5 Animal Deaths Renew Criticism of Care at Zoo

The cases "represent less than 1 percent of our entire collection of 2,400 animals" and "less than 1 percent of the 701 individual animals we treated in some way last year," the veterinarians declared in a written statement. "While we have all been trained in a variety of species, we cannot be perfect in every diagnosis and treatment, nor can we be expected to know everything about all species."

David L. Evans, the Smithsonian's undersecretary for science and the zoo's interim director, said in an interview that he is confident that the zoo provides proper care.

"We have a terrific group of veterinarians," he said. "They are better-trained, higher-quality vets than you would find probably at any other zoo, but certainly at most other zoos in the country."

Suzan Murray, the zoo's head veterinarian, said in an interview that veterinarians, curators, keepers, a nutritionist and other experts successfully use a teamwork approach to animal care, adding, "I really do feel we have a very strong, caring, dedicated team."

Murray, associate veterinarian Sharon Deem and senior veterinary trainee Carlos Sanchez issued the statement as part of their written response to questions about animal care.

Sanchez, who provided much of the care for the five animals, has worked at the zoo for nearly five years. Zoo officials said he has lectured throughout the world on subjects involving wild animal populations. He received his veterinary degree in Mexico in 1992 and was a licensed staff veterinarian at the Zoological Parks of Mexico City. He has a master's degree in wild animal health from the Royal Veterinary College in London.

Sanchez, who is not licensed to practice in the United States, works under the supervision of other veterinarians, officials said. The Smithsonian said the federal laws that govern its veterinarians do not require them to have a local license to practice. Sanchez is the only National Zoo veterinarian without a U.S. license.

Evans said Sanchez's cases are reviewed "every single day" by one of the zoo's licensed veterinarians. He said Sanchez is scheduled to take his licensing exam this winter.

The 116-year-old zoo attracts 2 million visitors a year. Its operations came under scrutiny in 2003 after the deaths of several animals, including two red pandas that ate rat poison. The National Academy of Sciences, asked to review those deaths for Congress, concluded in January that most of the animals whose records it examined received acceptable care.

Evans, pointing to the academy's 18-month review and final report, said that "experts have passed judgment on us, and they've said we are providing appropriate care."

The report, however, was criticized by the Humane Society of the United States and by Donald K. Nichols, a former associate pathologist at the zoo, who said the academy ignored or glossed over veterinary mistakes that had fatal consequences. Nichols had given the academy packets of documents alleging numerous instances of poor veterinary care.

Nichols called the more recent deaths "among the worst cases" he knows about and said they were particularly troubling because they occurred while the zoo was under scrutiny by the science academy.