Dublin Zoo says it has been vindicated by an independent report which suggests allegations that it had mistreated its animals were unfounded.
A report by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) arose out of allegations made by an anonymous whistleblower which were raised in the Seanad by Labour’s Senator Annie Hoey in July.
The whistleblower listed 23 allegations of mistreatment of animals, and the allegations were made by way of protected disclosure.
The NPWS concluded that the whistleblower’s claim that he or she had “exhausted all options with the Dublin Zoo grievance procedures” and that Dublin Zoo facilitated a culture of “hiding wrongdoing and lacked transparency” was untrue.
We are pleased that the good name and reputation of Dublin Zoo and its highly committed team of employees and volunteers have been upheld
Instead, Dublin Zoo “is an organisation with an outstanding track record in animal welfare management”, the NPWS stated.
“We are pleased that the good name and reputation of Dublin Zoo and its highly committed team of employees and volunteers, who live and breathe Dublin Zoo’s mandate, animal welfare, on a daily basis, have been upheld.”
Of the 23 allegations, the NPWS considered 17 to be “unfounded with no evidence supplied to support the narrative of the allegation”.
A further two were found to have “no basis or evidence to even substantiate the allegation”. Three were classed as having “some evidence supporting a historical allegation, but Dublin...
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