Councilman, zoo spar over reptile regulations
Pittsburgh city council talked about crocodiles Wednesday, but really, the subtext was all about elephants.
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium leaders showed up to council’s meeting asking for an amendment to a proposed ordinance concerning crocodilians and certain turtles -— a bill they say they only learned about a day earlier and that puts the zoo’s reptile programs in jeopardy.
The bill, sponsored by Councilman Bruce Kraus, aims to ban ownership of crocodilian species, including alligators and red-eared slider turtles, granting exceptions for previously owned animals (with stipulations), medical and educational institutions, veterinarians, and zoological parks accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
That last requirement is the issue.
The Pittsburgh Zoo parted ways with AZA in 2015 after a disagreement over elephant handling, though the zoo’s lease with the city requires it to maintain accreditation with the 238member international organization.
The AZA’s “protected contact” safety policy for elephant handlers — first proposed in 2011, adopted by the organization in 2015 and implemented by zoos in 2017 — mandates sturdy barriers between keepers and elephants most of the time. But the Pittsburgh Zoo handlers
“When we entered into the
have direct contact with elephants.
“When we entered into the lease in 1993, ’94, AZA was the only game in town. ... Since that time, there have been a number of accrediting bodies, in our case what we believe better accrediting bodies,” Barbara Baker, the zoo’s president and CEO, told council members.
The 77-acre zoo in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park currently is a member of the 60member Zoological Association of America, established in 2005, where Dr. Baker is now chair of its board of directors, and the American Humane Association’s Humane Conservation Program, which began in June 2016 and has 59 accredited members. Dr. Baker said these accreditation processes were “more strenuous.”
But Mr. Kraus said he “won’t relinquish” his legal obligation to ensure that the zoo is in compliance with its lease by granting the nonprofit an exemption under the reptile bill.
“You’re asking me to turn a blind eye to your legal obligation to be accredited,” Mr. Kraus responded. “... I don’t want to be all Judge Judy, but she would say exactly the same thing. You signed a contract, you agreed to the obligation.”
Dr. Baker maintains that the city’s Law Department approved the switch in accrediting agencies because it still met the “intent of the language,” she told council.
The Law Department has not made any final determinations regarding the zoo’s compliance with the lease, said Timothy McNulty, mayoral spokesman.
Mr. Kraus’ proposed ordinance would replace regulations championed by former Councilwoman Darlene Harris. Her bill, which regulated cage size and public safety measures relating to the ownership of venomous snakes and crocodilians, passed in December with near unanimous support.
Ms. Harris’ bill provided an exemption for the zoo.
The zoo houses a breeding program for Philippine crocodiles, which are the “most endangered crocodilian species in the world,” Dr. Baker said.
Crocodilians and redeared sliders that have been at the zoo for more than six months would be grandfathered in under the proposed ordinance, but any newly acquired species would be illegal, including the five gharials — endangered fish-eating crocodiles that originate from India and surrounding areas — that the zoo “just received,” Dr. Baker said.
Council agreed to hold Mr. Kraus’ bill for one week.