AUSTIN, Texas — Some current and former zookeepers are calling for change at the Austin Zoo.
Last month, our partners at the Austin American-Statesman did an investigation into how the nonprofit zoo handles animal care. They found that some current and former zoo employees were concerned that not all animals were receiving proper care.
A group of zoo employees put together a 50+ page letter written to the Austin Zoo Board of Directors. It describes incidents where its zookeepers recommendations' for the best way to care for the animals were ignored by the board.
KVUE spoke to a current and former zookeeper about the letter.
Kristine Ledoux has been a zookeeper at the Austin Zoo for nine years. She told the story of a goat named Barney.
“The vet came out, explained that this is end-of-life arthritis," said Ledoux. "If a goat lives long enough, this is what will happen to a goat, it can’t get better, it can’t improve, it can’t recover – and they chose not to put him to sleep."
Stories like this are expressed by some employees in the letter.
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Cassandra Cortez is a former zookeeper for the Austin Zoo and worked there for about a year-and-a-half.
"The fact that we have to try to fight management of a rescue zoo to help their animals have a better quality of life, is just kind of like one of those 'well, why is this even happening,'" said Cortez.
The two, along with others who spoke with the Statesman, said they weren't allowed to talk to the veterinarians.
Since the incidents listed in the Statesman article and the letter to the board of directors, they've hired a new deputy director of animal care, Jesse Pottebaum.
He's widely liked by those at the zoo.
Having only worked at the zoo for four months, he said he can't comment about the past because he wasn't here for those incidents, but said there's complete transparency now.
"When we talk about euthanasia, it's a team unity, it's a unanimous decision," he said.
He also said the zookeepers will have their voices heard.
"If you just go to the zoo and look at the standard that we're providing for our animals – you can see it – we're very transparent," said Pottebaum. "And that's all we ask is come see for yourself ... their voices are heard, we are moving forward and things have been changed with this situation where pretty much the animal care side's all on me and my team and my professional vet team."
One of the first changes was the decision to move the Patas monkeys to a new area. Their old enclosure wasn't warm enough to prevent frostbite in cold temperatures.
“I again feel there was probably a breakdown of communication with the leadership teams, and those situations have been rectified and we are moving forward and focusing on our health care of our animals and making sure that these mistakes, if they were made – which I don’t believe they were – will never ever happen while we’re here working at the Austin Zoo," said Pottebaum.
In fact, Ledoux and Cortez agree that Pottebaum is doing a great job and he's more than qualified -- they just want a higher-up management change.
"You could not have a better goal for an animal facility," said Ledoux. "They just need to fix the structure of management so that things like this don't happen."
But for now, both sides agree on one thing: they all want what's best for the animals.
"Hopefully the people who attend the zoo continue to love it, and we do this because we love it so much," said Cortez.