Video Footage
1) Tiger Growling and Whining
This Tiger was obviously in distress. He paced and circled the cage, growling, whining and crying randomly, at nothing in particular. He sounded like my cat (only hundreds of pounds larger) when he gets trapped in the bathroom, or he's in a kennel on the way to the vet. Upset, bored, and not content. They had no enrichment of any kind. The enclosures for all of the big cats were muddy, with water dripping into them from the leaking roofs. There was standing water and thick mud, it was impossible to sanitize and had obviously not been "mucked out" in a long time.
2) Imprisoned Depressed Macaque
This Japanese Snow Macaque was by far the most heart breaking animal at the zoo. She was uninterested, mostly, in what was going on around her. She would sit and stare at the ground, or at the sky, and pull at her hair with her feet and hands. She would gaze back into the sky and hit her head on the metal side of her cage. She grabbed at her tail, which was balding and seemed deformed. She is housed alone and displays such devestating evidence of depression and stereotypic behaviours brought on by isolation. Monkeys are extremely social and should NEVER be housed alone. According to the Gustafsons, she was BORN AT THE ZOO...why was she torn from her family, to be housed in isolation? Does that sound like something an animal lover would do?
3)
Filthy Petting Barn/Cat Cage
Aside from a few raised cement areas, most of the "warm barn" was full of water, some parts up to 1.5 inches deep. The litter was sopping wet and many of the cages were lacking in dry spots completely.
Standard Violations
We observed many obvious standard violations and various questionable practices that MUST be investigated by the proper authorities. The majority of these violations and questionable practices and situations are pointed out in the pictures.
Public Health and Safety (II-H)
* Animals must be safely confined. Enclosures with potentially dangerous
animals must have double door entry systems or a separate, secure shift
area where the animals can be secured during routine maintenance,
cleaning or veterinary care.
* Direct contact (i.e., touching) between the public and animals is allowed
only when this activity is approved in the Zoo Development Plan. Such
contact must occur in a contained area and all applicable Alberta Health
regulations must be followed
Many of the large carnivores and small cats were lacking in double entrys or secure shift areas.
I am not sure if contact with the lion cub has been approved in the Zoo Development Plan.
General Exhibit Standards (III-B-1)
* All animals must be maintained in numbers sufficient to meet their social
and behavioural needs (unless a single specimen is biologically correct for
that animal). Exhibit enclosures must be of sufficient size to provide for the
physical well being of the animal. All animal exhibits must be of a size and
complexity sufficient to provide for the animal's physical and social needs
and species typical behaviours and movements. Exhibit enclosures must
include provisions (e.g., permanent and/or non-permanent features and
structures) that encourage species typical movements and behaviours.
* Enclosures for digging or burrowing animals must comply with the
provisions set out in the Wildlife and Controlled Animal Containment
Standards in Section II Subsection D of these standards.
* Enclosures must be of sufficient size and design to allow individual
animals the opportunity to avoid or withdraw from contact with other
animals in the enclosure or remove themselves from the view of visitors,
using topography (e.g., large earth mounds, large rocks), fixed features
(e.g., fences, walls, screening, shelter boxes), moveable fixtures (e.g.,
brush piles, root balls) or other design methods.
* If a species is not native to the area or able to acclimate, that species
must have enclosures where the temperature, humidity, ventilation and
lighting levels can be regulated to simulate their natural environment.
* All equipment, fixtures and vegetation must be installed in such a way that
they do not present a hazard to the animals and must be maintained in
good working condition
* Fencing must be of a design and strength suitable for the particular
species and must be attached to posts firmly fixed into the ground in a
manner that prevents animals from detaching the material or dislodging
the posts.
* All gates and enclosures that access animal exhibits must be kept locked
at all times except when staff are carrying out animal husbandry activities
or displaying the animals.
* Since water is a significant element in the life cycle of many diseases and
parasites, enclosures must be landscaped in a fashion that prevents
accumulation of standing water within the enclosures.
Animal Health Care Standards (III-C)
* If the zoo operator is not aware of potential problems and risks of disease
and/or parasite outbreaks within the zoo facility (e.g., have not had training
in this area), the veterinarian should provide enough basic training to the zoo
operator and staff so they can recognize the onset of disease and
parasite problems within the zoo.
* The Zoo operator must consult with the Zoo veterinarian to ensure that
animal diets are of a quality and quantity suitable for each animal's
nutritional and psychological needs.
* The necropsies must be performed immediately after death or
arrangements made to keep the dead animal(s) in cold storage or freezer
facilities until the necropsy can be performed. Dead animals awaiting
necropsy must be stored in a dedicated storage area.
* All animal carcasses must be disposed of in accordance with federal,
provincial and municipal regulation, unless arrangements have been made
to donate the carcasses to institutions such as universities and museums.
Donated carcasses must have a veterinary certificate indicating there is no
risk of transmitting a communicable disease.
General Animal Care Standards (III-E)
* Animals should be displayed, when feasible and possible, in exhibits
replicating their wild habitat and in numbers sufficient to meet their social
and behavioural needs.
* Food must be stored in a manner which preserves the nutritional integrity
