![]() Now the zoo will work only with animal vendors who operate within the association's code of ethics for animal care, Ramer said. Zoo officials did not clarify specific problems with unaccredited animal vendors, but raised concerns that they are not subject to the same animal care standards as accredited zoos. The Columbus Zoo has been a member of the nonprofit Association of Zoos and Aquariums for years. She would not name the specific institutions in question and said she couldn't quantify on Thursday how many animals within the zoo's animal programs division had been acquired through those operations. The zoo has since cut ties with those institutions, Ramer said. Jan Ramer, a veterinarian and the zoo's newly named interim senior vice president of animal care and conservation. Among them are some of the operations called out in “The Conservation Game,” said Dr. The zoo took “a really deep look” at the institutions it works with to acquire animals for its animal programming, officials said. The documentary, as well as ongoing operations reviews under the zoo's new leadership in early April, brought changes, zoo officials said. 'Conservation Game' led to changes at Columbus Zoo Doctors believed Hanna's condition had quickly progressed to Alzheimer's disease, and his family said he was withdrawing from public life. The Hanna family issued a public statement on April 7, a day after "The Conservation Game" debuted at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, that doctors had diagnosed Hanna with dementia. We’re confident that’s what dad would want - or even demand." ![]() ![]() "He has had a hand in some of the world’s most positive and profound zoological advancements and on-the-ground conservation efforts around the world. He has always believed that the progress that has been made was just the beginning. Zoos will continue to change and grow. ![]() "What we can say emphatically is that he worked his entire career to better the animal world," the statement read. View Gallery: Jack Hanna to retire from Columbus Zoo The family said they have not yet viewed the documentary. In an emailed statement to The Dispatch, Hanna's family said they would never try to speak for him, as Hanna has been diagnosed with dementia. "I say that with a heavy heart, as an Ohioan and someone who grew up with Jack Hanna." "I think what we discovered out of Jack Hanna's role in all of this, I would say, at least to me personally, is the most disturbing," director Michael Webber, who lives in the Cincinnati area, told The Dispatch on Wednesday. Documentary director: 'Jack Hanna's role in all of this. The Dispatch has not been given access to view the documentary. "The Conservation Game" isn't available for viewing by the public yet, but it has gained attention amid promotion by Carole Baskin, a big-cat advocate featured last year in the Netflix series "Tiger King." There are plans for a limited release of "The Conservation Game" in theaters nationwide later this year, and that will include Ohio, its director said. The code, for example, says that members must "make every effort" to ensure animals "do not find their way into the hands of those not qualified to care for them properly."Ĭolumbus Zoo investigations: Here's where things standĪ 'public nonprofit': How much are taxpayers allowed to know about Columbus Zoo operations? Unregulated wildlife operations aren’t subject to the same code of ethics for animal care and breeding that most zoos follow as members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Jack Hanna, the Columbus Zoo's longtime director, who traveled across the country with animals for TV appearances, is examined in the film. "The Conservation Game" documentary explores celebrity conservationists' involvement in the exotic pet cat trade - specifically "big cats," like tigers, lions and leopards - and their relationships with unregulated backyard breeders and roadside zoos. The Dispatch has also learned that the zoo's longtime director of animal programs is retiring next week. The changes center on the zoo's animal programs department, which manages outreach and educational programs involving animals offsite, separate from exhibit animals. There's no doubt about it,” said zoo board chairman Keith Shumate in an exclusive interview with The Dispatch on Thursday. “There are things that the zoo could have done better in terms of our processes." In the wake of a new documentary that questions the way celebrity conservationists acquire exotic animals, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium says it has been making changes that address allegations raised in the film and has cut ties with wildlife vendors who do not follow certain animal-care standards.
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