Dublin Zoo ‘vehemently disputes’ staff harassment and animal welfare claims

Dublin Zoo has said it “vehemently disputes” allegations of animal mistreatment, financial irregularities and sexual harassment against workers made by People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy under Dail privilege.

Mr Murphy raised “very serious issues at the zoo” as he introduced legislation to call for an emergency inspection at the site.

Speaking in the Dail on Thursday, Mr Murphy said there were “credible allegations of harassment, including sexual harassment, of zoo workers by managers” as well as “financial irregularities” within the organisation.

He also said very serious animal welfare issues had culminated in the deaths of numerous animals and the disappearance of whole species from the zoo.

The zoo said more than 50 similar anonymous allegations have been independently investigated over the past three years and “found to be either unfounded or historic and already resolved”.

It said the claims formed part of a pattern, which caused “wholly unwarranted reputational harm”.

Mr Murphy told the Dail that animal welfare issues included the death of cheetah cubs after their mother was moved from Fota Wildlife Park to Dublin Zoo while pregnant.

He said that the pregnant cheetah was moved from Fota Wildlife Park to Dublin Zoo on Halloween.

He said: “She gave birth the next day and all the baby cubs are now dead.

“She should never have been moved when pregnant and also had inexperienced people looking after her.”

On harassment, Mr Murphy told the Dail that a female staff member repeatedly complained about being harassed by a male manager who was eventually suspended for four months, but said: “During that time, he was at least on one occasion sitting outside her house in a car late at night.”

He said the man is still a senior member of staff, but the woman had been made redundant.

He said she had also had a brick thrown through her window and her car tyres slashed.

He added: “In another incident, three female members of staff were sexually harassed by a male manager at a conference.

“A subsequent HR investigation confirmed three instances of harassment.

“He is still a senior manager at the zoo.”

Mr Murphy also said he had “documentary proof” of financial irregularities at the zoo.

He said this included “the misallocation of funds” to build an extension to the zoo director’s house.

“To cap it all, there is a lack of concern and a total lack of proper oversight by the State over any of this.”

In a statement, Dublin Zoo said: “Dublin Zoo vehemently disputes the allegations made today in the Dail and objects, in the strongest possible terms, also to the manner in which these claims have been raised without any prior engagement with the zoo.

“The assertions are either wholly misleading, completely false, or contain inaccurate and unsubstantiated clinical assessments.”

Mr Murphy said the zoo workers are “outraged at the neglect and mistreatment of animals” at the institution, which he said was attributable to understaffing and a lack of training in most cases.

He said a recent example is the “deaths of all the African wild dogs”, which were part of an endangered species for whom concerns were raised by the NPWS three years ago.

“This time, welfare concerns raised by experienced zookeepers weren’t investigated in time and all the dogs died.

“One dog had cancer in the mouth that was left untreated and had to be put down. Before it died, it got no medication or medical intervention.

“Another was pregnant and became very swollen. Her lungs and heart became filled with fluid. She never recovered after being administered an anaesthetic and died. That species is now gone from the zoo.”

Mr Murphy said all wolves at the zoo were also “put down after a health check”.

“Other animal deaths have included four bongo antelopes and a black buck or Indian antelope whose leg was snapped in half and left hanging on by a ligament after being inappropriately transported in a horsebox.

“This is a very small, fragile antelope who should never have been moved so roughly.”

Mr Murphy also raised the deaths of elephants after they had been drugged.

“Two of them died from stress, and the rest of the remaining herd developed herpes, reactivated by stress.”

Mr Murphy said none of the issues he was raising had been “properly investigated”, despite issues being raised to management, human resources, as well as the charity regulator, the National Parks and Wildlife Services and the gardai.

Mr Murphy told the Dail that journalists have “been met with legal letters” for querying the issues.

He added: “One journalist received no fewer than 11 legal letters, including a letter sent to their entire workplace.”

In response to a media query, Dublin Zoo denied the animal welfare allegations and said it had been recognised for quality of care.

It said animal welfare is its “highest priority” and added that it operates under extensive regulation and oversight, including regular inspections.

It added that the credibility of the main claims had been questioned by NPWS inspectors.

Dublin Zoo also rejected that it had misappropriated charity funds, adding that it operates “within a robust governance framework with clearly defined internal financial controls”.

It said it could not comment on individual HR matters but said any concerns “are addressed in accordance with best practice”.