Zoo animal attackers identified

DUBLIN Zoo has used an innovative CCTV solution to find the culprits behind mysterious attacks on its animals during the night.

Keepers at the zoo had been puzzled by disappearing ostrich eggs as well as unexplained flamingo injuries until hi-tech infrared cameras found that badgers were stealing the eggs for food and otters were threatening the flamingos during the night.

Zookeepers were thankfully able to stop the overnight attacks, by catching and rehoming the bad badgers and awful otters in the park outside the zoo.

The crime was solved thanks to the Milestone XProtect video system, which is now also helping zoo staff to research and better manage the zoo’s animals.

Gerry Creighton, operations manager, Dublin Zoo, says anyone serious about animal welfare in zoos must have a decent network video system today.

“From a security point of view, it helps us keep out intruders that might harm animals under our protection,” he added.

“It has also enabled the zoo’s security team to tighten perimeter security and stop unauthorised feeding of animals by visitors.”

Senior Zookeeper at Dublin Zoo, Brendan Walsh, has also used the system to complete a three-year study of the zoo’s eight elephants to better understand their sleep patterns and night behaviours.

“We learnt a great deal about the varied sleeping patterns of elephants at different ages,” he said.

Dublin Zoo now has several new cameras deployed in the elephant training area. Recordings are sent to world-renowned expert in elephant behaviour Alan Roocroft, based in San Diego, California, who reviews the footage and talks to Dublin Zoo about any issues via Skype.