Bulletin-PRINTEMPS 2009

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4 zebras die at Greater Vancouver Zoo
Last Updated: Monday, April 20, 2009 | 8:49 PM PT Comments22Recommend19CBC News
Two zebras can be seen in their enclosure at the Greater Vancouver Zoo in this undated photo. (CBC)
Four zebras have died at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, prompting an investigation by the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The deaths occurred two months ago after two cape buffalo were placed into the zebras' enclosure, according to the Vancouver Humane Society.

The zoo, located in the Fraser Valley community of Aldergrove, east of Vancouver, did not make public the deaths of the animals. Repeated calls by CBC News on Monday were not returned.

The zebras, who were between five and 15 years old, must have panicked and probably died of stress, Vancouver Humane Society spokesman Peter Fricker said Monday.

The zebras likely suffered from exertional myopathy, a muscle disease characterized by damage to muscle tissues brought about by physiological changes, usually following extreme exertion, struggle and/or stress, Fricker said.

He said cape buffalo are extremely dangerous animals and, although zebras and buffalo co-exist in the wild, keeping them together in an enclosed space was a mistake.

"We feel this is a sign of incompetence on the zoo's part, that either the introduction of these animals into the zebra enclosure should not have been made, or it should've been done with greater care and expertise," Fricker told CBC News in a telephone interview.

Eileen Drever, senior animal protection officer with the B.C. SPCA, said Monday that the organization has opened an investigation into the deaths of the zebras.

Drever said the zoo has not returned calls regarding the animals' deaths, and SPCA representatives were planning on visiting the zoo Tuesday.

History of incidents
Fricker said the zebra deaths represent another black mark on the history of the Greater Vancouver Zoo.

In June 2006, serious questions were raised about the zoo's ability to care for its animals after a baby female giraffe who was born at the zoo died after eight days.

A 4,100-kilogram elephant, Tina, developed health problems in August 2003 while being housed at the zoo. She was transferred to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee for better treatment but died in July 2004.

Also in 2004, two hippopotamuses, Gertrude and Harvey, at the Greater Vancouver Zoo died at the age of 20 — half their life expectancy.

http://www.animalconcerns.org/external.html?www=http%3A//www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/04/20/bc-zoo-zebra-deaths.html&itemid=200904210712190.176379

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Apr 24, 2009 04:30 AM
Food safety agency puts meat plant workers in charge of judging



Map: Food-borne disease DineSafe cuts rate of sickness Search City's DineSafe website Toronto Public Health's food safety reports Toronto Star/CBC probe: Listeria agony described Four precautions for handling food Range of foods adds to risk Number of cases of food-borne illnesses Officials balk at criticism over handling of listeriosis

Federal officials at the centre of the nationwide outbreak of listeriosis linked to tainted deli meats last summer want the Ontario government to revise its unflattering report on how they handled the crisis.Food safety agency puts meat plant workers in charge of judging


A senior federal veterinarian says Canada's food safety agency is compromising public health by putting slaughterhouse workers in charge of deciding when poultry is too diseased or contaminated for human consumption.

In an affidavit filed in federal court, Dr. Valerie Coupal alleges her employer, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), has dismantled a crucial element of food safety oversight by shifting responsibilities for poultry inspection from professional veterinarians to unqualified meat plant workers.

"This practice raises substantial concerns for public health," she writes in the document that forms part of a judicial review application by the Professional Institute of the Public Service, a union representing 611 federal veterinarians and other professional federal employees.

The union's notice of application filed in federal court says changes to the country's inspection system – dubbed the "poultry rejection program" – are "contrary to the public interest" because they replace qualified veterinarians with unqualified people who are "not subject to public scrutiny."

It seeks a review by a federal judge to determine whether the new policy is in breach of current meat inspection regulations.

The CFIA has until the end of the month to file its response. Tim O'Connor, a CFIA spokesperson, said the agency does not comment on matters before the court.

Meat plant employees are not properly trained to detect poultry carcasses unfit for human consumption, says Coupal's affidavit.

"Veterinary training includes in-depth knowledge of animal pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, virology and pathogeny. This knowledge makes it possible to ascertain a herd's general health, which may lead to carcass condemnation," the 19-year federal veterinarian writes in her affidavit.

By contrast, meat plant workers assigned to "reject" potentially dangerous poultry are trained for four weeks at the most, she writes.




The new protocols are already in place in several slaughterhouses with plans for a national rollout.

Citing a 2003 incident at the Quebec plant where she is veterinarian in charge, Coupal said she stopped the slaughter of poultry because the birds were smaller than normal and "abnormal in colour," she wrote.

Plant employees had approved the birds for slaughter.

Testing showed the birds were unfit for human consumption and displayed muscle damage, possibly caused by an overdose of drugs used to control parasites.




http://www.thestar.com/article/623695