, both the American Zoo and Aquarium Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have completed on-site visits and are writing up their findings, reports that are expected to shed light on whether the zoo's care for the animals played any role in their deaths.

"In Washington, the National Academy of Sciences released the results of its $450,000 review in January, a report that found the zoo acted properly in most of the deaths.

"Still, two years after the National Zoo first drew headlines for the panda deaths, scars from the experience remain."

We learn that the zoo lost volunteers and that fundraising and membership dropped off significantly.

The article reminds us of the awesome power of the media and why we must do everything we can to encourage coverage of animal issues:

"Prompted largely by a series of articles in the Washington Post, Congress ordered the National Academy of Sciences study in 2003. The comprehensive review looked at 48 animal deaths from 1998 to 2003, about half of which had been reported in the media.
Released in January, the report praised the zoo for making changes in recent years but criticized the facility for its lack of planning, poor communication, poor record keeping and insufficient training."

The zoo was found to have acted incorrectly in "a handful" of the deaths, including the red pandas and the zebras.

We read, perhaps most importantly, that Michael Roberts, who chaired the study, said the National Zoo is "probably just a snapshot of what is going on at other zoos as well."

That suggests that the whole zoo system needs a serious shake-up.

You can read the whole article on line at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0506270202jun27,1,409045.story?coll=chi-news-hed
OR http://tinyurl.com/bo2vg

The front page story presents a great opportunity for letters against holding wild animals captive for human entertainment.
The Chicago Tribune takes letters at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/chi-lettertotheeditor.customform OR http://tinyurl.com/4lsug

A good resource on the issue is PETA's fact sheet "Zoos: Pitiful Prisons" at http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=67


(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.)