Im beyond sick to my stomach right now. As some of you probably already know, Ive worked with staff behind the scenes at the Assinniboine Park Zoo on many occasions in the past, and I can say from DIRECT experience with APZ Zookeepers and Drs while shooting documentaries on many occasions there, that the staff of the Zoo do everything humanly possible to ensure their animals are well looked after, and kept out of harms way. From feeding ALL animals in their care human grade food, to cleaning enclosures top to bottom on a daily basis, to conducting medical procedures and check ups almost on a daily basis or whenever needed, to providing enrichment sessions for training purposes. People are always saying Zoos are bad, and its absolutely true that not all Zoos are created equal. Unfortunately, there are a great many Zoos around the world that are simply trying to turn profit by offering the opportunity for people to pose with sedated Tigers etc or chaining up Elephants with cruel devices for public spectacle etc, but I can assure every last one of you that the Assinniboine Park Zoo is NOT of this ilk, and that the animals under the staffs supervision are afforded only the highest of care possible. The property doubles as a place of education, as well as a refuge for endangered animals from poachers in the wild etc. I know this for fact, not only because of my experience having had the privilege of observing and documenting both the staff, and the animals every move first hand, but also because Ive literally seen a doctor at the APZ cry while trying his best to save a garden snake during a procedure to remove a cancerous tumor. All creatures great and small. To err is human, and as terrible an event as this was, I would absolutely still co-sign Winnipegs Zoo 100%. I know for a fact knowing what I do about the staff on a personal level, that this WILL NOT be something they take lightly and every precaution to ensure something like this never happens again WILL be taken. My thoughts and love go out to the responsible keeper and I cannot stress enough that this was indeed an accident. The person who was involved in this is going through their own personal Hell right now. On that Id bet my entire house and home. All I ask is that whoever may be reading this, if youve ever put your trust in me on any topic Ive discussed either on Facebook or in person, if Ive never lead you astray in the past, please trust me once again on this. I love the staff at the Zoo and consider them to be good friends of mine and the animals there. Remaining silent in light of this story was simply not an option for me, as it would be doing both them, and the animals a great disservice. RIP Baikal. You will be missed my friend.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 21:34:29 +0000
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