“That’s what zoos do. They breed and sell animals to cover their costs”
January 16th, 2009 by admin
Those were the surprisingly honest words of Chuck Emling, president of the Board of Directors of The Zoo Northwest Florida, in Gulf Breeze.
Mr. Emling was referring to the controversy over the possible separation of a 3-year-old orangutan at The Zoo from her mother (see photo). Last month, the financially struggling zoo accepted a $100,000 loan from Lionshare Farm, a private animal park in Connecticut. The baby orangutan was offered as collateral. If The Zoo is unable to pay back the debt, the orangutan will likely be shipped off to Connecticut.
Groups as varied as the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have objected to the separation of the baby orangutan from her mother. In its letter to The Zoo, PETA wrote, “Young orangutans stay with their mothers longer than any other great apes do. Infants nurse for four to five years, stay in their mothers’ nests for approximately seven to eight years, and remain with their mothers until the next baby is born. Orangutans usually do not leave their mothers until they are 8 to 10 years old; 3 years of age is outrageously young for a baby orangutan to be separated from his or her mother.”
Danyelle Lantz, The Zoo’s executive director, told the Gulf Breeze News this week that she’s willing to sacrifice the baby orangutan’s welfare to keep the zoo open. “There is no one animal that I put ahead of the entire zoo,” Lantz said.
Santa Rosa and Escambia counties have committed funds to support The Zoo. Please contact the county commission in each county and urge them to discourage The Zoo from cruelly separating the baby orangutan from her mother.
Contact:
Don Salter, Chair, Santa Rosa County Commission
E-mail: bcc@santarosa.fl.govMarie Young, Chair, Escambia County Board of County Commissioners
E-mail: marie_young@co.escambia.fl.us