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Norton wants USDA oversight at zoo
(Published March 8, 2004)

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton is calling for the National Zoo to be placed under the same oversight as other zoos across the nation, in light of a critical interim report on zoo operations issued Feb. 25 by the National Academy of Sciences.

"The report makes clear that the National Zoo has become a second-tier zoo, not in the class of the nation’s great zoos, such as the San Diego and Bronx Zoos," the District’s non-voting representative to Congress said in a statement issued by her office.

Norton press secretary Doxie McCoy said the congresswoman is preparing to introduce a bill that would place the National Zoological Park under the authority of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees other zoos. The Northwest Washington zoo is part of the Smithsonian Institution.

The National Academy of Sciences report confirmed previous reports of animal neglect, rodent infestation, and poor record-keeping practices at the zoo. Dave Evans, the Smithsonian’s undersecretary for science, termed the report "candid" and "constructive" and vowed that the National Zoo will "address all the concerns as quickly and thoroughly as possible." A final report is expected to be issued by June.

"We’re making progress on many issues, including pest control and nutrition, and we have new plans and personnel in place to implement the reforms," Evans said. "We’re dedicated to giving the animals a safe, healthy environment."

Shortly after the report’s release, embattled zoo Director Lucy Spelman announced she will step down from her position at the end of the year. Spelman said her leadership role at the zoo has become a "lightning rod" for criticism that "has become a distraction for the zoo and the Smithsonian."

Spelman’s tenure since she became the zoo’s chief veterinarian in late 1999 has been under attack since published reports last year linked the deaths of several zoo animals to inadequate preventative care, shortcomings in the zoo’s animal nutrition programs, and – in the case of at least two red pandas – the ingestion of rat poison that had been buried by pest exterminators in their enclosure.

Evans acknowledged the need for "new leadership" at the zoo but praised Spelman for being "a passionate professional every step of the way" during her tenure at the zoo.