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Blank Park Zoo Cited in Death of Snow Monkey

Incident Date:
06/09/2023
Location:
Des Moines, IA - USA
Facility Name:
Blank Park Zoo
Facility Type:
Accredited AZA Facility (AZA)
Incident Category:
Animal Death (AD)
Species:
Primates
Animal:
Japanese Macaque
Animal disposition:
Dead

Summary:

Federal regulators have cited Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa, for contributing to the death of a snow monkey last year.

Last August, an 8-year-old snow monkey went under anesthesia for a lengthy dental procedure at the zoo. The monkey was laid on an electric heating pad for the three-hour long procedure (a routine practice in veterinary hospitals to help animals maintain their core body temperature while under the effects of anesthesia).

According to USDA inspectors, the vet staff failed to monitor the temperature of the heating pad, causing the monkey to suffer a severe burn.

Thirteen days later, the monkey was euthanized after staff said he would not recover. The USDA issued a violation, and all veterinary staff were required to be retrained on the use of the heating pad.

Action take by Born Free USA:

Notes: