Gary Orr: MPI Investigations Director on the assessment of Orana Wildlife Park's conditions

A rapid assessment of Orana Wildlife Park's conditions today will determine the truth of claims of poor welfare standards.

More than 20 current and former staff at the Christchurch zoo have told 1News about animal deaths, with some going unreported.

Ministry of Primary Industries staff have visited today.

Investigations Director, Gary Orr, says it's a requirement to document all animal injuries.

"But we would expect the operators to notify us proactively if there were any serious animal welfare issues - and matters that had been raised had not previously come to our attention."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The name you trust to get the answers you need.
Heather Dup to ce Alan drive with one New Zealand
let's get connected a news talk as they'd be.

Speaker 2 (00:09):
Nineteen nineteer is the text number and obviously standard text
fees apply. Now on another subject, a former volunteer at
Arana Wildlife Park has come forward to add to the
raft of allegations against the zoo. Serena Smith to Or
talked to us at newstalksz BE taught us that some
animal injuries didn't receive proper care because of understaffing while
she was a volunteer at Arana between twenty nine and

(00:30):
twenty fourteen.

Speaker 1 (00:31):
There's a bit of a complex with the rhinos and
there's injuries I think to one of the males that
got shoft aside by management. Yeah, it's terrible.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
Animal welfare staff from the Ministry of Primary Industries have
been at Arana today to do a rapid assessment of
conditions at the zoo. Gary Orr is the MPI Director
of Investigations and Compliance, supporting with us. Now, hey Gary,
wit here, what are you looking at?

Speaker 3 (00:59):
So we're going to be looking at every animal in
the zoom with the assistance of a qualified vent and
we'll be making an assessment of the welfare of the animals.

Speaker 2 (01:12):
Okay, And because obviously you're just going to look at
one single point in time, right So if you look
at them right now and you find there's nothing to
worry about, is that it case closed?

Speaker 3 (01:21):
Oh? No, it's not, because obviously we've had these historic
issues raised with us, and you know, the all animal
deaths or injuries are required to be documented by the operator,
and the records are reviewed during our MPO audits. But
we would expect the operators to notify us proactively if
there are any serious animal welfare issues, and the matters

(01:44):
that had been raised have not previously come to our
attention from the zoo, which ones in relation to the giraffes,
the gorilla and the auto that were raised in the
television story.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
But what is it about the gorilla. The story about
the gorilla is the gorilla dies and at this point
has only been given some really basic medicines like pamel
and stuff, right, and is diagnosed as having a viral
infection and then eventually dies. What's the allegation there.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
Well, what's the problem. It would appear that the allegation
is that treatment wasn't appropriate and timely. But we have
spoken with the vet that provided care and advice throughout
the illness and we're satisfied. You know, we're not the
experts and the health of animals, and we rely on

(02:39):
technical advice from vets where the experts and investigating matters.
But not having that technical medical advice.

Speaker 2 (02:47):
Okay, sorry, okay, So part from the gorilla, what else
didn't you.

Speaker 3 (02:49):
Know about the otta drowning in the pond and the
giraffe getting its neck court in the cage and suffering
a serious injury to the need.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Would you have expected to have been told about these things?

Speaker 3 (03:05):
Yes, we would, and you know we would expect to
see those matters documented in their records and raised with us.
It's for us our priorities the welfare of the animals,
and we want to make sure they're well and healthy,
and we investigate all the animal welfare issues that are
raised with us. We've had five since twenty and sixteen

(03:26):
that are being resolved. The important thing, though, is that
all these allegations coming to light. Now, nobody's ever approached
us with these apart from a couple of anonymous letters
over the years, and anonymous letters are very very difficult
because we need to go back to complainants or performance
and ask for more detail and that sort of thing.

(03:49):
So we'd sort of encourage people to contact us to
do if they want to be confidential their details to
keep confidential. We can do that. We're very good at
doing that and we do it all the time. But
we can operate it without information.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
Now, Gary, when I watched the one New story last night,
I thought, all of this stuff is explainable, right, none
of it was. It didn't feel to me like there
was a smoking gun that absolutely showed that a runa
had necessarily done anything wrong at this stage, sort of
you finding this information. But what the thing that concerned
me was the lack of transparency. And you say that

(04:25):
you would have expected to be told about this stuff?
Is that Are they legally obligated to tell you?

Speaker 3 (04:30):
Well, as I say, they're required to record all of
these incidents, and I recorded the part which verifies when
going alongside to do an order. Are then able to
examine that record and then they can ask appropriate.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Have you seen the record? Is the stuff in the record?

Speaker 3 (04:49):
Hi? I haven't. And there'll be one of the things
that we'll be looking.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
At okay and when are we going to hear from
you guys again.

Speaker 3 (04:55):
Well, we expect our assessment to take a couple of days.
That underga, we're looking every animal in the park and
there are a lot of them, so there's a few
bit of work involved.

Speaker 2 (05:06):
All right, Gary, beast of luck and thank you for
your time. Mate, appreciated this, Gary or who is the
MPI Director of Investigations and Compliance Support. For more from
Hither Duplessy Alan Drive, listen live to news talks.

Speaker 3 (05:17):
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