No sanctions for Dublin Zoo as whistleblower’s claims dismissed

Dublin Zoo is to receive no sanction after an investigation into a whistleblower’s allegations of animal mistreatment found most to have “no substance”.

Labour Senator Annie Hoey read a detailed account of allegations raised by a whistleblower via protected disclosure in the Seanad last July.

A complaint was made to the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), which is the representative body for zoos, covering the issues, which ranged from staff shortages and delays in completing maintenance work to the death of animals.

BIAZA wrote to the director of Dublin Zoo Christoph Schwitzer to inform him that 22 of the 26 allegations made were found to have “no substance” while one was a technical breach of European guidelines, but not BIAZA standards.

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Among the claims that were substantiated was that poor quality fish was fed to sealions between 2019 and 2020; the death of a sea lion in 2020, which occurred due to keeper error; and macaque escapes from their island habitat.

However, BIAZA said it was satisfied the sea lion death was an isolated incident rather than a reflection of the general level of care provided and that the first two of these issues have been fully resolved.

“Indeed, the BIAZA board commend you on the improvements made since you took up your role in July 2020,” the letter to the zoo stated.

“We acknowledge that considerable efforts to rectify the macaque escapes have been made. However, it is not yet fully resolved and you have removed the animals from the area until it can be made suitably secure.

“Before returning the macaques to the exhibit, we would request that you report back to BIAZA detailing the measures that have been put in place to prevent further escapes.

“Should any further escapes of this or any other species occur, they must be reported to BIAZA within 24 hours as per the requirements for membership.

“Given, the historical nature of two of the substantiated issues, the way you have professionally dealt with the problems and the efforts being made to resolve the third, we do not believe that any sanctions are warranted at this time.”

BIAZA suggested that in light of the nature and range of the claims in the complaint, that Dublin Zoo may wish to review how information is communicated, both up and down the ladder, and how documents are verified.

It further added: “You may wish to revisit your end of life policy and ask for input from a range of staff.”

In a statement, Dublin Zoo said it “fully accepts” the conditions and recommendations outlined in the report and will implement all recommendations made.

“Like all progressive zoos, Dublin Zoo strives to continuously improve and set new standards for its animal welfare management programme,” it said.

“The collective understanding of animal behaviour is ever evolving, and at Dublin Zoo, we do our utmost to ensure we adhere to and, where possible, exceed best practice at all times.

“However, human error is unavoidable when managing animal welfare, and mistakes can happen – but it is the course of action we take once notified of an issue and the manner in which it is resolved which is of crucial importance.

“Dublin Zoo is an organisation with an outstanding track record in animal welfare management.

“We are pleased that the good name and reputation of Dublin Zoo and its highly committed team of employees and volunteers, who live and breathe Dublin Zoo’s mandate, animal welfare, on a daily basis, has been upheld.”

A previous report by the National Parks and Wildlife Service also found most of the allegations to be unsubstantiated.