Washington, D.C., June 22, 2016 — Born Free USA, a global leader in wildlife conservation and animal welfare, decries another tragedy involving a zoo animal—this time at an Olympic torch ceremony in Brazil. A jaguar named Juma from the Brazilian Army’s zoo was reportedly chained in the middle of the event as a live mascot. Afterward, she escaped her handlers and was first darted with tranquilizers before being shot with a pistol as she approached a soldier.[teaserbreak]
According to Adam M. Roberts, CEO of Born Free USA, “The local organizing Olympic committee admitted that it ‘made a mistake in permitting the Olympic torch, a symbol of peace and unity, to be exhibited alongside a chained wild animal.’ And yet, it was permitted, people were put in danger, and an animal’s life was lost.”
The committee is now guaranteeing that no other wild animals will be used, but this does not undo its irresponsible decision—or bring Juma back to life. “As long as it is viewed as acceptable—and normal—to feature a wild animal on a chain in the middle of a crowded event, animals will continue to be paraded out for shock value, amusement, and profit. How many times do we need to be reminded that it so easily ends in tragedy?,” Roberts added.
Tragic zoo incidents resulting in injury or death for humans and animals are far too common, as demonstrated by Born Free USA’s Exotic Animal Incidents Database. In just the past few weeks, there have been a multitude of incidents involving zoo animals:
- On May 27, a male wolf named Rebel at the Menominee Park Zoo in Oshkosh, Wisconsin was euthanized after visitors took advantage of an improperly opened gate and Rebel nipped the hand of a four-year-old child who stuck his fingers through the enclosure’s chain-link fence.
- On May 28, Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, was killed after a young boy fell into his enclosure.
- On June 7, Zeya, a leopard at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, Utah, escaped from her enclosure and had to be tranquilized and recaptured.
- On June 13, an African lion named Zawadi had to have the tip of his tail amputated after it got caught in a hydraulic door at the Oregon Zoo.
- On June 21, a Guenon monkey named Dizzy at the Forest Park Zoo in Massachusetts escaped while a staff member was cleaning his enclosure. He has not been recaptured at this time.
Roberts continued, “The exploitation and subsequent murder of Juma stands in stark contrast to the Brazilian team’s mascot: a smiling jaguar named Ginga who is supposed to promote the Olympic ideal of harmony. Juma’s only crime was behaving like a normal jaguar. Animals are not props. They have their own needs and rights: things Juma was denied in life and in death. This preventable tragedy, alongside all the others we see again and again, must serve as a lesson to keep wild animals where they belong: in the wild.”
Born Free USA is a global leader in animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Through litigation, legislation, and public education, Born Free USA leads vital campaigns against animals in entertainment, exotic “pets,” trapping and fur, and the destructive international wildlife trade. Born Free USA brings to America the message of “compassionate conservation”: the vision of the U.K.-based Born Free Foundation, established in 1984 by Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna, stars of the iconic film Born Free, along with their son, Will Travers. Born Free’s mission is to end suffering of wild animals in captivity, conserve threatened and endangered species, and encourage compassionate conservation globally. More at www.bornfreeusa.org, www.twitter.com/bornfreeusa, and www.facebook.com/bornfreeusa.
Media Contact: Rodi Rosensweig, 203/270-8929, TheRodiCompany@gmail.com