JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens has been asked to take part in a safety audit. The audit comes from Maryland based Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Jacksonville has been a member for more than two decades.
The audit comes following an incident in March that sent a female zoo worker to the hospital after a rhino struck her during a training exercise.
Executive Director Tony Vecchio is the one who has to contact the Association of Zoos and Aquariums when those more serious incidents occur inside the zoo.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and the USDA have already completed their inspections at the Jacksonville Zoo. In the coming weeks, the Association of Zoo and Aquariums is expected to visit.
“We’ve had multiple incidents and that’s one of the reasons they’re coming to inspect,” said executive director Tony Vecchio Jacksonville Zoo & Gardens.
In the last year, the zoo has had four reports calling safety procedures into question.
Vecchio recalled one where a keeper forgot to secure a door and the lion gout into the exhibit with her which forced the handler to climb out of the exhibit.
The most incident recent occurred last month when a 50-year-old Rhino struck a female handler twice during a training exercise.
Safety is just one of a long list of items the AZA commission looks at before awarding accreditation.
“They don’t have any regulatory authority over us, but it’s a membership organization, one we’re proud to belong to, so it’s a good housekeeping seal of approval,” Vecchio said.
While it may appear the accreditation is just a good thing to hang on the wall, there is a reason why zoos want that seal according to Vecchio.
“Their regulations are stricter than FWC and the USDA, it’s kind of the best of the best.”
Their current membership is valid through April of next year but hopes new safety requirements will allow them to keep it that way.
“When I say cutting edge, I mean there are only ten or twelve zoos in the country that have gone to this system.”
The zoo is in the process of adding another set of locks on cages. Cages used during transport, cleaning and recovery.
The new locks will require another person to open the cages and another set of eyes. Changes you might not notice at the zoo, but adjustments that will make the zoo safer for all.
“I think our zoo is better now then it’s ever been. Hopefully, we’ll continue to be an AZA-accredited zoo,” Vecchio said.
The president and CEO told First Coast News by phone that the association recently met at a conference in Phoenix and decided to have the Jacksonville Zoo conduct a safety audit. Dan Ashe added, while uncommon, it's not unusual. Ashe went on to say he has faith that Tony and the Jacksonville Zoo will make and necessary corrections and expect the accreditation to continue. There have been no plans to pull accreditation during the audit process.
Inside Jacksonville’s administrative building you can see various awards including the accreditation from AZA.
It’s a voluntary membership that zoos have to pass a variety of tests, over a hundred points, safety is among them.
While some might ask why this is necessary, Vecchio says having the seal allows zoos to be viewed among the best of the best. Adding the requirements are more strict than Florida Fish and Wildlife and the USDA.
Over the next few months, the zoo will continue to install new locks on over a hundred cages. The locks will require a second person to open and another set of eyes at all times. A change Vecchio hopes will help them stay part of the AZA.
“I think our zoo is better now than it’s ever been and we’re certainly better than we were five years ago," he said. "I think we’re one of the great zoos in this country and we’re going in the right direction."