Calgary Zoo stingray exhibit re-opening

[Chlidonias]

660News Calgary - Stingray exhibit to re-open at Calgary zoo

The Calgary Zoo will re-open its stingray exhibit later this month for the first time since 41 cow-nose rays died in May.

This exhibit is re-opening even though the zoo still hasn't determined exactly what caused the deaths.

Their investigation found several possible theories. They say the most likely one is that there wasn't enough dissolved oxygen in the water to support the rays.

Five new rays are already at the zoo and there are plans to get another shipment in a few weeks,

The zoo says they're confident that new environmental controls, including more oxygen, will protect the new rays.

The stingrays were one of the most popular exhibits at the zoo this year.

 

[Chlidonias]

edmontonsun.com - Alberta - Animal protection group slams Calgary Zoo for restocking stingray exhibit

An Ontario-based animal protection group says it makes no sense for the Calgary Zoo to restock its cownose stingray exhibit with more of the creatures, after dozens of them died seven months ago.

Zoo officials couldn’t determine what killed the 41 rays, but have decided that the public won’t be allowed to touch the new batch of fish, as they were before.

Rob Laidlaw, a spokesman for Zoocheck Canada says it seems foolhardy to put new creatures into an exhibit when the Calgary Zoo hasn’t yet identified the cause of the previous bunch.

Cathy Gaviller, a spokeswoman for the zoo, says they plan to repopulate the exhibit gradually and carefully.

She says they’ve put in additional safeguards to reduce the risk of death, including installation of new oxygenation equipment, in the pool and video monitoring in the exhibit area.

The first shipment of five rays arrived Dec. 4 and the next rays are expected later this month.

 

[snowleopard]

Stingray touch tanks have been popping up at every other zoo that I visit in North America, and even though they cost a lot to start up the exhibits are huge money makers in the long run and so I'm not shocked that the Calgary zoo has brought back more stingrays.

 

[snowleopard]

Lack of oxygen killed stingrays, Calgary Zoo admits

Human error is the announced cause of the stingray deaths.

 

[Taccachantrieri]

Here are some more media reports, each of which seems to have a different treatment of these events.

CTV Calgary- Cownose rays died because of oxygen level - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television

Seller thought Calgary Zoo could handle dead rays

This article is the most critical of the Zoo especially when Robert Remington says, "The shocking revelation that human error (a lack of oxygen) was in all likelihood the main cause for the suffocation deaths of 41 cow nose rays is the last straw. The zoo's reputation is irreparably damaged, its goodwill tarnished. There have been so many incidents that it will be years before the zoo can repair the damage."
Robert also misquoted Dr. Lanthier by writing, ""Fish is not our expertise," he admitted". Dr Lanthier actually said "Our MAIN expertise is not in fish at the Calgary Zoo". You can even hear this in one of the videos on a link I provided. It's quite disturbing how many times people are misquoting Dr. Lanthier throughout numerous message boards and how much that is distorting their analysis of these events.
Calgary Zoo's reputation tarnished by deaths

It's rather shocking that so many people are calling Dr. Clement Lanthier, the president and CEO of the Calgary Zoo, incompetent. Some have even suggested replacing him with city government staff! Dr. Lanthier has both a DVM and MBA to go along with his years of experience at Zoos and as a scientific researcher ! This does not make him perfect by any stretch, but I certainly think it makes him more qualified to handle the Zoo than a city board or other such people.

There was also a much more positive article in the Calgary Sun that praised the leadership of Dr. Clement Lanthier and his honesty, but that link is no longer available.
Edit: it can actually be found on ZooCheck Canada's website. Isn't that interesting.
http://www.zoocheck.com/news_calgaryzoo_stingrayzootoblameFeb309.html

 

[snowleopard]

The Calgary Zoo has certainly had a rocky two or three years, with numerous animal deaths that were both preventable and unforseen. A hippo died while in transport to the zoo, a baby elephant died last year, 41 stingrays perished in an oxygen-deprived tank, hugely successful director Alex Graham unexpectantly resigned a couple of years ago, at least 3 gorillas have died at separate times, and now the long-gestating Arctic Shores plans have been put on the scrapheap. All of the high-profile problems and concerns at the zoo can hopefully be placed squarely into the past, as with a koala display in 2009 and a future mega-budget penguin exhibit there are some bright lights on the horizon. One thing that hasn't suffered is the attendance, as the zoo is still enormously popular and visitors continue to pour through the front gates.

 

[Taccachantrieri]

I found these parallels sort of interesting.

Calgary Zoo Highly Publicized Deaths over the past few years
41 Cow nosed rays- human error; inadequate oxygen
1 turkmenian markhor-strangled on enrichment toy
1 Asian elephant calf-Herpes virus
1 hippo- died from transport
3 unrelated gorilla deaths
1 Asian elephant calf- rejection from mother, infection

Brookfield Zoo Recent Highly Publicized Deaths
16 stingrays found dead at Brookfield Zoo - Rockford, IL - Rockford Register Star
16 rays-human error; heat shock; malfunction in heating and cooling system
1 giraffe-strangulation in an odd accident

Indianapolis Zoo Recent Highly Publicized Deaths
Zoo reviews procedures after sharks' death - News- msnbc.com
15 Bonnethead sharks-human error; too much ozone
1 elephant calf-infection
3 bears
several other deaths from an accidental fire and dog attacks

 

[snowleopard]

Cagey zoo officials tarnish reputation

Yet another article ripping into the Calgary Zoo, and the focus is on the unfortunate stingray incident.