The Emperor Valley Zoo is safe.Gupte Lutchmedial, president of the Zoological Society which manages the zoo, said while one cannot rule out human error, the safety measures in place make it difficult for a human to fall into the enclosure of a dangerous animal.
Lutchmedial was interviewed about the safety mechanisms at the Port-of-Spain zoo and whether there is any fallout from visitors.
This after a three-year-old boy was dragged across a moat by the 450-pound gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo, United States, when he fell into that animal's enclosure last weekend.
The 17-year-old endangered western lowland silverback, named Harambe, was later shot and killed by zoo officials in a bid to preserve the life of the boy.
"We don't have any cages that children could fall into," said Lutchmedial who blamed human error for the Cincinnati mishap.
He said he has visited that zoo, where some of their past and present curators and workers have trained.
Saddened by the death of the animal, Lutchmedial said it was unfortunate, but based on established zoo protocol, they had no choice but to kill it.
"I am sad because of my love for animals, knowing how rare and how elegant a silverback could be. How he walks around like he owns the place. I would love to have a pair of them," Lutchmedial said.
He said the Emperor Valley Zoo adheres to international standards, which had moved away from the stigma of having animals live in cages and from putting a barrier between the animals and visitors.
"In order to do that they have built deep moats to keep the animals contained in a natural-like habitat but visible from a distance. We in Trinidad, because of our culture, we have chosen a different way. We have built dangerous animal cages (for lions, tigers) that you cannot climb into."
Viewing is done through a glass wall or vanishing mesh.
He said there are three strong iron doors leading to the cages for the chimpanzees, which has been built with bars because they are the most dangerous and violent of the monkey family.
He recalled a few years ago before those safety aspects were implemented, one of the oldest chimpanzees walked out of its cage after a handler failed to secure a lock properly. However, they were able to tranquillise the animal and lead it back to the cage without anyone being hurt.
He also recalled that in the 1980s someone walked into the lion cage and was killed.
He said concerns have been expressed, being in a hurricane zone, and surrounded by huge trees, that those trees could fall and damage the building and electricity supply facilitating the escape of animals.
Lutchmedial said they have built night shelters inside the buildings for the dangerous animals which were locked up there nightly and let out in the mornings.
In the event an animal gets out of its enclosure, Lutchmedial said zoo officials were prepared.
"We have firearms on the job. We have people trained to shoot. We have tranquillisers, we have trained people to use the tranquilliser. But if it does happen, God forbid, we would have no other choice. Human life comes first. It is the protocol, what you have been trained to do and believe."
