Although the investigation is not yet complete, Kyiv zoo director Svitlana Berzina said preliminary results of an autopsy lend support to her suspicion that Boy the elephant died on April 26 from chemical poisoning.
“The internal organs of the animal were poorly filled with blood,” Berzina said. “According to experts, this might be an indication that the elephant was poisoned by the chemical which caused poor coagulation.”
The biggest and most famous inhabitant of Kyiv’s zoo died at the age of 39 – roughly half the possible lifespan of an elephant. He was the financially troubled zoo’s only elephant.
Berzina did not say, however, when the autopsy results would be complete. Meanwhile, the general prosecutor has started an investigation into the Boy’s death, partly because of the intense public reaction to the death of the municipal zoo’s only elephant.
Some remain skeptical about the poisoning theory.
“Boy had some troubles with his blood,” said ex-zoo employee Kyryl Trantin. “He had a couple of surgeries before. If there was any poison, it should have stayed mostly in his liver and heart, not in his blood. Since only zoo representatives were present at the autopsy, the autopsy conclusions might be questionable. The same holds true with the prosecutor’s investigation. It is only political.”
Meanwhile, the zoo press service says other zookeepers have expressed condolences.
The head of the Mykolayiv zoo, Volodymyr Topchiy, said he believes that Boy might have been poisoned. “In 1999, a similar situation happened in our zoo, when two African elephants were allegedly poisoned. There was no investigation in that case. But apparently animals might have been poisoned by employees of the zoo who were in conflict with the zoo administration. Their death was very sudden, just like Boy’s. I remember how shocked I was so I truly share sorrow of my Kyiv colleagues.”
Zoo administrators said there are no plans to replace Boy immediately.
The process for getting a new elephant might be complicated by the fact that the Kyiv zoo received a six-year ban in 2007 from rom the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, which cited "gross violations of ethical principles concerning the wellbeing of the animals, without the right of renewal for this period of time.”
Animal rights activists, many of whom are former employees of the zoo, say zoo administrators are trying to cover their mistakes by pushing the poisoning version.
“Accusations that we animal rights activists poisoned an animal are just ridiculous,” said Sergiy Hrihoryiv, head of the Help Zoo activists’ organization. Fired from the zoo last year after publicly criticizing poor living conditions of animals, Hrihoryiv blamed at Berzina.
“Last year, the administration cut Boy’s food, which caused him lose two tons. His living conditions were horrifying. The elephant spent winter in a tiny cage without proper cleaning and fresh air,” Hrihoryiv said. “I have confirmed information from the zoo’s staff that Boy’s keepers changed a couple of times recently. People quit or were fired. Elephants are very conservative animals. In European zoos, keepers work with the same elephants for decades, because a change in the keeper is a huge stress for an elephant.”
The zoo’s administrators claimed that Boy was overweight and needed to lose two tons of excess weight. According to them, the animal spent the winter not in his previous cage, but in a better and bigger one.
They did not, however, comment on how often keepers were changed, however.
On April 26, Berzina said boiled eggs – not on the mammal’s menu — were found in elephant’s cages. “On Monday morning, Boy was absolutely fine, while later he suddenly felt bad and died minutes later,” Berzina said. Berzina suggested that the poisoning could have been intentional, part of a plot to get her fired.
In 2008, in response to ongoing complaints about the poor conditions for zoo animals, Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetsky announced that he was giving financial assistance to Boy as part of the “Sponsor An Animal” zoo campaign.
Then Chernovetsky proudly announced that he pays Hr 48,634 every month to feed the animal, which eats up to 50 kilograms of food daily. He has had no public comment on Boy’s death.
Insiders, however, say that Chernovetsky is furious over the animal’s death and criticism of the city zoo.
The Kyiv city zoo opened in March 1910. About 2,000 animals live on its 34 hectares of territory in Kyiv’s center. Most of the animals are exotic – such as lions, porcupines, kangaroos, iguanas, giraffes, hippopotamuses. The zoo’s choice location on Prospect Peremohy has long fueled rumors that the land would be taken over by real estate developers, charges denied by the city administration.
According to the financial report of the zoo administration, in 2009 the zoo received nearly Hr 10 million from the city budget and earned another Hr 17 million from entrance tickets, excursions and sponsorship. It also spent Hr 27.7 million.
Kyiv Post staff writer Svitlana Tuchynska can be reached at [email protected]
