Friday, January 26, 2007 10:07 AM
Langley Advance

Greater Vancouver Zoo: Hippo cruelty charges dropped

Charges against the Greater Vancouver Zoo have been dropped, eight months after they were laid.

by Matthew Claxton

In her enclosure at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, Hazina the hippo has no idea that a legal battle over her well being has wrapped up.

The B.C. Crown Counsel has stayed an animal cruelty charge against Hazina's owners, the Greater Vancouver Zoo.

The reason for the stay is Hazina's new enclosure, completed just days after the charges were laid last June. Because the hippo is now in a suitable environment, there is no public interest in pursuing the case, according to the Crown.

"It's not a surprise for us," said animal keeper Jamie Dorgan. "We pretty much knew it was coming; there was no case at all."

It will be nice to get the charge out of the way so the public can see that there was no problem, Dorgan said.

Despite the nation-wide publicity after the charge was laid, Dorgan said there has been very little negative feedback from visitors to the Aldergrove institution.

Most of the complaints have come from people Dorgan called "uninformed," especially those who have never visited the zoo, he said.

The decision to let the court case drop did not please SPCA cruelty investigator Marcie Moriarty.

"It does suggest to the zoo that they can repeat this in the future," Moriarty said.

It sends the message that as long as a problem is rectified after charges have been laid, there will be no consequences, she said.

That message is the wrong one to send to the public, said Moriarty.

"Basically you could torture a dog, but as long as you stop when you're given an order to stop, that would not be reprehensible," she said.

She also felt there was a double standard in this case because it was an exotic animal.

The SPCA asked for several changes to Hazina's environment, which the zoo made, but decided not to seize her because moving the animal would have been too traumatic, Moriarty said.

In a normal cruelty case, animals will be seized and put with foster owners when charges are brought.

They are seldom returned to their owners.

The Vancouver Humane Society also condemned the investigation.

"No animal should be treated the way Hazina was," said Peter Fricker, society spokesman. "The government must step in to protect the zoo animals and ensure that this can never happen again."

The charges were brought after an SPCA investigation in the spring of 2006.

Hazina had been brought to the zoo to replace its deceased previous hippos.

The old hippo enclosure had come under the scrutiny of animal rights groups repeatedly, and was one of the reasons the zoo lost its accreditation with the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Plans were made to house Hazina in a new state of the art enclosure, with a heated indoor pool and plenty of room.

However, the date on which the new enclosure would be completed was continually moved back. Hazina spent 19 months living in her temporary residence, a concrete floored barn with a small pool.

The SPCA alleged it was an unfit habitat and brought a charge of failing to provide proper housing.

During the winter of 2005, Hazina became a national celebrity after appearing in a Telus commercial. Backed with the 1950s novelty song "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas," the commercials were a big hit across western Canada.

The new enclosure is big enough for two, and the zoo plans to bring in a companion for Hazina.

"I don't see any reason why we won't have a second hippo here before this summer," Dorgan said.

There will likely be no complaints from the SPCA about a second animal joining Hazina.

"Hippos are social animals," said Moriarty. "At least it gives her some company."

Langley Times
Jan Fri 26,07