The Greater Vancouver Zoo veterinarian has released a statement after a malnourished-looking moose was euthanized last week.
Last week, photos of the malnourished-looking moose sparked public outcry after they surfaced on social media. Eileen Drever, Senior Protection Officer, BC SCPA, told Vancouver Is Awesome in an email that the SPCA received a call about an eight-year-old moose named Oakleaf on July 21.
In an email to V.I.A, Veterinarian Dr. Bruce Burton writes that he appreciates the public's concern for any animal's wellbeing, but notes that people do not know Oakleaf's full story. Further, he underscores that the zoo's actions were taken in what it felt were her best interests.
"Oakleaf was over eight years old which is reported to be the median age for a moose in captivity by the AZA. Oakleaf had several medical issues over the course of her life as do most animals. In the wild, such animals are either quickly killed by predators or die from disease, far from the public view," writes Burton.
Burton states that animals in captivity tend to live longer, healthier lives because they have the benefit of shelter, a steady source of nutritious feed and medical care. According to National Geographic, however, the life expectancy of a moose in the wild is 15 to 20 years.
"Oakleaf had an abnormally loose stool from when she first arrived at the zoo and, over the years, we had been trying to find an appropriate diet to correct this. Unfortunately, despite feeding her a wide variety of feeds which were specifically designed for moose, we were not able to do so. Luckily, she was able to put on weight and maintain herself in good body condition in spite of this," explains Burton.
Burton adds that Oakleaf had "abnormal feet" which required semi-annual trimming, but that the routine didn't cause any issues. However, in February of this year, he notes that she lost some hair and body condition. While the hair loss eventually stopped, her body condition did not improve. After this, they planned to anaesthetise her to trim her feet and perform a more thorough quality of life exam.
"These procedures can only be performed when she is anaesthetised. General anesthesia always posses some risk to the animal so we always perform a risk-benefit assessment prior to each procedure," notes Burton.
"During this examination in February, we also found she had excessively worn teeth. Browsing species such as moose require cheek teeth with sharper edges. She had developed a wave mouth which can not be corrected with floating as can be done in a grazing species, such as a horse. Once they develop this, the only way to improve her ability to gain nutrition from her roughage is to offer it in a form which has already been broken down, as in a pellet."
Burton says the zoo changed her diet to include a new pelleted feed (pre- macerated and thus easier to digest), which they hoped with the warmer weather and "increasing abundance of browse," would improve her body condition.
"We initially believed she was improving in that her manure did appear to be firming up. But over the past couple of weeks, it was clear she had not improved as much as we had hoped, nor as much as I would have expected if the feed was going to be of sufficient benefit.
"Quality of life can be difficult to assess and depends on several factors. She was bright and alert, she was eating well, and she was not in overt pain. However, her body condition score did not improve and over the past week began to decline. In addition she still needed her feet trimmed. At this point, it was my belief that her overall quality of life would continue to decline. She had entered a grey zone where euthanasia was now inevitable. I say grey zone because some quality of life issues were good, and some were not."
Burton states that decisions about euthanasia happen on a daily basis in veterinary medicine. And while some of these decisions are more easily made, he notes that under any situation, there is a specific point in time when the decision can be obvious.
"However, in other situations, such as old age, or gradual declines in health, it can be much more difficult to declare a specific point in time which is optimal to perform the euthanasia," he adds.
"After examining her on Wednesday and based on her medical history and the lack of evidence that she would improve, I made the decision to not anaesthetise her again but rather to euthanize her. I spoke with the management of the zoo, and they agreed. I put her down that same day. It truly is the worst part of any veterinarian’s job, but it is ultimately our responsibility to do what we believe is best for our patient."
In April, Serge Lussier, General Manager of the Greater Vancouver Zoo, told V.I.A. in a phone call that the zoo is planning a massive, multi-million dollar renovation over the next five years.
As for the vision of the new zoo, Lussier says it will have a Canadian and an African Safari Park. In the Canadian one, he says visitors will find a number of species that call British Columbia home.
"It will be a piece of Africa in the heart of B.C.," describes Lussier. "There will also be an African village."
In December 2019, the Vancouver Humane Society called for significant reform at the Greater Vancouver Zoo. Commissioned by the VHS from Zoocheck, the report found that many of the GVZ's animals were living in unsuitable conditions, which include under-sized cages that restrict them from their natural behaviour. While the report notes that the GVZ has made positive changes since the 1997 report was published, it states that, "some longstanding issues remain problematic and should be addressed."
The report also called for the GVZ to remove animals that aren't suited to B.C.'s climate, as well as any animals that it can't accommodate in a way that better meets their overall needs.
