OREGON ZOO FACES FEDERAL CHARGES REGARDING ELEPHANT ABUSE

RIVERDALE, Md., Nov. 1, 2000--The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently charged the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Ore., with violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

"We believe that Frederick Marion, an elephant handler for the Oregon Zoo, severely beat an elephant under his care," said W. Ron DeHaven, deputy administrator for animal care with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, a part of USDA's marketing and regulatory programs mission area. "We will not tolerate this sort of behavior and intend to rigorously pursue these charges."

APHIS investigators found that:

-Oregon Zoo, through its agent and employee Frederick Marion, handled a young, female, Asian elephant named "Rose-Tu" in a manner that caused trauma, behavioral stress, physical harm, and unnecessary discomfort to the animal;

-Oregon Zoo, through its agent and employee Frederick Marion, physically abused "Rose-Tu"; and

--Oregon Zoo failed to maintain a program of adequate veterinary care under the supervision and assistance of a veterinarian and failed to provide adequate veterinary care to "Rose-Tu."

APHIS inspectors conduct inspections of licensees to ensure compliance with the Act. Any violations that inspectors find can lead to civil penalties. The AWA requires that regulated individuals and businesses provide animals with care and treatment according to standards established by APHIS. The standards include requirements for recordkeeping, adequate housing, sanitation, food, water, transportation, exercise for dogs, veterinary care, and shelter. The law regulates the care of animals that are sold as pets at the wholesale level, transported in commerce, used for biomedical research, or used for exhibition purposes.

http://www.azaelephantconservation.org/newsroom/50703Oregon.htm

The records also detail what Finnegan found during one of the zoo's darkest chapters, when one keeper reported in April 2000 that a colleague had abused Rose-Tu with an ankus. Finnegan discovered numerous puncture wounds and lacerations, plus evidence that the allegedly abusive keeper had inserted the hook into the animal's rear.

http://www.oregonlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf?/news/oregonian/00/11/lc_41zoo15.frame

According to police reports, on April 17, 5-year-old Rose-Tu suffered 176 gashes and cuts after being repeatedly poked with a metal-tipped device called an ankus wielded by Marion. The police report quoted other keepers as saying Marion also inserted the ankus into Rose-Tu's anus.

The Multnomah County district attorney's office decided against filing charges. Deputy District Attorney Fred Lenzer said Tuesday that Rose-Tu's wounds were not serious enough "to support the legal definition of injury under Oregon law."

Marion was fired by the zoo, but appealed his dismissal through his union, the International Laborers' Union Local 483. On Tuesday, Jim McEchron, union business manager, said an arbitration process has been suspended while a settlement is negotiated with Metro, which runs the zoo. The settlement would not include Marion keeping his job, he said.

In its complaint, the Department of Agriculture faulted the zoo for allowing the abuse to occur, and for failing to provide adequate veterinary care afterward. The zoo veterinarian did not examine Rose-Tu until the next day.