Pittsburgh zoo splits with national group over elephant care standards

The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium split Monday from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums because of a dispute about allowing zookeepers to be near elephants without a potentially life-saving protective barrier.

“They were issuing mandates, and we feel ... the people here, who work with our animals and our staff, should be the ones making those decisions,” Pittsburgh Zoo spokeswoman Tracy Gray said.

Rob Vernon, senior vice president for external affairs at the Silver Spring, Md.-based AZA, said the group and the zoo disagreed over standards adopted in 2012 that say zoo staff should not share an unrestricted space with elephants except when they're transporting the animals; conducting research; breeding or managing calves; or providing the animals with health or medical care.

“We reached an impasse over our interpretation of that, on what we thought was acceptable and what the zoo thought was acceptable,” Vernon said.

The zoo's International Conservation Center in Somerset County, which is home to five African elephants for breeding and conservation efforts, wasn't accredited by the AZA and wouldn't have been affected by the new standards, Vernon said.

Though Gray wouldn't say how the zoo's procedures differed from the association's standard, the ICC's website notes that “keepers share space with the elephants to meet their training, enrichment and healthcare needs.

“Keepers also sometimes manage the elephants from the other side of a physical barrier. The method used depends on the needs and disposition of the elephant. The zoo's elephant manager has received worldwide recognition for his successes with shared space contact.”

Vernon said the association standards were adopted in response to several keepers being killed by the animals.

Pittsburgh Zoo employee Mike Gatti was killed by an elephant that head-butted and pinned him to the ground in 2002 while he was walking it around a yard.

The AZA gave its members until June 2017 to make the facility and policy changes necessary for the new standards.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture cited the zoo in February over its use of herding dogs to manage its seven elephants, which the USDA said could stress the elephants when the dogs became too aggressive. The association supported the USDA's recommendation that the zoo modify its use of the dogs, but that recommendation wasn't part of the impasse, Vernon said.

Deborah Olson, executive director of the Texas-based International Elephant Foundation, said the conservation organization's board has members whose institutions promote direct contact and those who advocate separation between keepers and elephants.

Dr. Barbara Baker, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo, is a board member at the foundation.

“We support the leadership of an organization determining the best management practices for their institution,” she said. “How you manage an elephant should be determined by what your organization's goals are and what your staff's abilities are.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which opposed the zoo's use of herding dogs and “bullhooks” to pull and prod animals, issued a statement supporting theassociation.

“Pittsburgh Zoo has acted like an unaccredited roadside zoo for years, but now it's official,” wrote Brittany Peet, deputy director of captive animal law enforcement. “Modern elephant programs always use barriers to separate elephants and handlers, protecting both — and ropes, chains, and bullhooks are never used.”

The AZA reviews member organizations' methods for housing, handling and caring for animals, as well as their veterinary programs, conservation efforts, educational efforts and visitors' park experience, Vernon said, noting that the AZA's standards cover a broader range than the Zoological Association of America, another accrediting agency to which the zoo belongs.

Gray said the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is accredited through the association and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums. Its accreditation from the AZA last was renewed in 2012 and was due to expire in 2017, she said.

For zoo visitors, the departure from the AZA could affect free or discounted admission that zoo members get at other AZA-member facilities, including half-price admission to The National Aviary, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo or the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore.

The zoo also is regulated by the USDA and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Matthew Santoni is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412 380 5625 or msantoni@tribweb.com.