Dublin Zoo has been cleared of all allegations of animal mistreatment following an anonymous complaint and investigation.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) cleared Dublin Zoo of 17 allegations of welfare breaches.
In a report into the anonymous allegations, the NPWS found 16 of the 17 cases had “no evidence” and were unfounded.
Two allegations had already been addressed by the NPWS in its 2022 Special Zoo Inspection Report.
Of the 15 remaining allegations, 12 were connected to the death of individual animals while three were connected to “compromised welfare”.
One allegation was partially supported, involving the death of a California sea lion named in 2004 of dystocia.
The NPSW ruled earlier intervention could have been beneficial – but the actions taken at the time were “consistent with the knowledge and facilities available then”.
The report said Dublin Zoo has resolved the historical issue through changes in “process, facility, or management”.
Dublin Zoo 'takes all feedback seriously'
Dublin Zoo said it appreciates the “thorough and impartial” review by the NPWS.
“We take all feedback seriously and are committed to using these findings to further enhance the care and welfare of our animals,” a spokesperson said.
“Our mission to promote conservation, education, and the highest standards of animal welfare remains steadfast.”
They said human error is “unavoidable” at the zoo, staff do their “utmost to ensure we adhere to and, where possible, exceed best practice at all times”.
“We are pleased that the reputation of Dublin Zoo and our dedicated team of employees and volunteers, who live and breathe our mandate of animal welfare daily, has once again been upheld,” they said.
Of the 17 complaints, the NPWS found nine were a HR incident, in most instances between the complainant and senior zoo staff.
Allegations against Dublin Zoo included a chimpanzee named Danny who had died after being repeatedly attacked by other chimpanzees.
The report found that that Danny has been the aggressor in most instances and had been euthanised after a severe bite to his right foot.
