WINNIPEG — Safety at all zoos including Winnipeg’s Assiniboine Park Zoo are always changing and updating according to new safety measures.
Staff at the zoo said double fencing is necessary to keep not only animals safe from humans, but humans safe from animals as well.
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Staff said they have an emergency response team and regular drills to be prepared for any type of incident, including a human finding their way in to a tigers enclosure for example.
“We have an emergency response team in case of an incident. Our emergency response team is made up of animal care and vet staff,” said Head of Zoological Operations at Assiniboine Park Zoo, Gary Lunsford.
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When asked why one would possibly choose to shoot an animal instead of tranquilize it if a human is at risk, staff said a human life is too important to jeopardize, especially when a tranquilizer can sometimes take 10 minutes to kick in for some animals.
“Tranquilizers take time. It could take an animal 10 minutes to go down and you can’t predict what that animal is going to do once it has been hit with a tranquilizer dart, ” said Lunsford.
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