[House Hearing, 113 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
THE NATIONAL ZOO OF TODAY AND TOMORROW--AN INNOVATIVE CENTER FOCUSED ON
THE CARE AND CONSERVATION OF THE WORLD'S SPECIES
=======================================================================
HEARING
BEFORE THE
COMMITTEE ON HOUSE
ADMINISTRATION
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
Held in Washington, DC, April 2, 2014
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration
Available on the Internet
www.fdsys.gov
______
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87-961 WASHINGTON : 2014
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COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION
CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan,
Chairman
ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania, Ranking Minority Membersissippi
ZOE LOFGREN, California PHIL GINGREY, M.D., Georgia
JUAN VARGAS, California AARON SCHOCK, Illinois
TODD ROKITA, Indiana
RICHARD B. NUGENT, Florida
Professional Staff
Sean Moran, Staff Director
Kyle Anderson, Minority Staff
Director
THE NATIONAL ZOO OF TODAY AND TOMORROW--AN INNOVATIVE CENTER FOCUSED ON
THE CARE AND CONSERVATION OF THE WORLD'S SPECIES
----------
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014
House of Representatives,
Committee on House Administration,
Washington, DC.
The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:43 a.m., in Room
1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Candice S. Miller
[chairman of the committee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Miller, Harper, Gingrey, Schock,
Nugent, Brady, Lofgren, and Vargas.
Staff Present: Sean Moran, Staff Director; Peter
Schalestock, Deputy General Counsel; Yael Barash, Legislative
Clerk; Bob Sensenbrenner, Senior Counsel; Mary Sue Englund,
Director of Administration; Erin Sayago, Communications
Director; John Clocker, Deputy Staff Director; Kyle Anderson,
Minority Staff Director; Matt Pinkus, Minority Senior Policy
Advisor; Matt DeFreitas, Minority Professional Staff; Khalil
Abboud, Minority Deputy Counsel; Thomas Hicks, Minority Senior
Counsel; Mike Harrison, Minority Chief Counsel; Greg Abbott,
Minority Professional Staff; and Eddie Flaherty, Minority Chief
Clerk.
The Chairman. I now call to order the Committee on House
Administration's hearing regarding the Smithsonian National
Zoological Park. The hearing record will remain open for 5
legislative days so that members might submit any materials
that they wish to be included therein.
The Chairman. And a quorum is present, so that we will
proceed.
This hearing is for the committee to receive an update on
the current health and management of the National Zoo, as well
as to discuss the important science and research activities
regarding endangered species and the National Zoo's overall
contribution to the world's conservation efforts.
I certainly want to thank the panel of witnesses that we
have here for taking time to appear before the committee today.
Each of our witnesses has dedicated years to the pursuit of
science, conservation, and the passion to share knowledge of
the world's species with others around the world.
The Smithsonian, based in our Capital, is the largest
museum and research complex in the world. It includes 19
exceptional museums and galleries, as well as numerous
scientific research centers, and today we will be examining one
of the most popular Smithsonian facilities, the National Zoo,
which is home to one of our Nation's and the world's most
unique and fascinating living collections.
The zoo was created actually by legislation signed into law
by President Cleveland on March 2nd of 1889, and so it has a
unique roll as a Federal zoo, supported by the taxpayers. It is
a zoo truly provided for and by the people. Within its unique
role as the Federal zoo, the National Zoo receives the majority
of its funding from Federal appropriations. This funding is one
of the many ways our Nation exercises our commitment to
stewardship and the pursuit of knowledge.
It is the Congress' role to ensure that taxpayers' dollars
are allocated responsibly and the commitment to stewardship
behind those dollars is being met. This role has become
increasingly important as the zoo works to manage its
resources, to maintain the health and the safety and overall
welfare of the animals in the zoo's care, as well as visitors,
employees, and their volunteers.
Actually, last week, I have a monthly cable show, and I had
as my guest Dr. Murray, who is the chief veterinarian for the
zoo, and I told her she had the coolest job, I thought, in the
entire Capital here. But it was very interesting talking to her
about the care of all of these animals. She mentioned that the
National Zoo is actually working with the Detroit Zoo, which I
am so very proud of, working with a technique that they are
using to monitor the heart rate and the rhythm in gorillas, and
that some of the information you are learning there actually
has transference to humans. It was very, very interesting.
I look forward, certainly, to hearing from the director of
the National Zoo on how his team has pulled together and met
the challenges of being a world-class zoo. It is clear to
anyone who visits that the animals at the zoo are incredibly
well cared for. And while there have been some recent news
stories regarding animal deaths, the deaths, first of all, are
most often of natural causes, and many animals are exceeding
their normal lifespans.
Zoology, like all things, is never perfect. Sometimes an
unfortunate incident happens. And the zoo, I believe, has
demonstrated their ability to respond and to identify problems
and to implement improvements. Overall, the National Zoo has
been successful in maintaining the health of the animals in
their care at the very highest of levels as demonstrated by
their repeated accreditation by the Association of Zoos and
Aquariums. This accreditation reflects the high standards of
animal care set by the zoo and its staff.
For the last 125 years, the National Zoo has improved its
facilities, the living collection, its participation in the
worldwide scientific community, and focused on advanced
species-savings research.
The National Zoo encompasses a 163-acre zoo park, as well
as a Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute campus in Front
Royal in Virginia, which maintains a research-based collection
on 3,200 acres. The National Zoo's mission is to provide
engaging experience with animals and to create and share
knowledge that saves wildlife and habitats, and its vision to
save species from extension.
Through a coordinated effort, both the National Zoo Park
and the Front Royal campus care for approximately 2,000
animals, representing over 400 species, of which 50 are
threatened or endangered. The National Zoo is a national
treasure providing a unique experience, allowing visitors the
opportunity to roam and to see animals from all different
regions of the world and discover all sorts of species that
inhabit our Oceans, our lakes, our trees, and our sky.
The National Zoo sees up to 2million visitors annually who
have access free of charge--I think that is an important thing
to note, again, free of charge--and the zoo works to engage the
local, national, and international communities by preserving
wildlife and teaching the responsibility we all share for its
conservation.
The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute campus in
Front Royal, Virginia, has an equally, if not more important
role. The Front Royal campus is home to various endangered
species and is the nexus as well for the Smithsonian's global
efforts to conserve species as well as to train current and
future generation of conservationists.
So today we look forward to receiving an update from the
leaders of the National Zoo and its primary research arm, the
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, and discuss with
them how Federal funding is being used, the zoo's operations
and plans for the future, as well as hear from the directors on
the important and noteworthy conservation research and science
activities undertaken by the zoo.
And we will also hear from the president and CEO of the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a group which has
established high professional standards to review a multitude
of areas beyond the quality of animal care, conservation, and
research, such as viability of the zoo's governing authority,
physical facilities, safety, staffing, and guest services.
Zoos make the journey to learn about various species
accessible and offer us the opportunity to see an animal
firsthand. They also provide the chance for us to encounter an
animal that we never knew even existed. Zoos offer us all the
knowledge to learn about the world around us and be caretakers
for what is entrusted to us, and that is something I believe
that is beyond value.
So again this committee is looking forward to hearing from
our three witnesses, and at this time I would like to turn to
the ranking member for his opening statement. Mr. Brady.
Mr. Brady. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for scheduling
today's hearing on the Smithsonian National Zoological Park.
The visiting season in Washington has already begun and
this means more visitors to the zoo's outstanding facilities on
Connecticut Avenue. And while the public does not see it
directly, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, a
part of the zoo's complex located in Front Royal, Virginia,
continues its groundbreaking research and educational
activities on conservation and the preservation of endangered
species.
On this committee we are always concerned about the safety
of visitors, the staff at the zoo, and the safety and care of
the animals and the collection, and the level of Federal
funding to support that. We have been assured that Federal cuts
imposed by the sequestration and other legislation would not
impact care of the animals, and I look forward to hearing our
witnesses today to address that important issue.
We have periodically approved construction projects to meet
the zoo's challenging needs, and we have regularly reminded the
Smithsonian Board of Regents of the necessity of keeping
admission to the Smithsonian facilities, including the zoo,
free to the American people. I remain strongly committed to
that priority.
I welcome today's witnesses and look forward to your
testimony.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman.
Are there any other members that wish to provide an opening
statement? Yes, the gentleman from California is recognized.
Mr. Vargas. Thank you very much, Madam Chair.
My comment, and I would like to hear from you during your
testimony, if possible, or I will ask you a question later, is
I think you are doing a great job and we at the San Diego zoo
are very proud of it. We think it is the best zoo in the world.
I am sure others would argue about that. And we have been
members forever. And that is why I was so scandalized when the
Copenhagen zoo killed Marius, a healthy giraffe, and then fed
it to the lions, and then later on killed four other lions. And
I think that was outrageous.
I would like to know, though, from you if it was something
that was necessary, one; and secondly, why didn't we help if we
could, some zoo in the United States. They said that no one
would take them. And I would like to hear a little bit about
that. I think it has captured our imagination in a very
negative way.
And again, I thank you for the opportunity to speak. Thank
you, Madam.
The Chairman. I thank the gentleman very much.
Any other members have an opening statement? If not, before
I formally introduce our witnesses and begin, I am going to
take a moment of personal privilege here because I am like
everybody else, I am addicted to this panda webcam, looking at
Bao Bao, and who just yesterday ventured outside of her
mother's yard for the first time, and I asked my staff to get
the video clip of that. We will see if it works.
[Video shown.]
Look at that. Unbelievable. There she is. Well, all right,
we don't want to go on too long with this clip. You like the
clip? All right, great.
Mr. Brady. Looking at everybody here.
The Chairman. I read that on the airplane coming here
yesterday and I said, oh, my gosh, we are going to have this
hearing tomorrow, we have got to see the clips of Bao Bao going
outside. Okay, at any rate, that gives you a sense of some of
the wonderful, wonderful things they are doing at the zoo.
Let me formally introduce our witnesses now. And first of
all, Dennis Kelly, of course, is the director of the
Smithsonian's National Zoo. He is responsible for overseeing
the 163-acre facility in the Rock Creek Park, as well as the
3,200-acre Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute campus in
Front Royal, Virginia. He is also responsible for managing the
zoo's research programs and oversees education programs
coordinated by the zoo's nonprofit membership organization,
Friends of the National Zoo, and in 2011 he was elected to the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums Board of Directors.
Then we will hear from Dr. Steven Monfort, who was
appointed as the director of the Smithsonian Conservation
Biology Institute in January 2010. The facility, headquartered
in Front Royal, Virginia, serves as the focal point for the
Smithsonian's effort to use science-based approaches to
conserve species and train future generations of
conservationists around the world. He has spent his entire
career working within the zoological community and has been
with the Smithsonian since 1986, serving in many roles,
including veterinarian, research scientist, educator,
conservationist, and executive-level administrator.
And then we will hear from Mr. Jim Maddy, who is president
and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. He previously
served 9 years as the president of the National Park
Foundation, president of the League of Conservation Voters, and
was the first executive director of the Western Governors'
Association. He also currently serves as the chairman of the
board of directors for the Center for Clear Air Policy. As
president and CEO of the AZA, Mr. Maddy has raised a positive
profile of the AZA accredited zoos and aquariums as drivers of
tourism and economic development, as leaders in animal care and
welfare, and as key players in the conservation of wildlife and
wild places.
So we do have all of your written testimony, and again we
appreciate you all attending today. And we will start with Mr.
Kelly.
STATEMENTS OF MR. DENNIS KELLY, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL ZOOLOGICAL
PARK, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION; DR. STEVEN MONFORT, DIRECTOR,
SMITHSONIAN CONSERVATION BIOLOGY INSTITUTE, SMITHSONIAN
INSTITUTION; AND MR. JIM MADDY, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ASSOCIATION
OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS
STATEMENT OF DENNIS KELLY
Mr. Kelly. Madam Chair, Ranking Member Brady, and members
of the committee, thank you so much for this opportunity to
talk about the zoo, about the Conservation Biology Institute,
and to talk about our stewardship of an important living
collection of animals, and our vital research and conservation
efforts.
Simply put, our job, our mission, our role is to save
species. However, our number one priority, day in, day out, 24
hours a day, 365 days a year, is the welfare of the animals in
our collection and human safety. We use five distinct oversight
processes to ensure great animal care and safety, including a
robust Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, annual
inspections and guidance from the USDA Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, advice and inspections from OSHA, an annual
Smithsonian safety and health inspection, and as you will hear
from Mr. Maddy, accreditation by the Association of Zoos and
Aquariums.
Last December we had several public reports about animal
welfare issues at the National Zoo. The issue actually began
last summer when a volunteer notified me about her concerns
about animal welfare decisions at the Cheetah Conservation
Station department. I immediately directed our Animal Care and
Use Committee to investigate. The IACUC, as we call it,
concluded last fall that some of the volunteer's concerns had
merit, and they made 25 observations and recommendations. I
agreed with 24 of those observations and recommendations, and
it is important to note that the animal care team had already
addressed or were in the process of implementing appropriate
changes. There were no egregious surprises.
Now, it is my judgment that some of the problems in Cheetah
Conservation Station resulted from staffing imbalances that
temporarily stressed our system. So in late 2013, I initiated a
three-part program I called Speed Up, Slow Down, and Rebalance,
and that program has provided relief to animal care staff.
Human resources staff, at my direction, has given high
priority to filling vacant animal keeper, biologist, curator,
veterinarian, and nutritionist positions, and already seven new
animal care hires or promotions have been completed, and 10
more recruitments are in process. So I assure you that we
provide great care for our animals and we operate safely.
As part of the Smithsonian, the zoo and the Conservation
Biology Institute do rely on Federal appropriations for the
majority of our funding needs. However, in order to realize our
mission to operate a safe environment and to maintain our role
as a leader in animal care, we must and will grow alternative
funding sources. Since my appointment 4 years ago, we have
focused on raising more resources from private research grants
and government research grants and contracts to fund our
research and conservation. We have focused on philanthropy from
private and corporate donors. And we have generated income from
sales of food and merchandise and stuffed panda bears and even
a new carousel.
So I am pleased to report that all of these sources of
revenue have grown over the last 4 years, and while these
sources can supplement our Federal appropriation, they cannot
replace it. And as Secretary Clough and the regents often
remind me, my job is to raise more revenue from these
alternative sources in the future.
The National Zoo and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology
Institute play a crucial role in one of the Smithsonian's four
grand challenges, and that is understanding and sustaining a
biodiverse planet. We are guiding this mission by three
leadership strategies. Number one, we are saving species
through science. Number two, we are training the next
generation of conservation biologists. And number three, we are
providing a world-class educational experience and a great
visitor experience right here in Washington, D.C. In just a
moment, Dr. Monfort is going to speak about the first two of
those strategies, but I am going to conclude my testimony with
a few words about our plans for a great public experience here
at the zoo in Washington.
Did you know that the National Zoo is the favorite
destination in Washington for families with children? Now, I
never want to give up this hard-won leadership position because
we can use this position to deliver an effective, efficient,
informal and formal education message for learners of all ages.
We coordinate this conservation message with K through 12 STEM
curriculum, and to stay relevant and efficient we are using
both Federal and private funding to modernize our exhibits and
our animal care infrastructure.
During the last 10 years we have invested more than a
quarter of a billion dollars in our beloved institution. That
sounds like a lot of money and it is, but we are 125 years old,
and as Madam Chair said, and we still have a ways to go to
upgrade these important facilities. And we are using Federal
and private sources and technology to expand our reach around
the country and around the world. Unique assets like panda-cam,
sponsored by Ford Motor Company Fund, engage and delight
millions of virtual visitors around the globe, while at the
same time educating and inspiring global audiences about
conservation and saving species.
The zoo's highest priority is and always will be the
welfare of our animals in our care and the safety of our
visitors and staff. So I am excited and grateful for our
Federal support for collection stewardship, scientific research
and conservation, professional training, and a great family
experience.
Mr. Vargas, I will be happy to address your question in the
Q&A, if that is appropriate.
Mr. Vargas. Thank you.
Mr. Kelly. Thank you very much.
The Chairman. Thank you, Mr. Kelly.
[The joint statement of Mr. Kelly and Dr. Monfort follows:]
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The Chairman. We now turn to Dr. Monfort.
Dr. Monfort. Madam Chair, distinguished members, thank you
so much for the opportunity today to appear before the
committee to testify about our efforts to save species through
science and to train the next generation of conservation
professionals.
You may not know that in the late 1960s the National Zoo
established one of the world's very first stand-alone zoo-based
research departments and we cofounded an entirely new
discipline of science known as zoo biology, a discipline that
was specifically aimed at using science to improve animal
management, reproduction, and welfare. Today, in fact, science-
based management is considered the gold standard of practice
for all modern zoos, and that transformation of the zoo
profession can be traced directly to a lineage of National Zoo
scientists and the generation of colleagues that they mentored
and placed in positions worldwide.
Additionally, in the early 1980s, our scientists helped
usher in another entirely new discipline of science called
conservation biology. And this is a discipline that is based on
the premise that biological diversity and the functioning of
ecosystems are of benefit to current and future human
societies. Before the first textbooks in this discipline were
even published in the late 1980s, the National Zoo and its
scientists had already begun reintroducing golden lion tamarins
back into the Atlantic coastal rain forest of Brazil. And today
this remains as one of the greatest success stories in modern
zoo and conservation history, joined by other programs that
were led or assisted by National Zoo scientists, including
programs like the black-footed ferret, the California condor,
the Florida panther, and others.
Today, roughly 20 percent of the world's accredited zoos in
Europe and America have dedicated research departments, but
only a very small number of those actually employ full-time
Ph.D.-level scientists and conservationists. Through our
generous Federal appropriations, we employ 33 Federal Ph.D.-
level scientists and veterinarians, and by effectively
leveraging our Federal appropriations with grants and
philanthropy we are able to support an additional 14 non-
Federal scientists, 25 postdoctoral fellows, and 70 graduate
students.
All told, the National Zoo has more than 200 scientific
personnel involved in understanding and sustaining a biodiverse
planet working with partners in more than 25 countries
worldwide.
Saving species is hard work and it requires fundamental
knowledge about the complexity and diversity of species
biology, and the truth is, that knowledge is sorely lacking for
hundreds of species that already are reliant upon human care in
zoos. The time to save a species is not when they are down to
their last couple of dozen animals, which was the case for
species like the Przewalski's horse, the black-footed ferret,
and California condor.
Conservation success really requires a combination of
things: trained scientists, access to animals, funding, of
course, and appropriate facilities designed specifically to
study and manage wildlife species before they become
threatened.
At the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology
Institute, we are creating a whole host of new alliances. We
are pursuing aggressive animal management strategies and
investing in conservation science to achieve significant and
expanded conservation outcomes. Our science ranges from saving
species in human care, but also includes conserving key
wildlife habitats, to understanding animal migration patterns,
and even identifying disease pandemics that threaten both
humans and wildlife alike.
Our scientists have made many important discoveries,
including the identification of the elephant herpes virus,
which is known to cause up to one-third of juvenile elephant
mortality around the world, the Chytrid fungus, which is
potentially responsible for up to a third of amphibian species
becoming extinct across the planet, and we possess the world's
foremost wildlife reproduction laboratories that have done
things like helped us produce Bao Bao, of course, but other
species, like elephants and even sea corals.
But savings species also requires the commitment of well
trained professionals, and over the past 40 years the National
Zoo has pioneered training of more than 6,000 trainees
worldwide, many of whom have gone on to become leaders in the
conservation field in more than 30 countries worldwide.
Now, in partnership with George Mason University, we are
very proud of our Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation,
which is located on our 3,200-acre campus in Front Royal,
Virginia, and this program builds on our legacy and reflects
our philosophy that the best way to prepare for an uncertain
future is to foster a new, a better equipped, and highly
motivated generation of conservation professionals that will
work to conserve the living natural resources that we all need
to survive ourselves.
This is the core principle of the discipline of
conservation biology and the role that is emerging within zoos
worldwide. And we believe that it is the achievements of our
trainees that will provide the best hope for long-term success
in achieving our mission of understanding and sustaining
biodiversity for the benefit of all of us.
Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify.
The Chairman. Thank you, very much.
And we now turn to Mr. Maddy for his testimony.
STATEMENT OF JIM MADDY
Mr. Maddy. Thank you, Chairwoman Miller and Ranking Member
Brady, for the opportunity to testify before the committee
today about the AZA accreditation process.
AZA's 224 accredited zoos and aquariums annually see more
than 182 million visitors. Collectively, they generate more
than $21 billion in annual economic activity and support more
than 204,000 jobs across the country.
Let me just pause and say that when I look up at the dais,
I see elected officials. I see Members of Congress, and members
of the committee, but I also see the Georgia Aquarium, the
Detroit Zoo, and the Philadelphia Zoo, and the Happy Hollow Zoo
in San Jose. So it is a pleasure to be here and have the
opportunity to speak about the National Zoo.
Over the last 5 years, AZA-accredited institutions
supported more than 1,000 field conservation and research
projects that cost about $160 million annually, and our members
are operating those programs in over 100 countries. In the last
10 years, these accredited zoos and aquariums formally trained
more than 400,000 schoolteachers supporting science curricula
with effective teaching materials and hands-on experiences.
School field trips and programs annually connect more than 15
million students with the natural world. This is very
important, because a recent National Research Council study
found that people learn as much as 95 percent of their science
in informal settings such as AZA accredited zoos and aquariums.
At the heart of the AZA mission is the accreditation
process that we are here to talk about and focus on today,
which ensures that only those zoos and aquariums that meet the
highest standards can become members of AZA. In the past 40
years, hundreds of inspectors have devoted more than 200,000
hours to the accreditation process. The AZA accreditation
process is rigorous and unbiased. It is a lengthy evaluation
involving self-evaluation, onsite inspection, and peer review,
and it really has stood the test of time.
The standards are continuously evolving, getting stronger
as we learn more about the needs of the animals in our care.
Accreditation helps to develop public confidence through a
thorough, measured, and documented audit that establishes
whether an institution meets or exceeds current professional
standards and as established by the association.
This is accomplished by a periodic comprehensive review and
site inspection conducted by zoological experts in operations,
animal management, and veterinary medicine. Once granted, AZA
accreditation is a publicly recognized badge signifying
excellence in and commitment to animal management and welfare,
veterinary care, ethics, physical facilities, staffing,
conservation, education, safety and security, finance, and
support organizations. Conversely, denials of accreditation
should lead to improvements in identified areas and a
concurrent increase in cooperation and support from governing
bodies and other organizations.
Each institution that goes through accreditation does so
with the understanding that the process is confidential. In
keeping with that standard operating procedure, I want to
briefly describe how the overall AZA accreditation process
works.
First, we carefully select the Accreditation Commission
members who have the expertise to evaluate each zoo and
aquarium. These are experts and leaders in their field, have
been for many years. They are educated and experienced in zoo
and aquarium operations, animal management, and veterinary
medicine. There are 12 experts on the Accreditation Commission.
The commission evaluates every zoo and aquarium to make sure it
meets the highest standards for animal management and care,
including living environments, social groupings, health, and
nutrition. The commission also ensures that animals are
provided with enrichment which stimulates each animal's natural
behavior and provides variety in their daily routines. We
evaluate veterinary programs, their involvement in conservation
research, education programs and their safety policies and
procedures.
Because a zoo or aquarium needs a strong foundation in
order to continue to meet those high standards, we also look at
finances. We look at the operation of the governing authority
and any support organizations, such as the Friends of the Zoo.
Every candidate for accreditation fills out a detailed
questionnaire that is a self-evaluation process that comes to
professional staff in my organization, which reviews that and
comments on that. After the Accreditation Commission studies
that application, the team of inspectors visits the zoo or
aquarium in person. Each team includes at least one
veterinarian, along with animal and operations experts as well.
They produce a written and detailed report. The commission
meets twice a year to consider all of those candidates for
accreditation, and when they meet, the director of the
institution appears before the commission to answer questions
and resolve issues.
They examine the application, the supporting documents
submitted by the zoo or aquarium inspection team's report, and
any information received from outside individuals and
organizations, including U.S. Department of Agriculture and
often other Federal agencies that have had opportunities to
comment on the zoo.
The zoo and aquarium senior officials must appear before
that Accreditation Commission. Each zoo and aquarium must keep
up with these changes to remain AZA accredited. As I explained
to the gentleman at the table and other members of our
association, if you just keep doing what you are doing, 5 years
later you won't be accredited because the standards are
constantly evolving and constantly getting stronger.
I want to conclude by saying that the National Zoo is
highly respected within the AZA community and among the public
for its leadership in scientific research, its commitment to
conservation. It is unique among AZA-accredited zoos and
aquariums, as the chair mentioned, in that it truly belongs to
all Americans by virtue of being a member of the Smithsonian
family.
I also want to commend Dennis Kelly for his outstanding
leadership at the National Zoo. Dennis is a member of the AZA
Board of Directors as an expert voice on a range of issues,
particularly including conservation and safety. Dr. Monfort
also is a member of the association and is a leader in our
scientific endeavors and our science committees.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify on this important
matter. I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank
you very much.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
[The statement of Mr. Maddy follows:]
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The Chairman. I appreciate all of the witnesses, and I
think I will start with Dennis Kelly.
Mr. Kelly, I had the opportunity to visit the zoo with you
not too long ago, and it is just a remarkable place. And as we
mentioned at the outset, it is unique because the funding comes
from the Federal Government.
I am just wondering, do you think that changes your vision
for a zoo? I mean, if you were running a zoo that was not
federally financed, how does that change, perhaps, your master
plan and how you do things there at the zoo as well? And a two-
part question, because really showing the Bao Bao, and I am
glad you mentioned in your opening comments about Ford Motor
Company, a Michigan company who is very, very engaged. They are
sponsoring the panda exhibit. I know they just recently gave
you a new truck.
I just mention that as one of the many, many corporate
citizens and sponsors, donors the National Zoo, and average,
everyday citizens as well. And so really, even though you are
getting the money from the Federal Government, the amount of
money that you are raising privately is also really quite
remarkable and a tribute, I think, to the leadership that you
have exhibited at the zoo. So perhaps you could talk a little
bit about the financing part of that.
Mr. Kelly. Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair, for that question.
First, I have run another zoo, Zoo Atlanta, in the past.
And here, as in this role, I feel a particular responsibility
to each and every citizen of the United States, every taxpayer.
So the work we do is in cognition of it has to be as relevant
to the family in Rock Creek or in Cleveland Park, but it also
has to be relevant to families in Kansas and Hawaii and
California. And so our work is focused on science, it is
focused on conservation, it is focused on training the next
generation, as well as interpreting it to the visitors who come
to Washington and experience the zoo.
So every decision we make is in cognition that our owners
are every American citizen. In that regard, we reach out to
people like Ron Kagan at the Detroit Zoo and we cooperate with
him on his efforts. For example, you mentioned research on
gorilla heart disease, and that collaboration is very valuable.
We are collaborating with not just zoological colleagues, but
colleagues in China, for example, with direction of the State
Department and the Fish and Wildlife Service, to actually make
sure that there are more pandas like Bao Bao born.
Having said that, we are consciously aware of the fact that
we should and must leverage Federal resources, so
collaborations with great partners like Ford Motor Company,
like Microsoft, like the Coca-Cola Company, even international
companies potentially like international airlines that want to
build a presence, but also contribute to our mission, we find
those to be powerful and leveraging, and we think that is a
good way to use the taxpayer dollars. So you will see more of
that in the future--leveraging. And my colleagues at the San
Diego Zoo and Detroit Zoo are using the same strategies. But we
think it is a win-win for conservation. At the end of the day,
we all want to save species.
The Chairman. You know, you mentioned Microsoft, and that
also brought me back to something that you had mentioned, that
the zoo is the number one destination in D.C. for groups of
families with children. And just because of the webcam, the
panda-cam that has been such an incredible success, could you
just talk a little bit about how you are utilizing technology
to be able to enhance the experience for folks that just, you
know, can't afford to come to Washington, D.C.? But really,
again, a zoo is such a National treasure, how can we get that
kind of information out to teachers, teacher resources, or what
have you. Perhaps you could expand on that a bit.
Mr. Kelly. Great question. We are actually utilizing
Federal resources. So we have more critter cams than any other
zoological institution in the world. That is because of our
Federal support and Federal infrastructure. So panda-cam is
one. It is interesting that the very first critter cam was
actually the naked mole rat, and that is still today our----
The Chairman. The what?
Mr. Kelly. The naked mole rat. The naked mole rat is a
fascinating creature that we have been studying for years.
The Chairman. One of my personal favorites, I know.
Mr. Kelly. But the naked mole rat camera was the very first
one. But it is interesting because the naked mole rat lives to
be about 30 years old and it is one of the few species in which
cancer has never been detected. It lives its life underground,
it is a mammal, and yet we have never detected cancer. But that
camera is the way to tell that story. So collaborating with
people like Microsoft and Discovery Channel and Smithsonian
Channel is a way that we are building that awareness of
conservation.
And if my might, Mr. Maddy and AZA have done work with
Microsoft in a unique way, that, if I may, get him to explain
how Microsoft has partnered with accredited zoos.
The Chairman. Sure.
Mr. Maddy.
Mr. Maddy. We are actively involved with Microsoft now,
with a family-friendly game called Zoo Tycoon. The original
version of that, very popular, millions and millions of
families have purchased that and played that game. The zoo in
the game did not meet our accreditation standards, and so it
was a lot of fun over the last couple of years to work with
Microsoft engineers and others to redesign the game so that all
of the animal care practices, all of the animal welfare
practices, the veterinary care, and everything else in this
simulation actually simulates the best standards of animal care
and welfare as a learning tool. A lot of fun, and hopefully a
meaningful educational experience for millions of families.
The Chairman. Very good. I am sort of boring in on these
questions because, you know, we are here, we work here every
day and we see these fantastic facilities that we have here in
the Nation's Capital. And I come from southeast Michigan that
was number one in everything you didn't want to be number one
in during the very painful economic transition, and our kids
just can't afford to hardly get on a bus and come to a field
trip anymore. I use that as sort of an example of how we are,
in all of the Smithsonians, really trying to reach out around
the country and the world, really, to bring this experience.
And with that, and that is why I mentioned, I thought it
was worth noting, just saying that there is no fee for people
to come into the zoo. I think that is such an important thing.
And I would ask the next question to Dr. Monfort about
Front Royal, because I think you only open it to the public on
a very limited basis. I am not sure how often. But I know you
are thinking about opening it a bit more. And as you mentioned,
all of the Ph.D.s that you have there, and all the science and
research that is going on there, and I guess this is my
question. I am assuming that one of the reasons it is not open
to the public more is because you think it might impact in some
way your work, your very important work that you are doing
there. So what is your thought going forward on having any more
public availability to go there, or again, using electronic
access to be able to really open it up as much as you possibly
can?
Dr. Monfort. That is a great question.
First of all, the facility is very unique in that we are a
science-based facility, so the structures that we build are
built for functionality, for the ability to do naturalistic
breeding. Animals that need herd setups can be in herds or
social groupings. Or in order to conduct science, we have
special facilities that are built just for, say, carnivores, or
for hoofed animals, for example. In many cases those research
projects are being conducted in a way that having a lot of
visitation might disturb the research that is going on.
Having said that, we do work very hard to try and open our
facility when it is possible. One of the ways we have done that
is through our new partnerships. So when we did our master plan
about 7 or 8 years ago, we created partnership zones, and the
idea, the result of that ended up being initially our
partnership with George Mason University, and now we have a
school there which attracts, you know, quite a number of people
that come there for both undergraduate education and
professional continuing education, but also for holding special
events, and things of that nature.
We have a new partnership with NEON, which is the National
Ecological Observatory Network, and so we are one of only 20
core sites in the United States, part of that program where
they are collecting information on the ecology of North
America. So that is also attracting a lot of new collaborators
and new people.
And our master plan does include having a small visitor
center there. And first thing I would say, if you haven't been,
please come. We would love to show it off to you. It is a
really fascinating facility. It was a calvary remount station
back in the early 1900s, so it has some really great history.
And there are people that want to come in and learn about the
history, they want to learn about the programs we are doing,
and we think we can do that with some guided tours. We do
actually provide guided tours by docents now. And so we are
working to open it up, but we want to maintain the core
mission, which is science, and make sure that whatever we do to
open it up doesn't interfere with that primary mission.
The Chairman. Okay. I am glad you mentioned about the
docents. That is one of the things that I found certainly at
the zoo, at all of the Smithsonians, at the Library of
Congress, or whatever. Before I came to this job actually, I
was the official historian of Michigan and we had the
historical center in downtown Lancing. I am going to tell you,
we could never have run that operation and they can't today
without the volunteers and without the docents. It is just
remarkable the passion that these folks feel and how great they
get at their jobs, and they do a wonderful job.
Just my last question. I know I am a little over my time
here. But to Mr. Maddy, just listening to you go through as you
mentioned the very lengthy, rather exhaustive accreditation
process that your organization has, and does anyone ever lose
their accreditation? Maybe you don't want to mention anyone
specifically, it would seem like that would be an uncommon
thing, but yet going through that kind of, as I say, an
exhaustive process that you have, certainly some people
probably just--some organizations, facilities, just don't make
it.
Mr. Maddy. Yes. Unfortunately, it is--well, fortunately it
is rigorous, and it is every 5 years. Being accredited isn't
forever. It is until the next accreditation inspection and
review process.
But, yes, the Accreditation Commission meets every 6
months, roughly. They hear on average 25 cases each time they
meet. That is roughly 50 a year. And typically in a year there
will be institutions whose accreditation is suspended for a
year, we call that tabling, because there are outstanding
concerns that have not been fully addressed. And from time to
time institutions are not, even with a year's grace, are not
able to overcome those concerns and they do lose their
accreditation.
The Chairman. Thank you very much.
I recognize the ranking member, Mr. Brady.
Mr. Brady. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
First of all, for full disclosure, I always wanted to be a
director of the zoo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. But I would
be doing it a little bit differently. I would have my khaki
uniform, with my short pants and the crop, the camouflage Jeep,
and I would have an animal with me everywhere I go. I don't
know whether it would be that naked rat, but a cub or whatever,
because every time I see, like, our director of the zoo, or not
necessarily him, but a lot of the people that work at the zoo,
they always have a cub or something. That is a great promo. I
mean, nothing better than that, than the show and tell.
And the only time I leave my office to vote or go to the
hearings on this committee or other committees is when there is
zoo day. And I go over there, and the last time I saw the
little chimpanzee and they had the lion cub. I mean, that is a
great promo. You ought to think about that, or maybe you need
an assistant, you know, at the end of my life here. It seems
the only uniform you guys have here is beards, which is fine. I
could grow a beard.
But I just got a couple of little questions. We had that
terrible problem with the deaths of the animals and somebody
had mentioned early on that it might have been budgetary. But I
also hear it wasn't budgetary. They wanted to blame it on the
sequester, whatever. But it was maybe administrative issues.
Have we addressed that? I mean, can you tell me, you know?
Mr. Kelly. Yes, sir. We have, like every agency, are
responsible for managing our resources as carefully as
possible. I made decisions to make sure we stay within our
budget and made a number of cuts that didn't impact frontline
animal care. And it was as we were raising more money, but we
want to be as lean an operation as possible. So I actually,
after having arrived 4 years ago, I reduced staff in
administration, in communications, in various departments. I
have never cut frontline staff.
Having said that, the budget that we have now provides for
us to continue having great animal care and grow our basis.
Budget uncertainty is the worst thing in running an institution
like ours, and now that we have budget certainty we can move
forward and build upon that basis. I would also add that, you
know, I am close to the Philadelphia Zoo. I take great advice
from your director, Vic Dewan. I consider him a----
Mr. Brady. Don't tell him I want to be the director,
please. He won't let me back.
Mr. Kelly. I am afraid the secret is out. But Vic is a
great example of what we are emulating, is to build upon a
strong Federal base and utilize selling of more stuffed panda
bears and carousel rides, and plow that back in such a way that
we can support the research mission going forward and actually
leverage it.
Mr. Brady. Mr. Maddy, you mentioned something about the
Department of Agriculture. They did a test. They gave us a
clean bill of health in the zoo prior to those animals' deaths,
you know, the problem that we had with the animals that were
killed. I mean, did they miss something?
Mr. Maddy. No, I don't think so. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture inspects 3,000 facilities that display animals for
the public to see, and it is not the multiple-personnel,
multiple-day kind of inspections. It is a different kind of
inspection. But, no, I don't think they missed something here,
because the conditions under which the National Zoo is holding
and caring for its animals, it meets our standards, it meets
USDA standards. But there is mortality in the collection every
day because it is a living collection.
Mr. Brady. Thank you. One last question. I have a major
peeve with our zoo. We lost our elephants. You walk into the
Philadelphia Zoo, you see a great big sculpture of an elephant,
but we don't have any elephants. I have four grandchildren. Two
of them saw elephants. The other two, being younger, won't get
a chance in Philadelphia to see my elephants. I want to come
down and let them see the elephants in your zoo.
I would imagine that was an area issue, we weren't big
enough to have them. I think we sent them out to Arizona, you
know. You have, like, four of them now, right?
Mr. Kelly. Yes, sir. We have four elephants, and we are
actually taking on three more that are being transferred to us
from the Calgary Zoo, all with private funding. The important
thing is every zoo, every well-run, accredited zoo needs to
make choices and decisions about the animals that they can care
for best. At your Smithsonian National Zoo we made a decision
almost a decade ago that we were going to focus on a species
that needed help, Asian elephants, so we committed a lot of
resources, a lot of taxpayer resources and private resources
and land to build a world-class Asian elephant facility.
Meanwhile, we decided not to be the polar bear
conservation, in the polar bear business, but Philadelphia Zoo
is, and so that is an example of the tradeoff that we make. I
think Vic Dewan is making and the board of the Philadelphia Zoo
are making those tough decisions, but that doesn't preclude
elephants from coming back to Philadelphia when the right space
and the right time--
Mr. Brady. Yeah, we are looking to enlarge, you know.
Again, I want to bring the two grandchildren who never saw a
live elephant, I want to bring them down here to see them. When
I visited your zoo a few years ago they brought me back to see
the elephants and there was a mother and a daughter and a bull.
You can't get near the bull. You know, nobody can get near the
male elephant. And they brought us into this room and we went
back there and they sat us there, and here they came.
Well, the first thing I did was look for the exit. They are
massive. They are magnificent animals. So I would like to see
us get them back, but meanwhile you get another customer to
come to your zoo.
Thank you all. Thank you.
The Chairman. Thank the gentleman. And just before we go to
Mr. Vargas, we had the same thing at the Detroit Zoo with our
elephants. Well, our director made the decision, you know, they
were standing on concrete so many hours in the day. They were
getting arthritis in their legs and all these different kinds
of things. And it was very traumatic for the community when we
lost our elephants, but we understood the decision that he
made. So as you say, the directors have to make their
decisions.
The chair recognizes Mr. Vargas from California.
Mr. Vargas. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I appreciate
it. Come to San Diego. We have them all. We have the elephants.
We have the polar bears. We have naked rats and mice. In fact,
all our animals are naked. We don't have the naked guy. That
guy is in New York.
I am very much in favor of zoos. I have lived in New York,
and they have the Bronx Zoo, which is a magnificent zoo also.
And I have been to your zoo here, which is magnificent. And of
course we have the best one, the world famous San Diego Zoo,
which really is--it is a jewel in San Diego. We love it. It is
fantastic. We also have the wild animal parks.
Mr. Brady. Excuse me. Philadelphia has the first zoo.
Mr. Vargas. And a wonderful zoo.
And my daughters--in fact, you have a beautiful picture
here I want to make sure I share with her--I have a 10-year-old
daughter and a 17-year-old. My 10-year old loves the giraffe,
and we have a picture at home of my wife and I actually feeding
the giraffes at the wild animal park. We had a chance to do
that a number of years ago.
And I thought it was outrageous what the Copenhagen Zoo
did. You know, it certainly struck a chord I think in
everybody's heart around the world that sees these animals as
gentle giants. And then how they did it. They dissected it in
front of children and fed it to these lions. And no disrespect
to the lions. In fact, some of those lions lost their lives in
a very inglorious way themselves.
I know that the Europeans have a different view than we do
with respect to the purity of lions and animals and they didn't
want to have inbreeding going on. Of course, there are other
ways to do that. There are contraceptives that they can use
with the animals. There are ways that they can move them so
they don't have to kill the animals.
But I have to say, I mean, it just seemed outrageous what
they did. Could you comment on that? My daughter was so upset
about that: Are they going to do that to our giraffes? And I
assured her that they wouldn't do it, and I hope that my
assurances are correct. I mean, in San Diego, I have to tell
you, I am confident in San Diego we wouldn't do that. We
wouldn't do that. The outcry would be absolutely outrageous, so
many of us that belong to the zoological society there would be
absolutely outraged. We wouldn't allow that to happen.
Mr. Kelly. And you are correct. In fact, we have a written
policy at your Smithsonian National Zoo, I approve every
euthanasia. And we do euthanize animals when they are
suffering, just as you would your dog or your cat. It is our
written policy, and I would never approve at Smithsonian
National Zoo that we would euthanize an animal for population
management purposes as was done at the Copenhagen Zoo.
You are exactly correct. In Copenhagen and in that part of
Europe they have a different philosophy about how to manage
animals. It is based in science, but it is against our culture
to use that same policy. And in fact at the National Zoo we do
use contraception, we do use social separation as a way to
manage that.
You mentioned in the early part of the hearing that they
could have sent those animals to other zoos. There were other
zoos in Europe that offered to take them, and the director
chose not to take that option. I can't get in his head. I know
him, but I don't know why he didn't take that option.
Mr. Vargas. That is something that I have never seen it
here in the United States. That is something that I imagine
wouldn't happen. We also have, for good or ill, we do have also
reserves or areas where people take animals. I mean, people
unfortunately have wild animals in their homes, and every so
often they are discovered and they are taken from them and they
are put in these places where they preserve them. I mean, we
wouldn't do this, right, we wouldn't go around trying to figure
out how to kill these animals for no reason? Are there any zoos
in the United States that would follow the Copenhagen model?
Can anyone answer that?
Mr. Maddy. Not that I am aware of.
Mr. Vargas. Not that you are aware of.
Okay. I mean, it is interesting because zoos are
controversial, as everything is. We had a very wealthy
individual in San Diego donate a lot of money to the
university, at one of the universities, to set up a school for
engineers, and someone criticized him for that. So I know now
that whatever you do it will be criticized. I mean, this is his
philanthropy, and he was criticized for it. So everything is
controversial in my opinion now.
That being said, zoos I think are wonderful places where
children learn about animals, to respect them, respect nature.
They are willing later on to make sacrifices themselves, to
give money to preserve animals in the wild, also to preserve
them through zoos. I think they are wonderful places. But to
have this sort of thing happen I think sets us all back, and I
hope that within your groups as you speak among your peers that
that word would get out to others, that I think it was very
damaging to zoos around the world.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
The Chairman. Thank you all very much for coming. The zoo
is a fantastic thing. And, you know, as has been mentioned and
I appreciate the questions, the very insightful questions about
sometimes we hear about the death of the animals. And I was
just reading an article that appeared here today, the headline
is, ``Why are baby animals dying at the National Zoo.'' But
when you read the article, it is not anywhere really as what
the headline is really saying. Here is the one line here. ``The
national kingdom is a rough, brutal, and fatal place even in
controlled environments like zoos and even for species that are
cute and cuddly.''
And I mentioned to you that I had the great opportunity of
having Dr. Murray, your chief veterinarian, on my cable show
last week, and she was talking about the bear sloths, where the
mother bear had ate, was it one or two of the--two? But she
mentioned to me if this was in nature, all of them would have
been gone.
So it really is for us, I think, to keep reminding folks of
the kind of business that you are in, and sometimes these
sensational stories, we have to put them in perspective. But I
certainly appreciate your comment about the Copenhagen Zoo.
And just one other issue that I thought was sort of--when I
came to visit you last, it was just several days after you had
recaptured Rusty the red panda. Talking about social media,
that had to be the biggest social media event going on in
Washington, D.C., when Rusty escaped. And so I now know how
Rusty got out of his enclosure, because if you go there, along
the back is all this real high, black bamboo, and they
theorized that there was a real heavy rain the day he got out
and the black bamboo must have come down a little. Man, that
thing saw his way out, and he was gone. They finally picked him
up in Dupont Circle or somewhere. He was off.
The amount of hits that you had, somebody said there were
30 million hits about where is Rusty the red panda. It was on
all the national talk shows. I just mentioned that in closing
because I think that was a very vivid demonstration, indicative
of how the people certainly of Washington, D.C., and our
Nation's Capital and throughout our country feel about our
National Zoo and our zoos and what a national treasure they are
and how important it is. And before I close I see Mr. Maddy
waving his finger.
Mr. Maddy. Just very quickly, Madam Chair. Thank you. And I
will take you back to the comments of Mr. Brady at the
beginning. Zoo Day this year is in late May. We will be in the
Rayburn House Office Building. We will be downstairs in the
courtyard, in the cafeteria. I would guess that if last year is
any guide there will be several thousand of your colleagues and
your staff there enjoying a wildlife experience in an unusual
way, and we hope that all of you will join us then.
The Chairman. Well, thank you for reminding us of that
certainly, and I know Mr. Brady will be there in his khaki
shorts and his outfit, with his whip there. So he will be
ready.
At any rate, we thank you so much. This committee looks
forward to continuing to work with the zoo, of course the
entire Smithsonian. So if there are issues that you would like
to talk to us about or other ways that this committee can, as
we are exercising our oversight responsibilities, help amplify
a very positive message as well, that is part of our
jurisdiction and our desire as well.
And so without objection, all members will have 5
legislative days to submit to the chair additional written
questions for the witnesses if there are any so that they can
be made part of the record.
And with that, the hearing is adjourned. Thank you.
[Whereupon, at 11:42 a.m., the committee was adjourned.]