Sir, - On April 17th a four year old female white rhino was shot dead in Dublin Zoo, in the course of an attempt to load her into a container in order to transport her to Longhleaf Safari Park in the UK. A Zoo spokesperson has said that she broke free and had to be shot "in the interests of public safety". Asked why tranquilliser darts had not been used, the spokesperson said that "it was difficult to determine how much sedative to use".
The Zoo authorities have not, to date, made public any details of this incident, such as: when and where the shooting took place, was the Zoo open to the public at the time, what type of firearm was used, was death instantaneous, what steps were taken, prior to the move, to accustom the animal to the travelling container, whether the animal had been given sedation before the loading commenced.
In any competently run Zoo, it is standard practice, when moving any large, potentially dangerous animal, to have a vet standing by with a dart gun ready loaded with the correct amount of sedative. It is incredible that this normal precaution does not seem to have been taken in this instance.
The young rhino in question was born in Dublin Zoo and partially hand reared. She spent all of her short life in a tiny, barren enclosure, separated by steel bars from her only companion, the adult male, with no environmental or behavioural enrichment of any kind. Two expert reports on Dublin Zoo, commissioned by the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals over the last two years, commented negatively on her condition: the Zoo authorities refused to respond to either report. It is tragic that her life should have been ended at a time when she had prospects of a more natural existence.
The ISPCA calls on Dublin Zoo to give the public a full account of this debacle, and to put plans for further breeding of rhinos on hold until such time as they can provide these creatures with the proper accommodation and handling. The ISPCA also requests the Department of Agriculture to carry out a thorough investigation and make the result of their investigations public as Dublin Zoo is substantially funded by public finances. Yours, etc.,
Chief Executive, ISPCA,
Lower Rathmines Road,
Dublin 6.