Though there’s still a shadow of doubt, the Calgary Zoo says it’s almost certain human error caused the death of 41 stingrays last summer.
“We cannot prove that it was the dissolved oxygen, but we strongly believe that was the case,” said Cathy Gaviller, director of conservation, education and research at the zoo.
This comes after the zoo’s president and CEO, Clement Lanthier, said he was 99.9 per cent sure the life-support system failed to provide the necessary oxygen to keep the ’rays alive.
At the time, a pump had failed, leaving three pumps delivering oxygen to the marine display on a very hot day.
Despite that, the zoo says it has consulted experts and feels confident that no policies need reviewing after opening its new stingray display.
Rob Laidlaw, executive director with Zoocheck, says the organization had suggested that a rapid environment change was the cause, and wants to see an outside review done of the zoo after “the litany of incidents.”
“At what point do the authorities in the city step in and say enough’s enough?” he said.
