USDA looks at wallaby deaths

Federal investigators want to know whether zoo workers violated the Animal Welfare Act.

By RYAN MEEHAN
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 4, 2002

TAMPA -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Wednesday it is investigating how three wallabies died while being transported from Ocala to the Lowry Park Zoo.

The breeder of the wallabies claims the animals died because they were left in the back of a Ryder truck for more than two hours without sufficient ventilation.

Zoo officials say the animals, which were to be part of the zoo's new Wallaroo Station habitat, died from stress.

A USDA spokeswoman said investigators will try to determine whether the zoo's staff violated the Animal Welfare Act while moving the wallabies, which resemble small kangaroos.

If violations are found, charges could be filed and the zoo could have its license suspended or revoked.

The zoo is being sued by the owner of the wallabies, Melinda Morgan, an Ocala breeder who agreed to loan the animals for the exhibit. The lawsuit claims the animals -- a male named Sidney, a female named Matilda, and Matilda's baby, Joey -- died a "horribly cruel and senseless death."

Morgan claims the animals were confined in covered cages in the back of a hot, unventilated Ryder truck for two hours. Instead of driving straight to Tampa from her farm, she said in the lawsuit, the zoo's staff stopped at a Dairy Queen outside Ocala.

After the wallabies died, she said, the zoo returned her animals' cages. Morgan claims they were in pristine condition when the trip began but now show claw and teeth marks where the wallabies struggled.

Scott Jackman, the attorney representing the zoo, called the allegations "unsubstantiated."

He said he plans to investigate the health of the wallabies before the Feb. 19 trip from Ocala to Tampa. He said he wants to determine whether Morgan adhered to federal codes and procedures guiding the breeding and transport of the animals.

A final necropsy report on the wallabies lists the causes of death as a hemorrhage in the heart.

But why the hemorrhages occurred is unclear.

Morgan claims the animals died of suffocation. Jackman would only say he believes the deaths are "stress-related," which the zoo says is not uncommon for wallabies.

The veterinarian who conducted the necropsies, Dr. Chris A. Schiller, said in a report that he could not rule out the possibility that "acute clinical toxoplasmosis" contributed to the deaths.

Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease transmitted by cats, killed seven kangaroos and three wallabies last August at Columbus Zoo in Ohio. A news release from the Columbus Zoo last year said the disease kills quickly and is hard to treat.

Schiller could not be reached Wednesday for comment.

The USDA will send an inspector and investigator from its Animal and Plant Inspection Service to interview Morgan and zoo officials.

The USDA also wants to learn more about the truck in which the animals were transported, and will seek help from a transportation expert if necessary.

It's possible the two sides will reach a stipulated agreement that would eliminate any charges but require the zoo to pay a fine.

The complaint, however, would remain on its record and could be used against it if future problems arise.

-- Ryan Meehan can be reached at meehan@sptimes.com or 226-3354.

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