By: Staff Writer
May 27, 2022
Accidents do happen when dealing with animals inside an enclosure like a Zoo, but animal cruelty is not accepted at any time says one of the region’s top Zookeeper’s.
Celso Poot, the director of the Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Centre, told Caribbean Magazine Plus that there is “no way” anyone could get that close to his animals to taunt them the way a Jamaican Zoo employee got up to a lion under their care and had one of his fingers bitten off.
The attack, caught on video by a visitor, was shocking as it was saddening to see an animal locked in a case, defenceless and subject to the cruel amusement of someone that was supposed to be its caretaker.
Mr Poot said: “That type of stuff does not happen in the Belize Zoo. I mean, accidents do happen but not for silliness. Animal welfare is important to us. That is foremost.”
Mr Poot, who is in the process of partnering with the Hope Zoo in Kingston, does not wish for this to make things difficult for his efforts if the Jamaican government tries to crackdown on animal abusers.
“This is definitely not the way. That is animal cruelty. I’m speechless right now. You usually find the public will do that to the animal when they are unsupervised, but for a staff member to do that- That staff member probably does not have any training, because I can’t understand that,” Mr Poot added.
Zoo attendant Ricardo Jones’s finger was severed by a lion named Santa Cruz at the Jamaica Zoo last week.
Jones, who was seemingly making an effort to impress about 15 visitors at the zoo, was interacting with the lion through a wire fence when the large cat grabbed his fingers.
Joseph Brown, curator at the Hope Zoo in Kingston said: ““This is definitely not an accepted behaviour and is completely frowned upon. This goes against all modern animal care guidelines. Intentionally provoking any animal for entertainment, and thus causing fear and stress to the animal, is cruel and unacceptable,” Brown told the Jamaica Observer on Monday.
On Monday, Jamaica Zoo issued a release stating that Jones is recovering from “what, in the light of the circumstances, can be described as relatively minor injuries”.
“We place on record that our first order of business in the wake of last Friday’s occurrence was to immediately see to the medical care of our team member. Since the incident, which has been widely seen and reported across media, there have been no less than two occasions where staff members have been updated and have received counselling,” Jamaica Zoo said.
The zoo operators also said they will continue to cooperate with the authorities and take all necessary steps to ensure that patrons and stakeholders are safe and enjoy wholesome experiences when they visit the zoo.
On Monday as well, National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) said a multi-agency team consisting of its representatives, some from the Veterinary Services Division and Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals visited Jamaica Zoo to investigate the incident.
“During the site visit and assessment, areas of non-compliance with the regulatory instruments were identified and discussed. Issues of animal health and animal welfare were also identified to be addressed,” NEPA said.
The agency said a report on the findings is being prepared to determine the final action to be taken.
The Jamaica Zoo also responded to the viral video with a statement: “The actions displayed in the video by a contractor to Jamaica Zoo [are] tragic and do not represent the safety procedures and policies that must be adhered to at all times at Jamaica Zoo,” the zoo wrote.
“We are currently reviewing the video, with a view of preventing any future recurrences.”
The zoo continued, “It is an unfortunate event that should never have happened, and we, the family of Jamaica Zoo, are doing everything to assist the gentlemen in moving forward.”
The Jamaica Zoo’s statement says the facility wants to “reassure the public” that it is a “safe place” for families.
It also said the facility prides itself on providing “love, care and professional treatment” for its animals.