As a former employee at Hogle Zoo with 19 years' experience, I was appalled at the recent chimpanzee escape and subsequent shooting.
During my years at the zoo, I often worked in the Great Ape Building. During those times I found that some of the mechanical features involved in containment and shifting of animals between enclosures were cumbersome, slow and somewhat complex. There are several blind spots in the building design and many ways to make a serious mistake.To understand the system and operate it correctly takes a great deal of supervised practice. It is also necessary to remember that you are dealing with powerful, intelligent and often aggressive animals. They understand the routine and constantly watch for and exploit even the smallest mistake on the part of their keepers.
It is inconceivable to me that zoo management placed new employees with a bare minimum of training in that situation. Ms. Tropea may have previously worked at another zoo, but that was with different individual apes and in a totally dissimilar structure.
I do not wish to disparage Ms. Tropea or Mr. Bradley, for they responded quickly and bravely. They have only my sympathy for the injury and terror they endured. But leaving them alone in that building without more experienced keepers was a recipe for disaster. When dealing with great apes or any potentially dangerous animal, there is simply no alternative to in-depth training and long-term experience with the individual animals under your care. Zoo management failed to provide these things and so failed both the keepers and the chimpanzees.
The slaughter of the chimpanzees and the horrible wounds suffered by the staff never should have happened. No matter how the director and the general curator try to spin this disaster, the responsibility for it lies directly with them.
Jeff Christensen
Salt Lake City