Animal Care and Management at the National Zoo Interim Report (2004) / Chapter Skim
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2 Animal Care and Management
2 Animal Care and Management
Pages 23-46
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This department is responsible for the health of the animal collection: proper nutrition, preventive medicine, and health care (NZP, Department of Animal Health Best Practices, 2003)
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Assistant Curator The assistant curators are responsible for the conception, formulation, leadership, and conduct of all animal care, breeding, conservation, exhibition, and associated public education for a designated portion of the animal collection (called a unit)
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. General Curator The general curator has authority and is responsible for participating with and assisting the director and senior management team in the overall planning, direction, and management of NZP programs and activities in the exhibition, study, and care of the living animal collections at the Rock Creek Park facility (Position Description General Curator)
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. Periodic Review of Exhibit Design and Husbandry Techniques - A review of exhibit design and animal management should be conducted periodically as part of a preventive medicine program.
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. The preventive medicine program at the National Zoo includes quarantine, parasite surveillance procedures and control, immunization, infectious disease screening, and dental prophylaxis (National Zoological Park Preventative Medicine Program, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003)
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Other zoos utilize schools of veterinary medicine or commercial laboratories for pathology needs. To assess the quality of veterinary medical care at the National Zoo, members of the committee met with veterinary staff, keepers, and curators; examined written policies and procedures of the Department of Animal Health; evaluated the medical records of select animals currently in the collection, as well as the medical records of particular animals that were brought to the attention of the committee; reviewed the scientific literature; and gathered information on preventive medicine and animal care from other zoological institutions.
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From page 29... ...
· Diet reduction was not noted in any of the three animals' medical records, though the keeper logs indicated the veterinary staff was aware of the diet change; and other National Zoo documents also indicated the change was by order of the veterinary staff (Nichols and Stevens, undated; Wells, 2000a)
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Updated body weight information is to be recorded in the daily keeper reports (National Zoological Park, NZP Department of Animal Health Procedures Animal Body Weights, 2003)
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However, because her advanced age and the progressive worsening of other medical conditions, it is likely that her euthanasia would still have been necessary at some point. Failures in the Preventive Medicine Program A review of zoo documents indicates that the veterinary department has been failing to follow various aspects of the preventive medicine program.
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state that the veterinary medical program at a zoo should emphasize disease prevention. If the failure to provide preventive care to the National Zoo's animal collection was caused by a shortage of staff or the inability of the veterinary staff to implement and follow the National Zoo's preventive medicine program, steps should have been taken immediately by senior management to rectify the situation, either by hiring more temporary or permanent veterinary staff, using existing veterinarians on the research staff to alleviate the backlog of preventive medicine procedures (if these veterinarians are suitably licensed to practice veterinary medicine in Washington, D.C.)
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vaccination as Canine distemper warranted vaccination annuallye Felidae Feline panleukopenia Annual exam Accession #108412 Barbary lion and calicivirus Rabies vaccination Failed to receive panleukopenia and vaccination annually every 3 years calicivirus vaccination in 1999-2000, 2003. Rabies vaccination as Panleukopenia and Failed to receive annual exam in 2003.
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dA sample of 26 animal records were examined for adherence to the National Zoo's preventive medicine program (1998, 2003)
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Finding 1: The current preventive medicine program at the National Zoo is not being fully implemented, and since 1998, veterinary staff members have not been adhering to this program in terms of providing annual exams, vaccinations, and infectious-disease testing. Although efforts have been made in the past year to improve implementation, there is still a backlog of animals that have not received examinations, vaccinations, or tests as prescribed by the preventive medicine program.
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A centralized commissary allows for efficient use of equipment and staff time and for better tracking and quality control of inventory (NZP, Commissary Review National Zoological Park, May 14-15, 1992)
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Little direct interaction occurs between the acting head of clinical nutrition and the research nutritionist. After an initial search for a permanent clinical nutrition position which did not yield an acceptable candidate, the National Zoo is now seeking to fill the position at the Rock Creek Park facility with another temporary appointment (Smithsonian Institution Vacancy Announcement Number 04SP-1021)
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Strengths and Weaknesses in Animal Nutrition at the National Zoo The clinical nutrition program at the National Zoo is currently at risk for continued problems. This is because of several factors, including the lack of permanent, qualified, and experienced leadership; limited or no record keeping over the past decade; poor integration of nutrition with overall animal care programs; and the absence of any documented recent analyses or evaluations of the adequacy of the majority of animal diets.
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. The NRC recommendations are used by all government agencies with regulatory oversight of animal care and by the feed industry as the standards for animal feeding.
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In the short term (while the zoo seeks a clinical animal nutritionist) , the research nutritionist should collaborate with the acting head of clinical nutrition, (who has limited relevant experience)
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ANIMAL WELFARE The National Zoo currently has two Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs) , one each for the CRC and the Rock Creek facility.
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The head of the Federal agency conducting the research shall be responsible for all corrective action to be taken at the facility and for the granting of all exceptions to inspection protocol. Each Federal research facility shall establish an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee which shall have the same composition, duties, and responsibilities required of nonfederal research facilities by Sec 2.31 with the following exceptions: Some research at the National Zoo does not fall under the oversight provided by the Animal Welfare Act or PHS Policy.
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was fulfilled from 1995-2003. Based on the documents provided to the committee, the IACUC at the Rock Creek Park facility has not consistently fulfilled its responsibilities as required by PHS Policy IV.E.
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Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Many animal welfare issues at the National Zoo remain unresolved. Because of the failure of the National Zoo and the Smithsonian Institution to provide the committee with sufficient documentation to enable it to ascertain whether the National Zoo is in compliance with PHS policy and the AWA, animal welfare at the National Zoo remains a serious concern of the committee.
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From page 45... ...
, it is indicated that the Rock Creek Park IACUC did not keep "official records" of complaint investigations because these were informal, and "...turned out to be problems in communications or staff management -- not animal welfare issues." Given the deaths of the Grevy's zebra and the red pandas at the Rock Creek facility, it should be evident that communication and management are animal welfare issues, and an institutional failure to recognize this compromised further the welfare of other animals at the zoo. It appears that the Rock Creek Park IACUC saw its mandate as one of solving conflict between staff members and not of acting as an advocate for the animals.
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From page 46... ...
, failures to adhere with quarantine procedures (Finding 1) , and failures to comply with animal welfare policies and procedures (Finding 3)
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