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5 Animal Deaths Renew Criticism of Care at Zoo
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A pathology report said the emu died of the stress of the restraint and possible trauma to a neck nerve.
The zoo's veterinarians said Sanchez used a hood because it often has a calming effect on large birds and other animals. According to several veterinary texts, hooding is strongly recommended for ostriches but not standard for emus because they are deemed easier to restrain. If a hood causes a bird to become agitated, experts say, it should be removed.
The Ring-Tailed Lemur
Priam, donated to the zoo in 2001 by Duke University, had an incomplete quarantine exam. Medical records said the blood sample was unsatisfactory. The lemur went more than 2 1/2 years before getting another physical examination.
On May 24, 2004, Sanchez examined the lemur and, in X-rays, saw indications of a lung problem. He sent the X-rays to outside specialists, who on June 20 provided their conclusions: The lemur had a lung tumor, pneumonia or, possibly, tuberculosis, and more tests were needed for a firm diagnosis.
The zoo did not do any further tests or start any treatment.
On Aug. 18, the lemur began struggling to breathe and was moved to the zoo's hospital and put in an incubator with oxygen. Sanchez waited another day -- until an ultrasound consultant had diagnosed pneumonia and a lung abscess -- to start antibiotics.
"To delay treatment prolongs the animal's discomfort and often makes treatment progressively more difficult," Kuehn said. "A serious medical problem was not attended to for nearly three months. . . . She deserved better."
The zoo's veterinarians said that they often use outside volunteer experts and that they planned to schedule a follow-up exam to firm up a diagnosis. They said they wanted to know what was wrong before starting treatment. But they did not rush to do the tests, they said, because of concerns about anesthetizing the lemur again when it did not appear to be in discomfort.
"We must weigh the considerable risks of repeat anesthetic exams when the animal is showing no signs of illness," they said. "Not everything needs immediate, emergency treatment."
Kuehn, Nichols and Larson said that because exotic animals hide their symptoms, looking ill should not be a criterion for treatment.
"Why do physical exams at all if you're not going to act on what you find?" Nichols said.
The lemur remained in the hospital. On Sept. 27, it was found lying on its side, taking shallow breaths. Deem anesthetized the lemur and drew "blood-tinged" fluid from its lungs. She also noted a new problem: The lemur's right hind leg was swollen two to three times its normal size.
