Date
August 10, 2006
Contact
Catherine Doyle
323-301-5730
Kristie Phelps
757-423-0093
In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner Blvd
San Rafael
CA 94901
IDA is an international, California-based animal advocacy organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by defending their rights, welfare and habitats.
IDA CALLS FOR SECOND USDA INVESTIGATION OF L.A. ZOO
Strikingly similar zoo failure found in elephant and chimp deaths
Los Angeles, Calif. — In Defense of Animals (IDA) has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture calling for a second investigation, this time into the death of Judeo, a male chimpanzee at the Los Angeles Zoo. The group alleges a repeat of violations of the Animal Welfare Act in the death of Judeo, similar to those alleged in the June 10th death of the elephant Gita, citing L.A. Zoo’s failure to provide timely treatment to both animals.
Judeo died on Wednesday, July 26th, after being bitten by a rattlesnake in the chimpanzee enclosure. Inside sources allege that veterinary care was delayed and that multiple calls had to be made in order to get veterinarians on the scene.
In the complaint, IDA states that prompt emergency treatment could have saved the lives of both animals, or at least lessened their suffering.
“Despite assurances that protocols are in place to deal with emergency illnesses, we find that yet another animal may have unnecessarily suffered and died at Los Angeles Zoo,” says veterinarian Elliot M. Katz, president and founder of IDA. “How many more animals have to die before the zoo administration is finally held accountable for its incompetence? There is no excuse for the delays that led to the tortured deaths of Judeo and Gita.”
IDA filed an initial complaint with the USDA on June 20th, reporting for the first time that Gita, who went unmonitored overnight despite a host of health problems, had been observed down the night before her death yet nothing was done to aid her, information that L.A. Zoo had concealed. Gita did not receive assistance for more than eight hours and it was more than ten hours before she received veterinary treatment.
These events have brought about renewed calls from citizens and animal advocates to remove the Zoo’s surviving elephants, Ruby and Billy, and send them to a sanctuary with the vast space and natural conditions necessary for elephants to thrive. At a sanctuary, the elephants would be monitored 24 hours a day; veterinarians are called in immediately in the case of ill health.
A copy of the complaint is available upon request. For more information see www.helpelephants.com.