Emperor Valley Zoo: Our animals get ‘exemplary care’

WITH an online petition calling for an independent investigation into the care animals receive at the Emperor Valley Zoo nearing 30,000 signatures, the zoo says any implications that it is “falling short of its animal welfare obligation” are “false and misleading.”

The Change.org petition is titled Demand Adequate Care and Independent Animal Welfare Investigation at Emperor Valley Zoo, Port of Spain.

It calls for a halt to the zoo’s $56 million expansion until this investigation is concluded.

The expansion is set to include a cinema, ice cream parlour, cutters bar, restaurant, exhibition centre, conference/meeting rooms, offices, an information centre, shops, kiosks, an amphitheatre and a play area for children.

The petition also says citizens of TT are "deeply distressed by the conflicting reports surrounding the recent passing of Kangaroo Jack.”

This refers to the zoo breaking its silence on Jack, a red kangaroo, in September after a Newsday story detailed several attempts to get an update on the animal's health for months.

In a press release after the story went viral on social media, the zoo said he had died on May 3 from cardiomyopathy – a disease of the heart.

Photos and videos of Jack looking emaciated went viral in March, which sparked public outrage, but the Agriculture Ministry investigated and deemed him to be in "fair health."

The zoo has since told Newsday the animal got a “proper burial and sendoff.”

In a press release on October 8, the zoo addressed the online petition.

It said, “While the Zoological Society of TT (ZSTT) welcomes citizens’ concerns and feedback, we wish to emphasise our practice of providing exemplary animal care and welfare for our animals at Emperor Valley Zoo.

“I can assure you that the zoo is meeting its animal welfare obligations and some more.”

The press release did not address the expansion, but reiterated that Jack was thoroughly examined.

“The ZTT strives to maintain the highest standard of animal welfare, care and husbandry of its animals.

“In early March 2024, Jack was observed to be losing muscle mass although his appetite was good, and his physical evaluation was good. The zoo veterinarian conducted standard tests to render a diagnosis of his condition. Jack was parasite-free, and his blood work showed no signs of abnormality.”

But, it added, the ZSTT contacted US animal welfare experts for external opinions.

“The vets concluded that the kangaroo is a truly ‘healthy’ kangaroo, and they failed to find any treatable problem that is currently impacting his welfare.”

“The ZSTT went all out to diagnose the kangaroo’s health issues, enlisting the expertise of in-house veterinarian and care staff, experts from the Ministry of Agriculture and external experts from the University of Florida and the Zoological Association of America.”

It said all three teams concluded Jack was just old.

Initially, in March, the zoo said Jack was 15-20. But in its response in September, it said he had lived a “full life,” but was actually 12-14 years old.

Newsday obtained copies of Jack’s shipping documents. In August 2015, the Ministry of Food Production, Animal Production and Health, as it was at the time, approved the import of Jack, who was listed as a six-month-old red kangaroo.

He was cared for at the now-defunct Safari Eco Park in Chaguaramas, and was handed over to the zoo in January 2023.

On average, red kangaroos live up to eight years in the wild and up to 23 years in captivity.

Since the revelation that Jack had died, which drove further public outrage, the zoo has been posting videos and photos almost daily on its social media pages of its animals being cared for.

The zoo’s press release went on to say it “complies with all aspects of the government’s animal disease and importation requirements.”

It added that there is an animal welfare policy in place.

“To imply or assume that the Zoological Society and the Emperor Valley Zoo is in any way falling short of its (sic) animal welfare obligation is false and misleading! The ZSTT/zoo takes animal welfare seriously and focuses on animal welfare as its primary goal.”