Houston Zoo discovers hole cut in mesh of brown pelican habitat
HOUSTON (CBSDFW.COM) — It's been a tough few weeks for zoos in Texas. Just days after police made an arrest in connection to a string of incidents at the Dallas Zoo, officials in Houston are reporting a possible act of vandalism at their zoo as well.
A spokesperson for the Houston Zoo said that on Monday, Feb. 6, keepers discovered a four-inch hole cut in the mesh of the brown pelican habitat at the Children's Zoo. They quickly found that none of the animals escaped or had been harmed and alerted security, who determined that the gap appeared to be the result of vandalism.
As a precaution, the Zoo investigated all of the other animal areas and found no other holes or signs of vandalism. Security informed Houston police, who sent officers to look as well.
In a statement, the Houston Zoo said it "is prepared to prosecute to the fullest extent allowed by law anyone who compromises the animals in our care" and called the act "unacceptable, dangerous, and criminal."
Last month, the Dallas Zoo reported several incidents of vandalism that began when a man allegedly cut holes into the clouded leopard and langur monkey habitats, allowing one of the leopards to escape for several hours. That same man has also been accused of stealing two tamarin monkeys later found in a house in Lancaster.
An endangered vulture was also found dead at the Dallas Zoo around that time, but police said that they have not yet linked anyone to that incident and no arrests have been made.
In the wake of these incidents, the CBS 11 I-Team looked into inspection reports at several major Texas zoos, including Houston. They found that non-compliant items were found in 50% of inspections in Houston - a high number compared to the 14% found in Dallas.
However, Ed Hansen, CEO of the American Association of Zookeepers, was quick to note that "malicious acts" such as vandalism fall outside normal zoo inspections and could not have been foreseen. "...An animal welfare issue is completely different than what you're dealing with here. This is something completely different," he said.
Hansen said that the incidents in Dallas already had exhibitors all over the world looking to take steps to increase security. This latest act of vandalism in Houston will likely only serve to underscore the importance of those efforts.
Police have not named any suspects or made any arrests and the investigation is ongoing.