National Zoo Bans Smoking as of Dec. 1

Citing safety concerns, officials with the National Zoo have decided to ban smoking at the tourist attraction beginning Dec. 1.

Smoking was already prohibited in zoo buildings, and keepers were not allowed to smoke in animal areas. The new policy bans smoking outdoors as well, including on public walkways. Smoking also will be prohibited in zoo golf carts and other vehicles, spokeswoman Peper Long said, and at the Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Va.

The policy change was prompted in part by a couple of small fires on zoo grounds during the past year that "were probably connected to smoking," Long said. No one was injured in the fires, which were limited to mulch areas.

"This is the kind of thing, if you're looking at policies to review, you ask yourself, if those can start, what else can happen?" Long said yesterday.

The smoking ban at the National Zoo reflects a trend toward nonsmoking zoos around the country, said Steve Feldman, spokesman for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

About a third of the association's 214 member sites are smoke-free, he said, and a third allow limited smoking in designated areas. Last week, the Topeka Zoo in Topeka, Kan., went smoke-free; at the beginning of the year, the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City also plans to ban all smoking, he said.

"We're certainly seeing our members go in that direction," Feldman said. "Our visitors come from all walks of life, and a large percentage of them are mothers with young children, so it just makes sense to have a smoke-free environment."

To alert National Zoo visitors about the change, "No Smoking" signs will be posted across the park, in zoo parking lots and at pedestrian entrances. Disposal containers for smoking materials will also be installed, Long said, and staff members and volunteers "will be versed in asking people to comply."

She said she does not expect much negative reaction from the 2 million people who visit the zoo each year.

"Anytime you make a policy change that affects the visitors, who are so important to the zoo, there will be an adjustment period," she said. "But the bottom line is, it's a good, sound decision made with the interest of safety in mind."