Transcript An Analysis of Dr. Susan Cork & Dr. David Abraham’s report

An Analysis of Dr. Susan Cork &
Dr. David Abraham’s report entitled
“Review of tuberculosis control
measures used at the Performing
Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
Sanctuary, San Andreas, California”
Please feel free to follow along:
• Links to Dr. Cork and Dr. Abraham Report
(submitted to Toronto City Council by
Councillor Michelle Berardinetti on November
27, 2012):
Part 1:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/c
c/comm/communicationfile-33606.pdf
Part 2:
http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/c
c/comm/communicationfile-33635.pdf
Letter From University of Calgary
This letter is dated November 27,
2012. The day of the Council
Meeting. No time for the
councillors to read the report
The report was
commissioned by Zoocheck
Canada
There should be a cover letter to
Zoocheck included. Where is it?
Executive Summary – Page 3
Dr. Cork and Dr.
Abraham were allowed
to visit the PAWS
facility and EVEN view
the quarantined
elephants. The staff
from the Toronto Zoo
were denied access to 3
of the 5 barns and
denied a second visit.
The current vet keeps
comprehensive
records. Why haven’t
they been shared with
the Toronto Zoo?
Toronto
Zoo Staff
visit report
“California elephant sanctuary official says no to second planned site visit by Toronto Zoo officials”
From a Toronto Star article by Donovan Vincent (May 27, 2012)
Executive Summary – Page 3
The report says
that the PAWS
vet has made
every “effort” to
follow the
guidelines.
The report states that some additional biosecurity measures could be considered. It says
quite clearly that it is hard to quantify the tuberculosis transmission risk or to predict the
consequences of exposure. This is exactly what the report from the Toronto Zoo vet says.
From Attachment 3 of the “Supplementary report from the Chief
Executive Officer, Toronto Zoo on the Elephant Transfer Due Diligence
Review”
Excerpt from the Letter Written by Michelle Miller, DVM, PhD (AZA Elephant
Taxon Advisory Group Veterinarian Advisor) to Dr. Graham Crawshaw from
August 11, 2012.
Background – Page 3-4
Goats are
periodically
brought onto
the property to
clear vegetation.
Do they have
contact with the
elephants?
Could they be
exposed to the
Asian elephants,
then the African
elephants?
Goats are also carriers of tuberculosis. Studies have been done
which indicate TB can be transmitted and contracted via shared
Grazing areas.
Background – Page 4
This report says that elephants undergo a
quarantine period of 30 days. Emails show Toronto
Zoo elephants are to be put in the same barn as the
current elephants right away. NO QUARANTINE.
Ruby was only quarantined for ten days during
which time she was able to access the other
resident elephants.
Photographic evidence shows that the
elephants at PAWS are frequently
handled with free contact and that
handlers walk freely in their enclosures.
Introduction – Page 5
Tuberculosis can be potentially spread
via fomites such as bedding, food or
water sources or feces
Introduction – Page 5
Section 4 - Page 6
It is a myth that AZA facilities do not
adhere to USDA standards
Section 4 – Page 7
Four out of eight
elephants (50%) are
currently in quarantine
for tuberculosis.
The closest point
between the African
and Asian elephants is
40 ft.
The risk of transmission
by fomites and the orofecal route has not
been considered
significant, even though
it is a possibility.
One of the Asian females is
trunk-wash TB positive, one is
Stat-Pak and MAPIA reactive
and one is NEGATIVE ON ALL
TESTS and yet is housed with
the TB-positive one.
Table 1 – Page 8
Wanda does not react
to the Stat-Pak and yet
she is housed with the
TB-positive Annie.
Annie has been at PAWS since
1995 and was found to be TBpositive in 2012. Either she
caught TB there or it was
allowed to “flare up”. Both
cases are negligent.
Annie currently has the same
stand of TB that was present in
Rebecca at necropsy.
Rebecca and Sabu had
tuberculosis, confirmed at
necropsy.
The report says that seven
elephants were necropsied even
though eight elephants have died.
The list of dead elephants includes
a mysterious “African Male”...
Would Dr. Cork make the error of referring to Ruby as an African Male?
Page 8
One of the two elephants who had
evidence of TB at necropsy was
housed with the current female
Asian elephants.
The elephant AsFX1 (Rebecca)
died in January 2011. Why was
her necropsy performed in
November 2011?
Page 9
Sabu was trunk wash
negative in 2010 but
reactive to the Stat-Pak
and MAPIA tests in
2011.
The NVSL report
suggests that “further
infection may have
also occurred during
contact at the facility”
Page 10
Positive blood test =
presumptive positive TB case.
The Toronto Zoo elephants are
not reactive to either the StatPak or the MAPIA.
Page 11
NOTE: Group 1 means NO
EXPOSURE TO POSITIVE
ELEPHANT IN PAST 12
MONTHS
Page 12
Table 2 – Page 12
How can this
elephant be
considered group
1?! She is housed
with a TB-positive
elephant....
Page 13
The attending vet
at PAWS is
present only two
days a week.
Elephants are brought
into the barn during
the evening and
inclement weather. It
is a myth that
elephants at PAWS
are in their pasture
24/7.
Page 13
Annie is “undergoing training to facilitate treatment” and “the best option WILL be selected by the
PAWS veterinarian”. This implies that although Annie has been trunk-wash TB positive for
approximately eight months, PAWS is not treating her.
Page 14
Although it is possible for TB to be
spread by fomites such as food dishes
and clothing, PAWS is not using
designated coveralls for quarantine
areas of the facility. WHY?
Page 15
The flooring in the Asian barns is
difficult to disinfect.
Page 16
The hazard of tuberculosis is present in at least one of the
quarantined group of female elephants and this could serve as a
source of infection for OTHER ELEPHANTS, HUMANS AND THE
ENVIRONMENT.
Page 16-17
There is
potential for
exposure of
other elephants
to the TB
hazard
Every effort
should be
made to
mitigate any
risks – such as
NOT SENDING
HEALTHY
ELEPHANTS
THERE
Page 17
Additional
biosecurity
measures are
recommended
by Cork and
Abraham that
are not currently
used by PAWS
If wildlife that dies on
PAWS property is
necropsied, why was is
so “unreasonable” for
the Toronto Zoo to
request this
information?
Article from Toronto Star by Linda Diebel (May 3, 2012)
PAWS does
necropsy
reports on all
animals that
die on their
property.
Why does
Councillor
Berardinetti claim
is it “something
they ‘CAN’T’ do”?
Sounds like something they ‘WON’T’ do.
The risk of
current and new
elephants being
exposed to
tuberculosis is
NOT
NEGLIGIBLE.
The residual risk
remaining after
mitigation
measures have
been put in place
depends on what
will happen in the
future. Who can
predict that? Why
take the risk at
all?
The likelihood of
exposure to TB is
not negligible at
PAWS and the
consequences are
hard to predict.
Page 18
This is the same conclusion made by the Toronto Zoo vet
Page 18
The last inspection of PAWS by the USDA was in April 2012. This implies that an inspection
of the facility has not be completed since one of the elephants had a positive trunk-wash.
Maybe another inspection is in order?
Appendix 2A
Annie was trunk
wash positive in
APRIL 2012
Why are
some trunkwash results
from April
2012 still
“pending”?
Large areas of
this table are
“blacked out”.
Where is this
information?
Why is the
table cut off at
the side?
Information is
missing.
Appendix 2A, 2B, 3A
Large areas of
this table are
“blacked out”.
Where is this
information?
Why is the
table cut off at
the side?
Information is
missing.
Why were
tests “not
done” on
Annie in May
2010?
Gyspy was not
reactive to the
MAPIA test in May
2010 but was
reactive in June
2011
Appendix 3B & 4
Both elephants who were reactive to
the Stat-Pak and MAPIA were
tuberculosis positive at necropsy
Why is the table cut off at the side?
Information is missing.
Please do your own research!!
• Link to Dr Cork Report and Info from Zoo CEO and zoo vet:
http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?ite
m=2012.EX24.30
• Link to Toronto Star article – May 27, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1201433-california-elephant-sanctuary-official-nixes-secondplanned-site-visit-by-toronto-zoo-officials
• Link to Toronto Star article – May 3, 2012
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1172136--zoo-sdemand-to-sanctuary-could-be-an-elephant-sized-dealbreaker