Animal Care and Management at the National Zoo Final Report (2005) / Chapter Skim
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4 Review of Individual Animal Deaths at the National Zoo
4 Review of Individual Animal Deaths at the National Zoo
Pages 41-60
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From page 41... ...
Due to these many confounding factors, the committee summarized the pertinent details of each animal's history at the zoo, highlighting instances of inadequate care that were evident from the available records as well as recordkeeping deficiencies that raise unanswerable questions about the factors that caused or contributed to an animal's death. EVALUATION OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, MANAGEMENT, AND VETERINARY CARE PROVIDED ANIMALS AT THE ROCK CREEK PARK FACILITY In evaluating the causes of recent animal deaths at the zoo, the committee initially examined the available records for 23 animals that had recently died at the Rock Creek Park facility (Table 4-1)
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From page 42... ...
Animal Accession Number Recordkeeping deficiencies evident Recent animal deaths covered by the media or identified to the committee in public comments East African Bush Elephant 26223 Orangutan 100797 X Bobcat 103175 X Masai Giraffe 104081 X Celebes Macaque 104111 X Grey Seal 104161 Two-toed Sloth 105802 Bengal Tiger 106098 Masai Giraffe 106318 Masai Giraffe 106649 Bacterian Camel 107662 Barbary Lion 107851 Barbary Lion 108413 Vietnamese Pot-bellied Pig 109080 Cusimanse 110332 Bongo Antelope 110565 X Pygmy Hippopotamus 110963 Red Panda 111967 Red Panda 113194 White-fronted Marmoset 113220 X Grevy's Zebra 113393 X Bald Eagle 207549 Kingfisher 214083 Animal deaths selected by random sampling Pygmy Hippopotamus 29218 Giant Panda 100357 Kodiak Bear 101108 California Sea Lion 102584 California Sea Lion 102590 Orangutan hybrid 105170 Gorilla 107566 Cheetah 110842 X Cheetah 113355 Sumatran Tiger 113442
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From page 43... ...
EVALUATION OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, MANAGEMENT, AND VETERINARY CARE PROVIDED ANIMALS AT CRC The committee was aware of only a few animal deaths at the CRC, specifically those of a Grevy's zebra, a Persian onager, and two Burmese Brow-antlered deer (Eld's deer)
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From page 44... ...
Animal Accession Number Recordkeeping deficiencies evident Recent animal deaths covered by the media or identified to the committee in public comments Persian Onager 104834 X Grevy's Zebra 110719 X Burmese Brow-antlered Deer 111413 X Burmese Brow-antlered Deer 113296 Animal deaths selected by random sampling Scimitar-horned Oryx 104710 Przewalski's Horse 105791 Przewalski's Horse 106006 X Oryx Dammah 106054 X Oryx Leucoryx 107973 X Oryx Leucoryx 108300 X Oryx Leucoryx 109698 X Scimitar-horned Oryx 110177 Scimitar-horned Oryx 110612 Przewalski's Horse 110627 Arabian Oryx 111021 X Orangutan - Accession #100797 This 33-year-old orangutan with a suspected intestinal obstruction underwent surgery on January 28, 2000 (NZP, Medical Record, Accession #100797)
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From page 45... ...
of the front paws that revealed a lack of local inflammation or infection, the overgrown claws appeared to be a minor component of the animal's deteriorating body condition. The veterinary care provided this animal was acceptable, and euthanasia was appropriate and warranted.
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From page 46... ...
Two-toed Sloth - Accession #105802 On routine physical examination in September 1999, the sloth was first noted to have increased blood values suggestive of chronic renal disease (NZP, Pathology Report, Accession #105802)
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. In the committee's judgment, the veterinary care provided this animal was acceptable.
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From page 48... ...
. It is not appropriate to conclude that inadequate veterinary care, such as a possible excessive dose of anesthetic, was responsible for the death of the lion because it is appropriate veterinary medical practice to administer additional doses of an anesthetic to a dangerous animal undergoing a surgical procedure when the initial dose fails to provide the desired anesthesia.
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From page 49... ...
The veterinary care provided this animal before its admittance to the hospital on February 16, 2002, was acceptable. However, the veterinary staff did not recognize that the animal was critically ill while in their care.
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Red Pandas - Accession #113194 and Accession #111967 On January 11, 2003, two red pandas were found dead. Necropsy revealed that both animals died from accidental exposure to aluminum phosphide, which had been used as a rodenticide in their enclosure (NZP, Pathology Report, Accession #113194; NZP, Pathology Report, Accession #111967)
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From page 51... ...
There is no documentation in the keeper or curatorial records to indicate that the veterinary staff were contacted, nor was documentation available to indicate that the curatorial staff had been informed of the problems with the heating system in the building. The committee was charged with performing a science-based evaluation of recent animal deaths, and it is not within its purview to ascertain the validity of these claims.
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From page 52... ...
It is the committee's judgment that the veterinary care provided this animal was appropriate, though it may be that failure to inspect the cage or perform necessary maintenance made it possible for the fox to penetrate the eagle's flight cage. Kingfisher - Accession #214083 This kingfisher had been successfully treated for pulmonary aspergillosis in March and April 2002, which involved 8 weeks of intensive care at the veterinary hospital (NZP, Medical Record, Accession #214083)
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From page 53... ...
. It is the judgment of this committee that the veterinary care provided this animal was acceptable, and that euthanasia was appropriate and warranted for this geriatric animal because of the clinical findings.
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From page 54... ...
It is the judgment of the committee that the veterinary care provided this animal was acceptable and that euthanasia was warranted. Cheetah - Accession #110842 This animal was euthanized on June 28, 1999, because of deteriorating condition and a poor prognosis after a 12-month history of renal failure (NZP, Pathology Report, Accession #110842; NZP, Medical Record, Accession #110842)
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From page 55... ...
Louis Zoo in July 1992. During its stay at the Rock Creek Park facility, it had a history of chronic recurring laminitis and lameness that required repeated prednisone and diuretic treatment.
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From page 56... ...
It is the judgment of this committee that the veterinary care provided this animal was acceptable. Scimitar-horned Oryx - Accession #104710 This animal was euthanized on April 21, 1999, due to advanced age, chronic lameness, and poor prognosis (NZP, Request for Specimen Euthanasia, Accession #104710)
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From page 57... ...
Because of the incompleteness of the medical record, the committee was not able to assess whether inadequate veterinary care contributed to the animal's death. Oryx Leucoryx - Accession #108300 On July 15, 2001, this oryx was housed with a female herdmate, and both were fasted for a preshipping examination the next day (NZP, Pathology Report, Accession #108300)
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From page 58... ...
In the committee's judgment, the veterinary care provided this animal was acceptable. Arabian Oryx - Accession #111021 In February 2000, this animal was treated for a gore wound and was noted to have a poor body condition.
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From page 59... ...
In reviewing the many publicized animal deaths at the Rock Creek Park facility, the committee found some instances of inadequate care; however, the committee's evaluation of randomly selected, unpublicized megavertebrate deaths at the Rock Creek Park facility revealed the animals were generally well cared for and their care was documented, suggesting that the publicized animal deaths were not indicative of a wider, undiscovered problem with animal care at the Rock Creek Park facility. At the CRC facility, few animal deaths reached the public's attention; however, the committee's evaluation of animal deaths revealed problems with veterinary recordkeeping and potential problems with the preventive medicine program on a scale that is similar to those previously documented at the Rock Creek Park facility.
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From page 60... ...
· This evaluation of recent deaths at the CRC facility reveals widespread veterinary recordkeeping deficiencies, raising concerns about the adequacy of the preventive medicine program at the CRC. Senior management should evaluate whether the veterinary staff was adhering to the preventive medicine program from 1999 until recently and continue its current efforts to establish oversight and accountability for the veterinary staff at the CRC.
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