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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:. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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/cc/comm/communicationfile-33606.pdf
Part 2: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/cc/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 3Dr. 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
From a Toronto Star article by Donovan Vincent (May 27, 2012)
“California elephant sanctuary official says no to second planned site visit by Toronto Zoo officials”
Executive Summary – Page 3The 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 3-4Goats 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 7Four 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 oro-
fecal 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 8Wanda 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 TB-
positive 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 Stat-
Pak or the MAPIA.
Page 11NOTE: 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 13The 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
Every effort should be made to
mitigate any risks – such as NOT SENDING
HEALTHY ELEPHANTS
THERE
There is potential for exposure of
other elephants to the TB
hazard
Page 17Additional 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?
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.
Article from Toronto Star by Linda Diebel (May 3, 2012)
Page 18The 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. 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
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 are some trunk-wash results
from April 2012 still
“pending”?
Annie was trunk wash positive in
APRIL 2012
Appendix 2A, 2B, 3ALarge 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?item=2012.EX24.30
• Link to Toronto Star article – May 27, 2012http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1201433--
california-elephant-sanctuary-official-nixes-second-planned-site-visit-by-toronto-zoo-officials
• Link to Toronto Star article – May 3, 2012http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1172136--zoo-s-
demand-to-sanctuary-could-be-an-elephant-sized-deal-breaker