Young giraffe still struggling to survive in B.C. zoo

2007-12-28

Catherine Rolfsen, Vancouver Sun

As a week-old baby giraffe struggles to stay alive at the the Greater Vancouver Zoo, animal welfare groups question why the animal was bred in the first place.

"He's still struggling at times to be bottle-fed. Sometimes he takes it, sometimes he doesn't," zoo representative Jody Henderson said today.

The giraffe, born at the Aldergrove facility Dec. 20 to 18-year-old Eleah, has maintained a fairly steady weight and is standing on its own, Henderson said.

After failing to feed from its mother, the two were separated. The baby is now being cared for by a veterinarian and zoo staff.

Critics say the calf's plight furthers their argument that there is no good reason to breed giraffes in captivity.

Debra Probert, executive director of the Vancouver Humane Society, said the only reason she can think of is that baby animals are "a money-maker."

There is no conservation justification, as there is no release program in place, said Rob Laidlaw, executive director of Zoocheck Canada, a national wildlife protection organization.

In fact, Laidlaw said that in past years, there have been surpluses of giraffes in North American zoos.

"A lot of people go to zoos . . . and see all these baby animals and they have no idea that these animals may be out of the door at the end of the season," Laidlaw said.

Animals that breed in captivity often don't have the mothering skills necessary to care for a baby, he added.

This calf is the second in two years born to Eleah. Her previous baby died of pneumonia after eight days.

Henderson said the zoo did not intentionally breed this calf, which was fathered by six-year-old Jafari.

"We just let nature take its course," Henderson said.

She added that there is no reason not to breed a healthy adult animal, and that Eleah displayed more interest in her offspring than she did last year.

When asked to respond to questions raised by the Humane Society and Zoocheck, Henderson ended the interview.

"We're not hiding anything. Never have," she said. "We're here because of our love of animals."

The Greater Vancouver Zoo has a history of controversy with regard to animal welfare.

Probert said the zoo does not have appropriate resources to properly breed animals, calling it "one of the worst facilities in Canada for wildlife."

Last year, two counts of cruelty to animals were laid against the zoo when the SPCA alleged it kept Hazina, a baby hippopotamus, alone in a dark shed for 19 months. The charges were later stayed after a new enclosure was built for the animal.

In 2004, the zoo was stripped of its accreditation by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which sets standards for wildlife facilities in the country.

Probert said she doesn't hold out much hope for the latest arrival at the zoo.

"Even if the animal lives, what does it have to look forward to?" she asked. "A lifetime of captivity in facilities that are substandard."

Dr. Bruce Burton, the Aldergrove zoo's veterinarian, estimated the lifespan of a giraffe in captivity at 25 to 27 years and in the wild about 15 to 16 years. The survival rate of giraffes born in captivity is normally estimated to be about 50 per cent.