December 17, 2024 • 4 mins
Christchurch's Orana Wildlife Park is moving forward, after two reviews into allegations of unreported animal deaths and an unsafe workplace.
Both found Orana lacked a clear core purpose and vision.
It's halting incoming animal transfers for six months, while it adopts all recommendations.
Board co-chair Ken Hughey says these reviews reveal what the zoo needs to do to improve conditions.
"We're really clear on what we have to do in the culture space - and now we're also clear in the other spaces."
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The review Until OR on a Wildlife Park and Christ
that has come out today and the zoo is having
to make a couple of changes. It was commissioned after
a string of complaints you remember this former staff had
regarding animal death and animal welfare. The report doesn't raise
any immediate concerns over the animals, but the zoo's been
told to strengthen its processes and not to take on
any new animals for at least the next six months.
(00:23):
Professor Ken Huey as co chair of the OR on
a Wildlife Trust Board, and he's with me this evening,
good evening, good evening. Why don't you release the full
reports here?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
So we've released the recommendations, the full set of recommendations
in the animal welfare and asset management space. We haven't
in terms of the culture space because all of the
analysis was undertaken after a full set of interviews and
surveys with all of our staff, and we had guaranteed
them anonymity, and that's really important for us. However, we're
(00:57):
really clear on what we have to do in the
culture space, and now we're all so clear in the
other spaces.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
What happened with the deaths the gorilla infection. What happened
with that?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
So in terms of all of those animals, we've had
a report from MPI, and that report shows there is
nothing that the park could have done to prevent those deaths. Naturally,
animals do die, and in terms of some of those animals,
or at least one of them, the disease that it
contracted was so rare it had never been before reported.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
So these sort of things do happen to animals.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
We do have veterinary services on tap, and we're seeking
to strengthen those services going forward.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And the giraffe disticated its neck.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yeah, So accidents also happen irrespective of the best laid
plans of mice and men, and where there is a
need for corrective actions and those actions are taken. But
again that was no fault of our own. Incidents like
this do a care.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
And what about the otter that was trapped in the
pul suction pipe.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah, so again, accidents happen.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
What we have done is we've learned from all of
these incidents and so of others, and we've put in
place corrective actions. So the ottter is a really good example.
We're put in place of structure, and that structure hopefully
will prevent a similar incident from occurring. But fair enough,
you can never guarantee absolute certainly, I.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Don't think anyone would expect that. But one of the
issues the staff had is that you were covering these up.
When how long between deaths and public being informed about
what really happened?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Okay, so we inform ourn MPI anytime there is an incident.
We do that on a regular basis, much more often
than annually, so the Ministry for Primary Industries is well
aware of this. We inform the public as necessary. So
just recently we fully informed the public around six deaths
of animals that have occurred at the park. They were
(02:51):
all deaths that were natural, so we're being really transparent
about this and Australia. So they occurred over a ten
year period, not over a one year.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Period, right, But how long between when the deaths occurred
and when you actually told the public that.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Well, it depends on what the deaths are.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
We're not going to tell the public, for example, the
death of every single We've got over a thousand animals
at the park, so naturally a substantial number do die
each year, so we're not going to tell the public
about every single death. What we will do, though, is
tell the public when there is a significant death, and
we do that.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Okay, do you think some of your staff will perhaps
being a bit sensitive.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
No, I don't. I'm really empathetic with the staff in
this case. I love these animals, i love nature conservation,
and I'm really concerned when an animal dies if there
is a preventative action that we could have taken. So
it's really important to have staff and we do have
them that are absolutely committed to the park. Every single
staff member is. So if they've got concerns, naturally we
(03:56):
want those concerns raised. What we really want to do
as we move into our future focus is seven place
systems that the staff are really confident in, that they
trust that they can upwardly report those and they know
they're going to see appropriate action.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
All Right, we'll leave it. There are no more animals
at least for the next six months anyway, or on
a wildlife part that's Professor Ken Huey or on a
Wildlife Trust board coach. Here with me for more from
Heather Duplessy Allen Drive listen live to news talks. It'd
be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on
iHeartRadio
The review Until OR on a Wildlife Park and Christ
that has come out today and the zoo is having
to make a couple of changes. It was commissioned after
a string of complaints you remember this former staff had
regarding animal death and animal welfare. The report doesn't raise
any immediate concerns over the animals, but the zoo's been
told to strengthen its processes and not to take on
any new animals for at least the next six months.
(00:23):
Professor Ken Huey as co chair of the OR on
a Wildlife Trust Board, and he's with me this evening,
good evening, good evening. Why don't you release the full
reports here?
Speaker 2 (00:34):
So we've released the recommendations, the full set of recommendations
in the animal welfare and asset management space. We haven't
in terms of the culture space because all of the
analysis was undertaken after a full set of interviews and
surveys with all of our staff, and we had guaranteed
them anonymity, and that's really important for us. However, we're
(00:57):
really clear on what we have to do in the
culture space, and now we're all so clear in the
other spaces.
Speaker 1 (01:02):
What happened with the deaths the gorilla infection. What happened
with that?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
So in terms of all of those animals, we've had
a report from MPI, and that report shows there is
nothing that the park could have done to prevent those deaths. Naturally,
animals do die, and in terms of some of those animals,
or at least one of them, the disease that it
contracted was so rare it had never been before reported.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
So these sort of things do happen to animals.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
We do have veterinary services on tap, and we're seeking
to strengthen those services going forward.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
And the giraffe disticated its neck.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Yeah, So accidents also happen irrespective of the best laid
plans of mice and men, and where there is a
need for corrective actions and those actions are taken. But
again that was no fault of our own. Incidents like
this do a care.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
And what about the otter that was trapped in the
pul suction pipe.
Speaker 3 (01:59):
Yeah, so again, accidents happen.
Speaker 2 (02:01):
What we have done is we've learned from all of
these incidents and so of others, and we've put in
place corrective actions. So the ottter is a really good example.
We're put in place of structure, and that structure hopefully
will prevent a similar incident from occurring. But fair enough,
you can never guarantee absolute certainly, I.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Don't think anyone would expect that. But one of the
issues the staff had is that you were covering these up.
When how long between deaths and public being informed about
what really happened?
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Okay, so we inform ourn MPI anytime there is an incident.
We do that on a regular basis, much more often
than annually, so the Ministry for Primary Industries is well
aware of this. We inform the public as necessary. So
just recently we fully informed the public around six deaths
of animals that have occurred at the park. They were
(02:51):
all deaths that were natural, so we're being really transparent
about this and Australia. So they occurred over a ten
year period, not over a one year.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Period, right, But how long between when the deaths occurred
and when you actually told the public that.
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Well, it depends on what the deaths are.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
We're not going to tell the public, for example, the
death of every single We've got over a thousand animals
at the park, so naturally a substantial number do die
each year, so we're not going to tell the public
about every single death. What we will do, though, is
tell the public when there is a significant death, and
we do that.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
Okay, do you think some of your staff will perhaps
being a bit sensitive.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
No, I don't. I'm really empathetic with the staff in
this case. I love these animals, i love nature conservation,
and I'm really concerned when an animal dies if there
is a preventative action that we could have taken. So
it's really important to have staff and we do have
them that are absolutely committed to the park. Every single
staff member is. So if they've got concerns, naturally we
(03:56):
want those concerns raised. What we really want to do
as we move into our future focus is seven place
systems that the staff are really confident in, that they
trust that they can upwardly report those and they know
they're going to see appropriate action.
Speaker 1 (04:13):
All Right, we'll leave it. There are no more animals
at least for the next six months anyway, or on
a wildlife part that's Professor Ken Huey or on a
Wildlife Trust board coach. Here with me for more from
Heather Duplessy Allen Drive listen live to news talks. It'd
be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on
iHeartRadio
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