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NEWS > U.S.A. > ALLIGATOR PETTING ZOO SHUT DOWN OVER HEALTH VIOLATIONS
ALLIGATOR PETTING ZOO SHUT DOWN OVER HEALTH VIOLATIONS
September 23 2010
Tallahassee, FL – There are two schools of thought on zoos. One insists that holding animals against their will in enclosed areas hurts the animals in profound ways, it kills what they are and is a form of abuse. The other side argues that zoos brings
animals to people and creates a greater level of understanding about the animal and its importance in the world, leading to better conservation and helping the species as a whole. While both sides certainly have string arguments, the reality, as usual, lies somewhere in the middle, helping no one.
Of course there are occasions when the proprietors of zoos make the decision for the public. Recent exposes on zoos in eastern Europe and China have shown shocking conditions with animals being mistreated and malnourished. Recent reports of a mass of wild animal carcasses outside a Turkish zoo hare just one more example of badly things at a zoo can go, particularly when money starts to run dry. Zoos are expensive to maintain, animals eat a lot, and robust training is required to deal with most species, making the task of running a zoo very difficult. That is fate that appears to have led to shut down of a Florida alligator petting zoo which has been shuttered after only a few months due to repeated health violations.
“I can confirm that the Sunshine Petting Zoo has indeed been closed for the foreseeable future. The parks owners had been served with a number of notices in particular respect to their washroom facilities and the food preparation areas. These issues were not dealt with in a timely manner and as a result we have been forced to take these actions,” said a spokesperson for the town of Tallahassee. “If and when the owners of this facility decide to abide by the standards set down by the state we will be more than willing to reconsider our decision but until that happens this facility will be closed.”
The Sunshine Petting Zoo only opened in January.
“We are very troubled by this event and we are investigating the claims and will 
discuss ways in which we will be able to comply by the rules set down by the state.
We believe that much of this is a result of a miscommunication between ourselves and town officials and we take full responsibility for that discrepancy. We are committed to getting the zoo open as soon as possible for all our visitors,” said park co-owner Mike Graves. “I speak for all out employees when I state that health and safety are of the utmost importance to us and we endeavour to provide the best experience for all park visitors. Our visitors are the most important part of the experience here at the zoo and we feel that we have in some way failed them. We will resolve this and the people of Florida will be back petting our gators in no time.”
The closure is not related to an incident in June when a pregnant woman broke a finger climbing into an alligator pit.
“It’s really a shame that something like this has happened. Aside from the loss to the people who simply want to get near one of the most important animals in the region, there is valid concern that if the people are treated poorly then the animals might also receive the same treatment and that would be a real shame,” said Scrape TV Business analyst Ken Green. “However alligators are far less discerning in what they eat so it might not be as bad for them. They also roll around in their own waste and so the toilet facilities aren’t as much of a concern either so maybe they will be okay.”
None of the health violations are believed related to the animal pens.
Mike Michaels, American Correspondent
NEWS > U.S.A. > ALLIGATOR PETTING ZOO SHUT DOWN OVER HEALTH VIOLATIONS
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