 |
| White Tigers: Not an Endangered Species |
|
|
Chimpanzee on the Kitchen Counter: Lowry Park Zoo Utilizes Eli the Chimpanzee and Other
Animals for Offsite Fundraiser.
The event hosted an array of zoo animals who made themselves available for photos with guests.
Lowry Park Zoo Chimpanzee Eli poses with Curt and Joann Harbsmeier in their Kitchen during offsite fundraiser.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Policy for Animal Contact With the General Public states:
"Mammals: Primates":
Unless extensive testing has
been performed for a variety of viral, parasitic, and bacterial
diseases, all direct public contact with primates should be avoided.
Public contact also places the primates at considerable risk of
contracting diseases from humans.
Reference: AZA
Conservation or Exploitation? You
Decide: Published in the Ledger.com
*Donate $10,000 and Cuddle With Penguin in Your Lap: Ierna's Heating & Cooling and their Bryant distributor donate $10,000 to Lowry Park Zoo. Owners get to cuddle with African Black-Footed Penguin in their laps.
Conservation or Exploitation? You Decide.
Keeping Track of Lowry Park Zoo Animals: Lowry Park Zoo Transfers Four Ring-Tailed Lemurs to North Carolina Zoo: Read
Animals On The Move Again: Lowry Park Zoo Sells One of Their Albino Alligators to the South Carolina Aquarium for $10,000:
When Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo announced the opening of a new water flume ride called "Gator Falls" the zoo unveiled a small
animal habitat containing two white alligators.
Upon their arrival to the zoo the alligators were a
5 to 6 year old male weighing 70 to 80 pounds and a 3 to 4 year old
female weighing 50 to 60 pounds. These alligators lack melanin, or
pigment, making them white with cloudy eyes that appear pink. They
cannot tolerate sun, so the zoo has installed canopies in their exhibit
area.
John Than, assistant curator for herpetology and aquatics, said the
tricky part will be keeping them warm but out of the sun. Than said
the alligators came from an alligator farm and are two of fewer than 45
in zoos.
Animal Welfare Notes:
Previous
news reports indicated that these white alligators were originally
taken from the wild in Louisiana and sold to a gator farm in Florida.
Lowry Park Zoo officials claim that these animals wouldn't survive in
the wild because when small they would have become prey for other
gators or large birds such as herons.
Scientists call this process "Natural Selection".
The better choice, "Exploitation in an Amusement Park" or "Natural Selection:? You Decide
Lowry Park Zoo Sells One of Their Albino Alligators to the South Carolina Aquarium for $10,000: Full Story.
Tampa's
Zoo Advocates is continuing to attempt to determine the location of the
bison that were displaced by the zoo's amusement park ride. These
bison had originally been relocated to former Lowry Park Zoo CEO Lex
Salisbury's exotic animal park "Safari Wild. Upon Lex Salisbury's
resignation Lowry Park Zoo official's did not publicly disclose the animals ultimate fate.
Zoo Animals on The Move: Lowry Park Zoo Angolan Colobus Monkey Transferred to Zoo Atlanta: Details.
Tracking Lowry Park Zoo's Animals: Lowry Park Zoo Transfers 5 Meerkats to the Assinboiine Park Zoo in Canada: Read
Lowry Park Zoo Animal Loan/Sales: December 2008: Second Sumatran Tiger Dies at Akron Ohio Zoo Due to Illness. Details.
The
Pattern of Animal Welfare Concern at Lowry Park Zoo Traces Back to
1958: "Snow Show a Fiasco", Animals Shot to Death: Originally
Published in the St.Petersburg Times Newspaper in 2003: Read.
Koala Dies While On Loan To Lowry Park Zoo: Animal Deaths While On Loan, a Continuing Pattern of Concern: Published by ABC Action News.
The
Humane Society of the United States Position Regarding Zoo's Includes:
"External Pressures Routinely Take Precedence Over Humaneness" &
"Some of the Most Reputable Ones in the United States, Contain
Forgotten and Outdated Exhibits. These Sad and Inadequate Displays Are
Often Obscured by the Multimillion-Dollar Exhibits That Tend to Focus
Only on the More Glamorous Species and Habitats": Read
Examples of Lowry Park Zoo Animal Night Houses Constructed in the 1960's: View
Lowry Park Zoo Debuts Baby Rhino and Already Plans to Transfer for Breeding Purposes: Published in the Tampa Tribune Newspaper.
Related Stories:
*Where
Are Lowry Park Zoo's White Tiger Cubs?: Lowry Park Zoo Continues to
Breed White Tigers In Conflict With the Association of Zoo's and Aquariums (AZA)
Guidelines: First of Two Sets of Offspring Sent to Non AZA Accredited
Facility: Lowry Park Zoo Transfers Two White Tiger Cubs to Tanganyika Wildlife Park Which is Accredited by the Zoological Association of America. Lowry Park Zoo Director of Animal Collections Larry Killmar and Former Lowry Park Zoo President Lex Salisbury Are Professional Members of the ZAA.
Published in the St.Petersburg Times Newspaper.
*Continued
Pattern of Concern: San Diego Wild Animal Park Transfer of 3 Elephants
to Make Room For Joint Venture With Lowry Park Zoo to Import of Eleven
Elephants from Swaziland Results in Two Deaths: Details.
"Zoos Wrestle With Fate of Surplus Animals": Published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association".
The Myth of AZA Accreditation
Vivid examples of the animal's poor quality of life can be seen in the "animal night houses".
"Zoos are becoming facsimiles - or perhaps caricatures - of how animals once were in their natural habitat. If the right policies toward nature were pursued, we would need no zoos at all". ~Michael Fox, Sierra, November-December 1990
In 1994 Michael Winikoff published and investigative article titled "Blowing the Lid off Canned Hunts".
Based on an investigation by The Humane Society of the United States, Lowry Park Zoo was included in a list of 15 zoos that had sold animals either directly to canned hunts or to dealers who have done business with auctions or hunts.
What is a "Canned Hunt?
Two Decades of Animal Welfare Violations and Mismanagement Resolved in Two Months? You Decide:
The City of Tampa's Final Audit, March 29th, 2009 of Lowry Park Zoo: Read
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo Earns Back its Accreditation: Published in the St.Petersburg Times Newspaper
Zoo Regains Blessing of Accrediting Agency: Published in the Tampa Tribune Newspaper
The Myth of AZA (Association of Zoo's and Aquariums) Accreditation: Read
Lowry Park Zoo Giraffe Dies On Loan To Panhandle Exhibit: Buy, Sell, Trade, Breed: The unfortunate and sometimes deadly fate of those animals enslaved to a lifetime of captivity. Published in the Tampa Tribune Newspaper.
Pattern of Concern, 2002: Lowry Park Zoo Must Explain Wallabie Deaths: Published in the St.Petersburg Times Newspaper.
Forever Remembered 2006: Chimpanzee Dies in Violent Fight: Staffers Mourn the Loss of Herman, Who Had Lived There Since 1965: Published in the St. Petersburg Times Newspaper.
Forever Remembered 2006: Sumatran Tigress Enshalla Shot and Killed By Then Zoo President Lex Salisbury: Published in the St.Petersburg Times Newspape
"Zoos Wrestle With Fate of Surplus Animals": Published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association".
The Myth of AZA Accreditation
Former CEO Lex Salisbury of Lowry Park Zoo "claims" to have rescued 11 elephants from certain death in the Swaziland. In 2008 Lowry Park Zoo's former leader "claims" to have rescued two albino alligators from certain death in Louisiana (via an alligator farm). In 2008 Lex Salisbury "claims" to have rescued a group of patas monkeys from certain death in Puerto Rico. In 2006 Lex Salisbury also "claimed" to have rescued two Wolf's guenons and four Schmidt's spot-nosed guenons from the bushmeat trade in central Africa.
Most recently Lex Salisbury "claimed" to have done nothing wrong with regard to the animal dealings that he and zoo executives conducted between Lowry Park Zoo, Safari Wild and the former CEO's private ranch.
Lex Salisbury's "claims" were proven to be false by auditors from the City of Tampa and the Association of Zoo's and Aquariums (AZA).
Lowry Park Zoo Criticized for buying Elephants: Published in the Tampa Tribune Newspaper.
Read the full press release issued by "In Defense of Animals": 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants list.
When visiting Lowry Park Zoo be sure to request a "behind the scenes" tour to view how the animal's are often confined to antiquated "night houses" when not on public display.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Formerly Requests the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to Open an Investigation Regarding Lex Salisbury, Lowry Park Zoo and Safari Wild Animal Dealings:
"If violations of the Endangered Species Act are found," writes PETA captive exotic animal specialist Lisa Wathne, "we ask that all parties involved be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Read PETA's Press Release and Letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Here
Lowry Park Zoo CEO Lex Salisbury's Wife Charged With Animal Cruelty by Hillsborough County Animal Control Officials: St.Petersburg Times Newspaper.
Lex Salisbury's concern for animal welfare remains steadfast. Mr. Salisbury and his wife arrived for the Lowry Park Zoo Board of Directors meeting accompanied by their 2 small dogs. Lex and his wife proceeded into the hotel for the meeting, leaving their dog's in their sport utility vehicle. While the vehicle window's were left cracked open approximately 2 inches, temperatures in the area were expected to exceed 80 degrees today.
Where are Lowry Park Zoo's White Tiger Cubs? Another Example of the Compromise of Animal Welfare by Lex Salisbury and Zoo Executives: Published in the St.Petersburg Times Newspaper.
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo recently announced the birth of 2 new white tiger cubs. These tigers cubs are in addition to the 2 white tiger cubs born in April 2007 to the same adult white tigers introduced to the zoo in January of 2007.
Unfortunately the zoo's tigers must "rotate" time spent within their public exhibit due to space and compatibility concerns. In August of 2006 CEO Lex Salisbury shot and killed Enshalla, a female Bengal tiger that had escaped her night house enclosure due to human error. Following the killing of Enshalla, Mr. Salisbury publicly announced that he would seek another Bengal tiger to serve as companion to Eric, the zoo's lone male Bengal tiger. Both Enshalla and Eric were part of the zoo's Species Survival Plan (SSP).
Instead of honoring this commitment, in January of 2007 Lowry Park Zoo introduced 2 adult white tigers While the zoo never commented on the status of Eric it chose to celebrate the birth of 2 white tiger cubs in April of 2007. White tigers are not included as part of the Association of Zoo's and Aquariums (AZA) SSP plan.
While not "rotated" on public exhibit, Lowry Park Zoo's surplus tigers are relegated to spending their day's and nights in 1960 style concrete night houses: View
"The white tiger controversy among zoos is a small part ethics and a large part economics. Owners of white tigers say they are popular exhibit animals and increase zoo attendance and revenues as well."
Dr. Ron Tilson, Conservation, Director of the Minnesota Zoo and Manager of the Tiger Species Survival Plan
Widely regarded as one of the world's foremost Tiger experts, Dr. Ron Tilson is without a doubt the leading expert with regard to exposing the plight and myth of the white tiger.
Below, we've included Dr. Tilson's biography as well as numerous articles detailing the exploitation of white tigers for monetary reasons instead of species survival.
Articles of Interest:
Tampa City Audit Reports Lowry Park CEO Lex Salisbury Took Animals and Equipment for Personal Business Ventures.
City of Tampa auditors today issued a scathing criticism of Lowry Park Zoo President Lex Salisbury, saying he took animals and equipment for personal use and threatened employees with firing unless they helped in his outside ventures.
Read the Complete 61 Page City Audit of Lowry Park Zoo: Published by the Tampa Tribune Newspaper.
Read the full story published in the Tampa Tribune Newspaper.
The Association of Zoo's and Aquariums advocates for the welfare of our community's animal's by suspending the accreditation of Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo. Read the full stories:
Animal Trades Gets Lowry Park Zoo, it's Leaders Booted from Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA): Published in the St.Petersburg Times Newspaper.
AZA Suspension includes CEO Lex Salisbury and Director of Animal Collections Larry Killmar: Published in the Tampa Tribune Newspaper.
Lowry Park's Accreditation in Danger: Published in the St.Petersburg Times Newspaper
Zoo Loses Agency's Approval: Published in the Tampa Tribune Newspaper
-
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo recently announced the birth of 3 new animals, a titi monkey,red-tailed guenon and warthog. While Tampa's Zoo Advocates share in the celebration of life so too do we recognize and reflect upon the loss of those animals who end their life journey within the captivity of our community's zoo. Sources which request to remain anonymous have reported that Lowry Park Zoo's baby chimp as well as mother and child tapir have recently passed away.
-
Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo recently announced the opening of a new water flume ride called "Gator Falls". As part of this amusement park ride area the zoo had unveiled a small animal habitat containing two white alligators.
The alligators are a 5 to 6 year old male weighing 70 to 80 pounds and a 3 to 4 year old female weighing 50 to 60 pounds. These alligators lack melanin, or pigment, making them white with cloudy eyes that appear pink. They cannot tolerate sun, so the zoo has installed canopies in their exhibit area.
John Than, assistant curator for herpetology and aquatics, said the tricky part will be keeping them warm but out of the sun. Than said the alligators came from an alligator farm and are two of fewer than 45 in zoos.
Animal Welfare Notes:
Previous news reports indicated that these white alligators were originally taken from the wild in Louisiana and sold to a gator farm in Florida. Lowry Park Zoo officials claim that these animals wouldn't survive in the wild because when small they would have become prey for other gators or large birds such as herons.
Scientists call this process "Natural Selection".
The better choice, "Exploitation in an Amusement Park" or "Natural Selection:? You Decide
Lowry Park Zoo officials also reported that the "Gator Falls" ride and white alligators habitat replace what was formerly the bison animal exhibit. It is to be noted that these majestic bison that had spent the majority of their lives at Lowry Park zoo and have now fallen victim to the world of "surplus zoo animals".
Recent news reports have documented the fact that bison have been seen on Lex Salisbury's "Safari Wild" exotic animal park.
"Zoos Wrestle With Fate of Surplus Animals": Published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association".
The Myth of AZA Accreditation
Vivid examples of the animal's poor quality of life can be seen in the "animal night houses".
"Zoos are becoming facsimiles - or perhaps caricatures - of how animals once were in their natural habitat. If the right policies toward nature were pursued, we would need no zoos at all". ~Michael Fox, Sierra, November-December 1990
In 1994 Michael Winikoff published and investigative article titled "Blowing the Lid off Canned Hunts".
Based on an investigation by The Humane Society of the United States, Lowry Park Zoo was included in a list of 15 zoos that had sold animals either directly to canned hunts or to dealers who have done business with auctions or hunts.
What is a "Canned Hunt?
Tax Dollars and Sense:
Lowry Park Zoo's "Gator Falls", White Alligator Exhibit and Safari Africa Lodge Cost Hillsborough Taxpayers $1,823,000: Details
Other Animal Welfare Issues of Concern:
USDA Inspection Violations:
The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) is the governing body most directly responsible for the standards to which Zoo's are held accountable.
Tampa's Zoo Advocates has obtained several official USDA Inspection Reports that found serious infractions at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo in 2005 and 2006.
These reported infractions involve such serious issues as "Handling of Animals", "Employee Training", "Primary Animal Enclosures" and "Facilities, General".
Infractions such as the ones detailed in the following USDA Inspection Reports directly affect the welfare of the animals, staff and visitors of Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo.
Tampa's Zoo Advocates will be presenting additional USDA Inspection Reports as they become available.
|
 |
| Simply Click Above! |
|
|
|
We encourage you to become an advocate for positive change within Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo by sharing these important issues with the media in your community.
|
|
