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snowleopard

snowleopard

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I visited Safari West today (July 3rd, 2017) and I uploaded 34 photos into the gallery. I will soon be posting a full, detailed review of the zoo on the thread "Snowleopard's 2017 Road Trip".
 
The park is still closed due to fire damage, but will reopen for tours on November 20, 2017. The overnight tent camp will not reopen until March 1, 2018.
 
Safari West is closed again due to a nearby wildfire. Per their Facebook they are currently safe but will remain closed until the threat is over.
 
I know much of the focus is on Columbus today but Safari West also lost its accreditation today. Below I have linked the AZA’s statement.

“It is always disappointing when AZA loses a member, especially a long-time member like Safari West. But AZA membership is conditioned on adherence to our accreditation standards – the global “gold standard” for modern aquariums and zoos – and our independent Accreditation Commission has determined that Safari West has failed to uphold those standards.

“The Commission noted serious concerns with veterinary practices and care, and acquisition and disposition of animals. I am hopeful that the owners and leadership at Safari West are taking these matters seriously. Some positive changes were noted, and noteworthy, but the Commission felt that additional time and effort will be required to fully meet AZA accreditation standards.

“To Safari West employees, we acknowledge your disappointment. Your professionalism and commitment will be crucial to regaining accreditation and we do hope to see Safari West and you back within our community.

“Although we are sad at losing a member, we believe this exemplifies what distinguishes AZA accreditation, helping earn its reputation as the global ‘gold standard' for modern zoos and aquariums. In the past five years, ten facilities have failed AZA’s accreditation process. Large and small, zoo and aquarium, internationally famous and locally loved, all AZA members are accountable to our standards. If they do not uphold them, they will not be accredited.”
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AZA Statement on AZA Accreditation Commission Decision to Deny Accreditation to Safari West
 
nczoofan said:
I know much of the focus is on Columbus today but Safari West also lost its accreditation today. Below I have linked the AZA’s statement.



AZA Statement on AZA Accreditation Commission Decision to Deny Accreditation to Safari West
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The part that really caught my eye in the statement was this sentence: "The Commission noted serious concerns with veterinary practices and care, and acquisition and disposition of animals." I wish that the AZA had provided some specific details or examples.
 
nczoofan said:
I know much of the focus is on Columbus today but Safari West also lost its accreditation today. Below I have linked the AZA’s statement.



AZA Statement on AZA Accreditation Commission Decision to Deny Accreditation to Safari West
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Oof. Two notable facilities within a week. I agree I'd be interested to know some of the concerns over denying accreditation. I mean, the place seems to really care about their animals, they've even got their own fire truck squad since they have to deal with that situation regularly. I'd also wonder if some of the struggles are related to funding since Covid impacted them quite a bit due to their setup.
 
Great Argus said:
. I'd also wonder if some of the struggles are related to funding since Covid impacted them quite a bit due to their setup.
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Elena said:
The part that really caught my eye in the statement was this sentence: "The Commission noted serious concerns with veterinary practices and care, and acquisition and disposition of animals." I wish that the AZA had provided some specific details or examples.
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I can't speak much on the topic just due to the sensitive nature of the subject, but I will say that these are not recent concerns caused by the pandemic, but are years of issues with permanent proper vet care and the way they go about acquiring and disposing of animals. Many notable collections will not work with Safari West and have not for some time now due to these concerns. It's good to see the AZA holding facilities accountable, as I'm surprised this hasn't happened sooner...
 
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Elena said:
The part that really caught my eye in the statement was this sentence: "The Commission noted serious concerns with veterinary practices and care, and acquisition and disposition of animals." I wish that the AZA had provided some specific details or examples.
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Speaking from my experience in the vet field, typically most if not all the information regarding the nature of these kinds of offenses are kept from the public unless the violations had undergone a trial. If a doctor and/or practice were to be charged for malpractice or any other concerns and lost their case(s), they will either be put on parole or suspended indefinitely in the the state they practice in. Here in California, all licensed DVMs can be searched on a public site regarding their standing with their medical board. Also it will show up any and all charges pressed against said party as well. So if perhaps the name(s)of the DVM or veterinary practice were to be mentioned and/or are publicly known, they can be looked up by their name and/or the name of their practice.
 
From USDA inspections...

8 July 2021 said:
3.127(d) Repeat
Facilities, outdoor.
This inspection focused on the perimeter fence and efforts to deter predators.
Whereas the facility’s efforts to reinforce and improve the enclosure and perimeter fencing are apparent, some deficits in the perimeter fencing were found at the time of inspection:
- A large hole that measured approximately 14” x 24” where a seam had pulled open behind the Hill livestock enclosure, near Vista;
- Some gaps under the fencing measuring up to 7 inches, including one with evidence of animal traffic under the fence;
- A remote gate in part of the fencing that extends behind and above the rhino / red river hog area was found to be unlocked and open, and was difficult to close due to an accumulation of soil, suggesting it had been open for some time;
- One creek area had a large opening underneath the fence in need of reinforcement near the southwest corner of the perimeter;
- A tree has fallen on the fence, creating an easy pathway for people or animals to pass through, near Franz Valley Road.
Failure to maintain the perimeter fencing in good repair can allow people or animals to access the facility, putting the exhibit animals at risk.
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6 Jan 2021 said:
3.127(d) Critical Repeat
Facilities, outdoor.
At the time of inspection it was discovered that the facility has experienced additional animal deaths in 2020 attributable to predation. In the “Hill” enclosure, which encompasses approximately 40 acres of terrain and is encircled by an eight foot tall perimeter fence as well as an eight foot tall enclosure fence, three adult Grant’s gazelles were found dead from predation, one on each of the following dates: November 10th, 15th, and 26th. This brings the total of probable predation deaths for Grant’s gazelles to eight for 2020, with only three animals remaining at the time of inspection. The facility attributes these most recent deaths to coyotes, whereas earlier in the year there was evidence of mountain lion predation. Although the facility has installed two sonar deterrent devices, and three motion activated light deterrent devices along the fencing for the “Hill” enclosure, as well as three game cameras and one trap, the current efforts have not prevented these additional deaths.
The California Fish and Wildlife warden, to whom the facility referred me, stated that coyotes must get under or through the fence in order to prey upon the animals inside, and that the facility should regularly walk the fence to ensure its integrity. The facility has been encouraged by Animal Care to work with state, county, and federal wildlife control officials to further explore methods to prevent predation. The current devices deployed seem inadequate considering the size of the perimeter, and the on-going occurrence of predation incidents.
Failure to exclude predators puts the animals at risk. The facility should continue to pursue methods to exclude and deter predators in order to protect the animals within.
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3 Mar 2020 said:
3.127(d) CRITICAL
FACILITIES, OUTDOOR.
Upon reviewing the animal inventory, after the inspection on site, it came to light that five Grant's gazelles died during the month of January 2020 due to injury / predation by other animals. The first animal died on 1/1/20, and two additional animals were killed by predators on 1/10/20. Despite various predator control efforts and consultation with California Fish & Wildlife, two additional animals perished due to predation on 1/19/20 and 1/20/20. The facility has done extensive work in recent years to extend and improve perimeter fencing, but despite these efforts the fencing is not adequately excluding predators. The perimeter fence must keep animals out of the facility in order to protect the animals within. The facility is currently looking into various ways to exclude predators. The facility must ensure that predators are excluded in order to protect the animals from this time forward.
The inspection was conducted on site with facility representatives on 3/3/2020.
The inspection required follow-up with inventory review and consultation with parties involved, and an exit interview occurred by phone on 3/18/2020 with a facility representative.
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TinoPup said:
From USDA inspections...
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It'd be interesting to see if similar style institutions suffer from predation incidents such as this, though it seems it's more due to Safari West's distinct lack of fence maintenance. I remember hearing SDZSP was having significant trouble with mountain lions approaching the hoofstock fields during the closure periods. Wildlife Safari and Northwest Trek also fall within mountain lion and coyote range, but predators don't typically seem to be an issue.

Similar point, was LA Zoo cited awhile ago when the mountain lion got on grounds and killed what was it, a koala? San Francisco Zoo lost a couple wallabies too didn't they? Is it only when negligence is involved rather than random incident?
 
Great Argus said:
It'd be interesting to see if similar style institutions suffer from predation incidents such as this, though it seems it's more due to Safari West's distinct lack of fence maintenance. I remember hearing SDZSP was having significant trouble with mountain lions approaching the hoofstock fields during the closure periods. Wildlife Safari and Northwest Trek also fall within mountain lion and coyote range, but predators don't typically seem to be an issue.

Similar point, was LA Zoo cited awhile ago when the mountain lion got on grounds and killed what was it, a koala? San Francisco Zoo lost a couple wallabies too didn't they? Is it only when negligence is involved rather than random incident?
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I mean predation especially in the Western US will always be an issue. You can do your best to limit it though yet Safari West clearly hasn’t. USDA took this big an interest because before the loss of the gazelles they had already been cited for violations in regards to not having an adequate perimeter fence. And even when they fixed it, it still had holes and open gates that negated its very existence. This is a USDA report though and AZA would not kick an institution out over some depredation. I imagine this was an additional discussion during the accreditation process though, although it would seem that many of the animals at Safari West lack adequate medical care (which is something USDA will often cite institutions for although they have lower standards on this than AZA).
 
Great Argus said:
It'd be interesting to see if similar style institutions suffer from predation incidents such as this, though it seems it's more due to Safari West's distinct lack of fence maintenance. I remember hearing SDZSP was having significant trouble with mountain lions approaching the hoofstock fields during the closure periods. Wildlife Safari and Northwest Trek also fall within mountain lion and coyote range, but predators don't typically seem to be an issue.

Similar point, was LA Zoo cited awhile ago when the mountain lion got on grounds and killed what was it, a koala? San Francisco Zoo lost a couple wallabies too didn't they? Is it only when negligence is involved rather than random incident?
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It's more for negligence, yeah. Los Angeles did get a critical in 2016 for the koala incident, but they immediately notified USDA and had a focused inspection on just the fencing (vs waiting for their annual to mention it). They'd had a citation for the fencing years before and it hadn't been completely fixed.
30 Mar 2016 said:
3.127(d) REPEAT
FACILITIES, OUTDOOR.
- On March 3, 2016, one koala was found missing from her open exhibit. Koalas housed with her
the night that she went missing were unharmed. The koala exhibit is furnished with trees and other
climbing apparatus. The design of this enclosure allows several areas or access points which would
permit entry of unauthorized animals. According to a facility representative, the remains of this koala
were found approximately 300 yards from the exhibit.The remaining koalas from this exhibit and an
adjacent exhibit have since been relocated to temporary housing.
No predator owned by the zoo escaped its enclosure at this time. According to facility representatives,
a mountain lion not associated with the zoo and with a radio collar has been identified on their surveillance
cameras at least four times during the time surrounding the incident.
As a precautionary measure, all vulnerable animals, with exception of some of the larger hoof stock, are
now locked in at night. The facility is actively working to cover holding yards in order to have additional
overnight space for protection.
Increased surveillance after hours has been implemented and the facility continues to inspect the
perimeter fence on a regular schedule.
Given a predator has been identified on surveillance cameras on the premises since the event, the
facility cannot exclude the possibility of another unauthorized entry onto the zoo's grounds.

****************************************************************
-The following was noted during a walkthrough of portions of the north and south sides of the perimeter
fence:
North end:1) At least one gate that is part of the perimeter fence measures less than the required 8 feet
height.
2) Vegetation has grown into or adjacent to the perimeter fence and can be used by an unauthorized
animal to facilitate entry or exit into the facility.
South end:1) There is an area where tree branches/vines have grown into and around the barbed wire
kick-ins, resulting in drooping or damaged wires.
According to a facility representative, the perimeter fence is over two miles in length and is inspected at
least twice each month. The perimeter fence log (PFL), which documents issues found and work orders needed, was reviewed. The PFL for the past month shows over 20 entries of both new and old issues
ranging from trees up against the perimeter fence, overhanging trees on the fence-line, and broken or
displaced barbed wire kick-ins. Although many issues have been corrected, it appears there is a back log
on repairs to be completed as the PFL from earlier this year describes at least 3 work orders (submitted in
July or September of 2014) had not yet been completely addressed and/or repairs finalized. A system to
ensure work orders are addressed and/or completed in a timely manner should be in place.
All outdoor housing facilities (i.e., facilities not entirely indoors) must be enclosed by a perimeter fence
that is of sufficient height to exclude animals and unauthorized persons. The fence must be constructed so
that it protects the animals in the facility by restricting animals and unauthorized persons from
circumventing it and having contact with the animals in the facility, and so that it can function as a
secondary containment system for the animals in the facility.
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They haven't had any fence related citations since then, mostly just sanitation and food stuff.

B. Bryan Preserve had one fence citation, in 2016. No mention of deaths.
San Diego's only citation was for rust on a cheetah fence.
San Fran has had a few citations over the year, but for not having a vet and for paint peeling, cracks in concrete, etc.
None for Wildlife Safari, just a few building things in 2015.
None at all for Northwest Trek (or Point Defiance).
 
nczoofan said:
I mean predation especially in the Western US will always be an issue
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Predation can be an issue in all places albeit with different predators. I know some Northeastern zoos have had problems with birds of prey, for instance. Different predators, but something that needs to be considered no matter where a zoo is.
 
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