Fort Wayne Children's Zoo

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
June 4, 2010
CONTACT:
Cheryl Piropato, Education Director
260-427-6803    		  

Zoo Veterinarian to Speak
at Congressional Briefing on Oil Spill Tuesday

Dr Joe Smith
 Dr. Joe Smith.
Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo Veterinarian Joseph Smith will travel to Washington, D.C. to speak Tuesday at a Congressional briefing about zoos’ efforts to assist wildlife affected by the Gulf oil spill.

Dr. Smith, a native of Louisiana, is playing a key role in organizing zoo professionals from around the country should their help be needed to clean oiled birds and other wildlife affected by the disaster.  Dr. Smith will be joined at the briefing by John D. Hewitt, Director of Husbandry, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, New Orleans, LA; and Dr. Paul Boyle, Senior Vice President for Conservation and Education, Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a professional organization that accredits zoos and aquariums, including the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo.  Smith has served as the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo’s full-time veterinarian since 2003.

At the briefing on Tuesday, Smith, Hewitt, and Boyle hope to raise awareness of the role that zoos can play in the crisis.

“We have the professional experience and resources to be of help,” Smith said of his zoo colleagues around the country.  “My goal at the briefing will be to convey the level of preparedness and communication within the zoo community.  We are organized and ready to mobilize.”  The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is among dozens of zoos nationwide that have committed to sending a crew of professional zoo keepers to the Gulf when needed.

Smith’s personal connection to the Gulf of Mexico, where he grew up bird watching in Louisiana’s estuaries, motivated him to get involved in this effort.

To date, Smith says, very few oil-covered birds have been captured for cleaning, but more than 500 oiled birds and 200 sea turtles have been found dead.  The challenge, he says, is reaching the oiled wildlife that are still alive.  “Louisiana’s coastline is made up of marshes and wetlands, many of which are hard to reach even by boat,” he said.  So far, rescue organizations in Louisiana have been able to deal with the 80 or so oiled birds in need of cleaning.

“As the oil moves closer to the shoreline and affects more wildlife, we’ll be ready to help,” he said.

 

The Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo is one of the area’s major attractions and was named one of the country’s “Ten Best Zoos for Kids” by Parents magazine.

The zoo is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. until October 10.  Admission is $13.00 for adults, $8.00 for children age 2-14 and $10.00 for seniors over age 60.  Babies age 1 and under and Zoo Society Members are admitted free. 

 

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