CAZA Clears Zoo In Guinea Pig Deaths

An investigation into the death of guinea pigs at the Cherry Brook Zoo by Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums finds there is no evidence the method used was inhumane.

It also found no evidence to support accusations regarding the motivation for the euthanasia and the reported method of euthanasia in social media.

Executive Director Dr. Susan Shafer says they received a number of complaints that guinea pigs were brutally killed.

Shafer says a committee recorded conversations with current and former staff, zoo consultants and examined documentation.

They met three times and asked questions of the zoo in between meetings.

“There was a lot of uncorroborated information, we looked at what we could verify and what we couldn’t verify and went from there in terms of making a deduction on what had happened,” Shafer said.

Shafer says the social media firestorm that came with this case made the investigation more difficult.

“People tend to take what they see in writing or what they have heard from someone as first-hand knowledge when in fact it is not first-hand knowledge. To piece through the embellishments and get down to what the heart of the issue what took some time.” Shafer said.

Following a January investigation, the provincial S-P-C-A announced they recommended charges of inhumane euthanasia and causing unnecessary pain and suffering in the deaths of the guinea pigs.

Crown prosecutors decided against filing charges.

CAZA provided recommendations for the Cherry Brook Zoo to help improve their euthanasia and nutrition programs and their communication and documentation processes.