Section III. E. General Animal Care Standards states that “Animals must be provided with nutritious food as set out in the veterinary written agreement and a potable water source must be available to all animals at all times” and “Feeding and watering containers must be kept clean and self-feeders and watering devices must be checked daily.”

 

During our visit virtually all but a few of the smaller enclosures water containers were dirty. Some water had obviously not been changed for some time, as the muck building up at the bottom was visible, and the water was green with algae. According to Guzoo, their water is green because they don’t use chlorine in their water. However, an alga doesn’t just sprout up immediately; it takes a bit of time to grow. The difference between clean water with a bit of debris in it and water that is actually brown, filthy, and well past being drinkable is clear. They seem to provide animals with as large of container as possible  so that they don't have to change it as often, but unfortunately, this leaves a lot of time for the water to be contaminated.

 

The automatic watering device in the Elk enclosure appeared to not be working, as it was completely dry. Someone had dug a pit in the mud and had filled it with water, apparently to act as a water source. This is clearly inappropriate, a breeding ground for disease and mosquitoes, and impossible to keep clean.

The New Guinea Singing Dogs and Silver Foxes were fed kibble that was simply thrown onto the ground. This leaves it susceptible to contamination by pests, moisture, bugs, and the animals themselves. One NGSD had food provided to him in a large bucket, with far more food then it could eat in a day or two. This leaves plenty of time for contamination by pests and for excessive moisture build up and mold growth.

Section III. E. General Animal Care Standards states that “Buildings and substrates to which animals have access must be kept clean as follows:

•  Washable surfaces must be washed clean and disinfected regularly to prevent potentially dangerous accumulations of organic and inorganic materials and organisms.

•  Substrates which cannot be washed must be cleaned of gross waste (e.g., perishable food and animal waste) on a daily basis (enclosures smaller than 0.5 acres) and less frequently for larger enclosures. The animal care protocol may indicate longer cleaning intervals for some species to reduce psychological stress. To facilitate cleaning all areas of the enclosures must be accessible to keepers.

•  Substrates such as loose bedding material must be changed if soiled with feces and urine and any bedding provided must be kept dry and changed on a regular basis.”