Dr. Clement Lanthier, the president and CEO of the Calgary Zoo, announces his decision to seek the advice of an independent commission to reporters on Saturday. (Peter Akman/CBC)A commission of experts will be asked to conduct a comprehensive review of all animal-care practices and policies at the Calgary Zoo, the embattled facility's president announced Saturday.

"On Monday morning I will be contacting the presidents of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in Washington, D.C., and of the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums in Ottawa," Dr. Clément Lanthier announced during a news conference.

The two organizations are "the accrediting bodies that set the standards of care for zoos and aquariums in Canada, the United States and other Western Hemisphere countries," Lanthier told reporters.

"The AZA also provides leadership, guidance and training to professionals in more than 200 institutions that include the largest and most highly regarded facilities on this continent, such as the San Diego Zoo, Bronx Zoo and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

"I will be asking the two organizations to appoint a joint panel of highly qualified individuals — completely independent of the Calgary Zoo — to conduct a thorough review of all aspects of animal care at our institution, including staff experience, training, veterinary care, policy and procedure and any other facet of our animal care operation they believe to be relevant to their inquiry."

The objective of the review is threefold, Lanthier said:

• To commission an expert assessment of the quality of the facility's animal care that will provide an authoritative, unbiased and knowledgeable perspective on the standards currently in place and whether any improvements can be made.
• To maintain the strong support the zoo has enjoyed from the community and to reassure Calgarians that they can continue to have confidence in the institution.
• To recognize the incredible work done by so many of the zoo's staff and volunteers, which has been the target of what Lanthier termed much unfair criticism.

When this review is complete, Lanthier said, a summary of its findings and all of the recommendations arising from it will be made available to Calgarians.

One of the Calgary Zoo's two capybaras was killed last weekend by a hydraulic gate. A worker who didn't follow correct procedures was blamed for the incident and suspended for two days without pay. (CBC)Animal rights groups have questioned the zoo's practices after the deaths of several animals in the past few years, including a baby elephant, a hippo, a wild goat, four gorillas and more than 40 stingrays.

On Friday, a zoo staffer was suspended for two days without pay after causing the death of a female capybara. The large South American rodent was crushed in a hydraulic door and suffered fatal injuries while being moved from one enclosure to another.

Lantier said the capybara that died last week was actually the second to meet its end at the zoo. Another died after quarantine shortly after the three arrived at the zoo in July when it was attacked by another capybara and didn't survive surgery.

Groups ask for investigation

Zoocheck Canada and the Calgary Animal Rights Coalition called for an external probe of the zoo following the rodent's death.

In announcing the commission, Lanthier said he "always subscribed to the notion that even a world-class organization can become better if it is prepared to accept and act upon constructive criticism."

However, he added, "much of what I have seen and heard over the past two years has been far from constructive. … I worry that some of our critics do not want to see this zoo improved — they want to see it closed. That is not what Calgary wants, nor, of course, what our 200 employees, 600 volunteers, 80,000 members and 1.2 million visitors every year want."

For the public to continue supporting the zoo, Lanthier said, "they need answers — not more accusations, allegations and irresponsible criticism, but documented facts that will give them good reason to maintain their confidence in us. The review I am announcing today will provide those facts."

Lanthier said he is "not prepared to stand by and watch self-proclaimed experts undermine the treasured relationship we have with the literally millions of people who have visited, contributed to, volunteered for, worked on behalf of and developed a strong and enduring affection for a zoo that is one of this community’s most valuable assets."

He accused the zoo's critics of "linking together a series of unrelated incidents in an effort to establish some kind of pattern" in a bid "to further their own agenda of manipulating public opinion and diverting attention away from the vitally important work that zoos, including the Calgary Zoo, do to protect animals and their habitats — something for which these critics can claim absolutely no credit."