Deaths at Blackpool
Is Blackpool Zoo guilty of causing animal suffering? In the 72 hour period between the 16th May and 18th May this year, 3 of the worlds most endangered animals died at Blackpool Zoo. Hayley and Homer, two Orang utans, and Lomie a Gorilla died under circumstances that CAPS feels have yet to be fully explained. The first to die was Hayley, who the zoo said, in a local newspaper, had suffered the effects of an ectopic pregnancy, although keepers say that they were unaware that she was pregnant. When Homer, her 'mate', died Iain Valentine, the Zoo Manager, said, "we believe Homer died of a broken heart". Lomie, it was stated, had died from kidney complications following previous treatment for a cancerous tumour (she had had a scan in the local Blackpool Victoria Hospital) and her death was not unexpected. In The Gazette of July 24th, the zoo vet Mr Fielding said, "From the MRI scan we have found what appears to be a tumour on the kidney". On hearing the news of these deaths CAPS began, and continues to ask Blackpool Borough Council - owners of the zoo - for all clinical, pathological and post mortem records relating to the animals. CAPS is of the opinion that there might be a link between these deaths - a microbiological disease link. Blackpool Council has responded to all of our letters on this matter and is categorical in claiming that the deaths were unrelated and not caused by infectious agents. We believe however, from documents that we have seen, that the investigations could have been more thorough and that DEFRA and the Public Health Laboratory Service should have been consulted on the deaths. These were, after all, higher primates that can carry and transmit organisms that can readily infect humans. CAPS also believes that samples should have been preserved for further and ongoing investigations. (We have seen nothing, nor have we been assured by the Council, that this has happened.) Why do we think this? To explain our thoughts it is necessary to look at some of the information that has been passed to us, and which has been included in letters sent to us by the Council. At face value the information provided by the Council is plausible, but we remain unconvinced as we are not being offered the chance to see all of the records relating to the health and deaths of these animals. The daily records of observations (diaries) on these animals should also, we feel, be made public. In the part of the post mortem report on Hayley that we have seen, the veterinary surgeon described how parts of her digestive tract and her liver were stuck to the wall of the abdominal cavity. Her uterus was said to be so firmly attached to the floor of her pelvic cavity that it "could not be freed without severing it". The veterinary surgeon went on to describe how part of the uterus contained an enlarged haemorrhagic swelling which looked as if it had ruptured. There is no mention in any parts of the reports we have seen that any signs of a pregnancy were found. This may however be mentioned in other reports not seen by CAPS. There is a structure called an air sac (part of the respiratory system) in Orang utans. In the post mortem report on Homer this was described as being "filled with enormous amounts of thick green pus". One of the cavities of Homer's heart was found to contain a large blood clot. Another section of the report said of the air sac infection "... indicating that this animal had been chronically ill for some time". And what about Lomie? The report of investigations into Lomie's kidneys indicates a condition that is unlikely to have shown up on a scan. The histology report indicated interstitial nephritis. In fact, CAPS showed the report to a Consultant renal pathologist who agreed with our opinion. The findings could have been related to an infection. If it was suspected that there was a tumour (see above), then the kidneys should have been taken in their entirety and carefully dissected in order to be able to say with certainty if there was a tumour or not. The report that we have seen suggests that only wedge biopsies were taken. We have seen nothing to indicate that the kidneys were preserved for further investigations. Without going into enormous detail, CAPS believes that there could well be a microbiological cause to all the findings described in the documents that we have seen. Firstly, the pus in Homer's air sac needs no further explanation. Secondly, the adhesions around Hayley's digestive system and uterus may have been due to inflammation caused by an infection. And lastly, Lomie's interstitial nephritis could have arisen from an infection. As well as these points, when a number of deaths occur over such a short period, and amongst animals in close proximity, it would seem reasonable to suspect an infectious agent. Although the veterinary surgeons ordered microbiological investigations to be carried out we would like to know if these were 'routine' or if extra (special) tests were performed in these cases.
CAPS has written to Margaret Beckett MP in her capacity of Secretary of State at the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural affairs. It is the Secretary of State who is ultimately responsible for the health and well being of animals kept in zoos. It is the Secretary of State who has the duty to ensure that the licensing inspection process is objective. To date, and despite a further letter from us, she has failed to respond to our call for the deaths of Hayley, Homer and Lomie to be investigated. In our letter to the Secretary of State we told her that we are led to believe that the bodies of these three animals had been buried in the zoo grounds. We mentioned this in letters to the Council and they have not confirmed or denied it. If this is true then it is worrying, as the report on the pus found in Homers air sac describes the bacteria identified as "significant pathogens". Unless the animals were buried deep (as they may be), then wildlife entering the zoo could expose the bodies, become infected themselves, and take any possible infections beyond the zoo grounds and into the surrounding environment. Surely incineration would be the best way to deal with such cases to ensure that any potential infectious agents are completely destroyed. The public is entitled to know what goes on inside zoos, and the risks that children, the elderly and those who find it hard to fight infections may be exposed to when they visit these places. The animals need your help. Those animals already in zoos are 'lost souls'; they have no future. We must fight to ensure that no more of their kind have their future taken from them just to satisfy the business needs of the zoo industry - or our idle curiosity. Remember Homer, Hayley and Lomie. Their deaths must make us more determined to see an end of the zoo industry. UPDATE: More deaths at Blackpool Zoo - click here to find out more. HOW YOU CAN HELP
Photographs © Captive Animals Protection Society |
Blackpool
Zoo, and its owners Blackpool Borough Council, claims that the zoo
is amongst the best in the country, and that it is an important
player in the fight to conserve the world's wildlife. CAPS believes
that the global zoo industry will never contribute to the conservation
of species, that they are simply businesses making money, and that
such places can provide ideal conditions for the proliferation of
diseases of all types - and this must present a threat to the health
of the public.