Dublin Zoo has said that it has been vindicated following an independent report which has found allegations of mistreatment made against them to be “unfounded”.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has this week published an investigation into allegations which were made by a whistleblower last summer. The by Labour senator Annie Hoey in July, who read out excerpts from a whistleblower regarding the zoo.
The allegations included claims outlining serious welfare issues, near misses and safety and management concerns. When the allegations were made public in July, Dublin Zoo said in a statement that it "vehemently denies" the allegations, and it called for an independent investigation.
An investigation team from the National Parks and Wildlife Service then began examining 23 allegations which were identified. In its report, it ultimately found that 17 out of the 23 allegations made about the zoo were “unfounded”.
Out of the 23 allegations, one was "considered to be supported as per the stated allegation" which related to a habitat for a red panda at the Zoo, and concerns that it was not meeting recommendations of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria best practice guidelines. Two other allegations were deemed to have "no basis or evidence to even substantiate the allegation”.
For three other allegations, evidence was found supporting a historical "allegation”. However, was found to have already resolved the case with changes in “process, facility or...
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