Two critically endangered monkeys die at LA zoo after being left out in th cold; Caretaker resigns

3rd monkey survives

Two critically endangered monkeys died at a Louisiana zoo last week after a caretaker forgot them outside in the cold. A third monkey survived the frigid experience.

Cotton-top tamarin monkeys weighing less than one pound each were left outside at the Alexandria Zoological Park on Jan. 7 when temperatures were as low as 30 degrees in Alexandria, La. that night. The monkeys’ native habitat is northern Colombia’s tropical forests and they require temperatures between 76 to 85 degrees, according to the Associated Press.

“The incident is under investigation,” Public Works Director David Gill said, according to Alexandria newspaper, the Town Talk. “The employee, who was initially on administrative leave and had been removed from any animal care, has resigned. This appears to have happened as a result of human error and not a system problem.”

[People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which opposes zoos in general, has called for a federal investigation into the deaths./exnews]


I wonder why the employee was on administrative leave? Was this a common issue with the employee? It's a shame such a beautiful animal had to die over possible "forgetfulness" or neglect. I hope there is an investigation and they do find the cause so that it doesn't happen again.

Humans ftw again . . .




a reply to: Anyafaj

Well yes, it should not have happened.

On the other hand, we are human and we make mistakes. This could have been the guys first mistake in his career.

The way I read it, is that he was put on admin leave as soon as the deaths were discovered and subsequently resigned.

Sad but it was just a mistake.

P

a reply to: Anyafaj

"I wonder why the employee was on administrative leave?"

I think they were put on leave and then resigned, as happens whenever there's hullabaloo.

Sounds like this was just a tragic mistake to me.

originally posted by: FireflyStars
a reply to: Anyafaj

"I wonder why the employee was on administrative leave?"

I think they were put on leave and then resigned, as happens whenever there's hullabaloo.

Sounds like this was just a tragic mistake to me.

Maybe I read it incorrectly. The way the article was written, it sounded as if he was on admin leave, got back, and had the snafu with the monkeys, then resigned.

As a caretaker of animals at a zoo, it's not just a mistake, it's gross negligence. I'm sure the person is in a bad way over it, but I don't really feel bad for them.

Do your job, especially when the well being of any living creature is involved.

.a reply to: pheonix358

a reply to: Anyafaj

Horrible things happen at zoos. This isn't a surprise.

While this is incredibly sad, PETA has no right whatsoever to be indignant over dead animals. If you don't know why... Do a little bit of research.

Pot meet kettle? Only one of these entities made a mistake and the other does it on purpose many, many times over. Yearly.

Zoos are a double edged sword for me. On one hand I find them despicable and this occurrence is just one of many reasons. On the other hand, some zoos have done some good at keeping some species from going completely extinct.

I suppose in reality, we must take the good with the bad but this story certainly does tug at your heart strings.

originally posted by: Kangaruex4Ewe
While this is incredibly sad, PETA has no right whatsoever to be indignant over dead animals. If you don't know why... Do a little bit of research.

Pot meet kettle? Only one of these entities made a mistake and the other does it on purpose many, many times over. Yearly.

Zoos are a double edged sword for me. On one hand I find them despicable and this occurrence is just one of many reasons. On the other hand, some zoos have done some good at keeping some species from going completely extinct.

I suppose in reality, we must take the good with the bad but this story certainly does tug at your heart strings.

Yes, some zoos keep species from going extinct. Eventually offspring are released into the wild. When their numbers increase, they're hunted to near extinction and the cycle begins over again--all for human convenience and entertainment.

originally posted by: Kangaruex4Ewe
While this is incredibly sad, PETA has no right whatsoever to be indignant over dead animals. If you don't know why... Do a little bit of research.

Pot meet kettle? Only one of these entities made a mistake and the other does it on purpose many, many times over. Yearly.

Zoos are a double edged sword for me. On one hand I find them despicable and this occurrence is just one of many reasons. On the other hand, some zoos have done some good at keeping some species from going completely extinct.

I suppose in reality, we must take the good with the bad but this story certainly does tug at your heart strings.

I agree about PETA. I actually thought that was the height of irony there.

I also agree on the zoos. I have seen and been to some very shoddy zoos in the past. and I have heard of and would like to visit some very good ones that are trying to preserve the wild life they come across. Which I find commendable! Those are zoos I would support. My daughter wants to visit the Pittsburgh zoo next year over the summer so this year I'm going to do some research to see how good they are in terms of taking care of their animals.

originally posted by: denybedoomed
As a caretaker of animals at a zoo, it's not just a mistake, it's gross negligence. I'm sure the person is in a bad way over it, but I don't really feel bad for them.

Do your job, especially when the well being of any living creature is involved.

.a reply to: pheonix358

Yes I agree. On the odd occasion I have left my dog outside and he scratches on the door if he is too cold or too hot. It happens to all of us. This was one time and it is sad.

Well, what should we do, hang the guy for making a tragic mistake. He probably called them by name and was likely very attached to them.

But yeah, try and see both sides.

P

originally posted by: pheonix358

originally posted by: denybedoomed
As a caretaker of animals at a zoo, it's not just a mistake, it's gross negligence. I'm sure the person is in a bad way over it, but I don't really feel bad for them.

Do your job, especially when the well being of any living creature is involved.

.a reply to: pheonix358

Yes I agree. On the odd occasion I have left my dog outside and he scratches on the door if he is too cold or too hot. It happens to all of us. This was one time and it is sad.

Well, what should we do, hang the guy for making a tragic mistake. He probably called them by name and was likely very attached to them.

But yeah, try and see both sides.

P

Yes, but you won't forget your dog is outside ALL night.
Hell, sometimes I don't feed my fish all day because I forgot to in the morning, but I remember at least once a day that I still need to feed them.
This person did their daily duties before going home, most likely reflected a little on work, got home, did the usual, had dinner, etc, went to bed and didn't remember to put the endangered monkey's back inside?
A mistake like this doesn't just get overlooked, or 'forgotten'.

a reply to: denybedoomed

I agree, when dealing with irreplaceable things there can be no room for mistakes or negligence.In this case it would probably have been better to just leave the monkeys in their natural habitate instead of caging them up in a zoo in los angeles.

It`s like I tell my wife when she breaks old things that I`ve acquired through auctions, " you can`t buy that at Wal-Mart, you know"

in todays throw away society some people think everything can just be replaced by taking a trip to Wal-Mart.

And I though I was an irresponsible moron for letting my plumeria's stay out in the cold one too many nights this winter. resigning was the right thing to do in this case. The zoo keeper should have known better.

a reply to: Anyafaj

Poor little fellas, but as others said I think this was a simple mistake. I'm sorry to see the keeper go, I'm sure he feels more bad about it than any of us do.

originally posted by: ThomasMore
a reply to: Anyafaj

Poor little fellas, but as others said I think this was a simple mistake. I'm sorry to see the keeper go, I'm sure he feels more bad about it than any of us do.

I'm always surprised when people learn that someone has neglected an animal to death and are convinced that the person who did it feels "more bad about it than any of us do." Not buying it.

a reply to: Tangerine

I don't think this is a simple case of neglect. It's obvious the man had some personal issues (hence his leave). I'm thinking that he wasn't quite ready to be back at work, and this incident proved it.

I love animals, and those who harm animals for their own personal gain, amusement, or what have you is the one thing that will anger me more than I typically allow myself to be angered. However, in this case it seems like it was just a mistake.

Not many zoo workers would take a death of the animals in their care lightly. Hence why I believe this is probably hurting him more than we realize.

originally posted by: ThomasMore
a reply to: Tangerine

I don't think this is a simple case of neglect. It's obvious the man had some personal issues (hence his leave). I'm thinking that he wasn't quite ready to be back at work, and this incident proved it.

I love animals, and those who harm animals for their own personal gain, amusement, or what have you is the one thing that will anger me more than I typically allow myself to be angered. However, in this case it seems like it was just a mistake.

Not many zoo workers would take a death of the animals in their care lightly. Hence why I believe this is probably hurting him more than we realize.

Not all zoo keepers are concerned about the welfare of the animals. For some it's just a job. Years ago, a keeper who did care about the welfare of the animals went to the media about keepers chaining an elephant named Dunda and beating her with axe handles. This happened at the San Diego Zoo/Wild Animal Park, one of the top zoos in the world.

If this person had some personal issues, then the zoo is at fault for reinstating him in addition to the person being at fault.

Having worked in a zoo, and seen the endangered animals that were cared for, one has to understand the nature of the job. The caretaker of these animals, is a specialist, dealing with primates, that in itself requires special skills and movements. They can not simply go in and pick the animals up, and sometimes said animals are stubborn and do not want to come in, or move to another pen.

But when ever there is a death of one of these animals, an investigation is done immediately, they have to do a necrospy and figure out what killed the animals. What if the animals were sick and hiding at the time, then was the caretakers fault for such? Probably not. Small animals are the hardest to find and locate, as they will find all sorts of places to hide. But in this case, if I read the article in question, it is that the caretaker, did not consider the temp, and if it dropped lower than predicted, or faster, then the question would be what are the zoo's policies on such?

There are too many questions that are not answered here. But standard proceedur would be first to put the person on leave, remove them from caring from the animals until the investigation is done. In this case the person probably was given the opportunity to resign from his position or he would have been terminated. Sounds like this was just one mistake and if the caretaker is worth his weight and skill, would have resigned and felt badly for the loss.

The only thing I do not like is Peta getting involved, those people are nuts and should not be involved in anything dealing with animals what so ever.

a reply to: sdcigarpig

It's easy for monkeys to hide. OK. Then you take a count of the number of monkeys in the inside enclosure before you leave for the night. If the count is wrong, you go outside and find the hiding monkeys. You do not leave until all monkeys are accounted for. Seems like a no-brainer.