please feel free to follow along:

An Analysis of Dr. Susan Cork & Dr. David Abraham’s report entitled

“Review of tuberculosis control measures used at the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)

Sanctuary, San Andreas, California”

Please feel free to follow along:• Links to Dr. Cork and Dr. Abraham Report

(submitted to Toronto City Council by Councillor Michelle Berardinetti on November 27, 2012):

Part 1: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/cc/comm/communicationfile-33606.pdf

Part 2: http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2012/cc/comm/communicationfile-33635.pdf

Letter From University of Calgary

This letter is dated November 27, 2012. The day of the Council

Meeting. No time for the councillors to read the report

The report was commissioned by Zoocheck

Canada

There should be a cover letter to Zoocheck included. Where is it?

Executive Summary – Page 3Dr. Cork and Dr.

Abraham were allowed to visit the PAWS

facility and EVEN view the quarantined

elephants. The staff from the Toronto Zoo

were denied access to 3 of the 5 barns and

denied a second visit.

The current vet keeps comprehensive

records. Why haven’t they been shared with

the Toronto Zoo?

Toronto Zoo Staff

visit report

From a Toronto Star article by Donovan Vincent (May 27, 2012)

“California elephant sanctuary official says no to second planned site visit by Toronto Zoo officials”

Executive Summary – Page 3The report says that the PAWS vet has made every “effort” to follow the guidelines.

The report states that some additional biosecurity measures could be considered. It says quite clearly that it is hard to quantify the tuberculosis transmission risk or to predict the consequences of exposure. This is exactly what the report from the Toronto Zoo vet says.

From Attachment 3 of the “Supplementary report from the Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Zoo on the Elephant Transfer Due Diligence

Review”

Excerpt from the Letter Written by Michelle Miller, DVM, PhD (AZA Elephant Taxon Advisory Group Veterinarian Advisor) to Dr. Graham Crawshaw from

August 11, 2012.

Background – Page 3-4Goats are

periodically brought onto

the property to clear vegetation.

Do they have contact with the

elephants? Could they be exposed to the

Asian elephants, then the African

elephants?

Goats are also carriers of tuberculosis. Studies have been done which indicate TB can be transmitted and contracted via shared

Grazing areas.

Background – Page 4

This report says that elephants undergo a quarantine period of 30 days. Emails show Toronto Zoo elephants are to be put in the same barn as the

current elephants right away. NO QUARANTINE.Ruby was only quarantined for ten days during

which time she was able to access the other resident elephants.

Photographic evidence shows that the elephants at PAWS are frequently handled with free contact and that

handlers walk freely in their enclosures.

Introduction – Page 5

Tuberculosis can be potentially spread via fomites such as bedding, food or

water sources or feces

Introduction – Page 5

Section 4 - Page 6

It is a myth that AZA facilities do not adhere to USDA standards

Section 4 – Page 7Four out of eight

elephants (50%) are currently in quarantine

for tuberculosis.

The closest point between the African

and Asian elephants is 40 ft.

The risk of transmission by fomites and the oro-

fecal route has not been considered

significant, even though it is a possibility.

One of the Asian females is trunk-wash TB positive, one is Stat-Pak and MAPIA reactive and one is NEGATIVE ON ALL TESTS and yet is housed with

the TB-positive one.

Table 1 – Page 8Wanda does not react to the Stat-Pak and yet she is housed with the

TB-positive Annie.

Annie has been at PAWS since 1995 and was found to be TB-

positive in 2012. Either she caught TB there or it was

allowed to “flare up”. Both cases are negligent.

Annie currently has the same stand of TB that was present in

Rebecca at necropsy.

Rebecca and Sabu had tuberculosis, confirmed at

necropsy.

The report says that seven elephants were necropsied even

though eight elephants have died. The list of dead elephants includes a

mysterious “African Male”...Would Dr. Cork make the error of referring to Ruby as an African Male?

One of the two elephants who had evidence of TB at necropsy was housed with the current female

Asian elephants.

The elephant AsFX1 (Rebecca) died in January 2011. Why was

her necropsy performed in November 2011?

Sabu was trunk wash negative in 2010 but

reactive to the Stat-Pak and MAPIA tests in

2011.

The NVSL report suggests that “further

infection may have also occurred during

contact at the facility”

Positive blood test = presumptive positive TB case.

The Toronto Zoo elephants are not reactive to either the Stat-

Pak or the MAPIA.

NOTE: Group 1 means NO

EXPOSURE TO POSITIVE ELEPHANT IN PAST 12

MONTHS

Table 2 – Page 12

How can this elephant be

considered group 1?! She is housed with a TB-positive

elephant....

The attending vet

at PAWS is present only two

days a week.

Elephants are brought into the barn during

the evening and inclement weather. It

is a myth that elephants at PAWS are in their pasture

24/7.

Annie is “undergoing training to facilitate treatment” and “the best option WILL be selected by the PAWS veterinarian”. This implies that although Annie has been trunk-wash TB positive for

approximately eight months, PAWS is not treating her.

Although it is possible for TB to be spread by fomites such as food dishes

and clothing, PAWS is not using designated coveralls for quarantine

areas of the facility. WHY?

The flooring in the Asian barns is difficult to disinfect.

The hazard of tuberculosis is present in at least one of the quarantined group of female elephants and this could serve as a

source of infection for OTHER ELEPHANTS, HUMANS AND THE ENVIRONMENT.

17

Every effort should be made to

mitigate any risks – such as NOT SENDING

HEALTHY ELEPHANTS

THERE

There is potential for exposure of

other elephants to the TB

hazard

Additional biosecurity

measures are recommended

by Cork and Abraham that

are not currently used by PAWS

If wildlife that dies on PAWS property is necropsied, why was is so “unreasonable” for the Toronto Zoo to request this information?

PAWS does necropsy

reports on all animals that die on their property.

Why does Councillor

Berardinetti claim is it “something

they ‘CAN’T’ do”?

Sounds like something they ‘WON’T’ do.

Article from Toronto Star by Linda Diebel (May 3, 2012)

The risk of current and new elephants being

exposed to tuberculosis is

NOT NEGLIGIBLE.

The residual risk remaining after

mitigation measures have

been put in place depends on what will happen in the future. Who can

predict that? Why take the risk at

all?The likelihood of exposure to TB is not negligible at PAWS and the consequences are hard to predict. This is the same conclusion made by the Toronto Zoo vet

The last inspection of PAWS by the USDA was in April 2012. This implies that an inspection of the facility has not be completed since one of the elephants had a positive trunk-wash. Maybe another inspection is in order?

Appendix 2A

Large areas of this table are

“blacked out”. Where is this information?

Why is the table cut off at

the side? Information is

missing.

Why are some trunk-wash results

from April 2012 still

“pending”?

Annie was trunk wash positive in

APRIL 2012

Appendix 2A, 2B, 3ALarge areas of this table are

“blacked out”. Where is this information?

Why is the table cut off at

the side? Information is

missing.

Why were tests “not done” on

Annie in May 2010?

Gyspy was not reactive to the

MAPIA test in May 2010 but was

reactive in June 2011

Appendix 3B & 4

Both elephants who were reactive to the Stat-Pak and MAPIA were

tuberculosis positive at necropsy

Why is the table cut off at the side? Information is missing.

Please do your own research!!• Link to Dr Cork Report and Info from Zoo CEO and zoo vet:

http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2012.EX24.30

• Link to Toronto Star article – May 27, 2012http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1201433--

california-elephant-sanctuary-official-nixes-second-planned-site-visit-by-toronto-zoo-officials

• Link to Toronto Star article – May 3, 2012http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1172136--zoo-s-

demand-to-sanctuary-could-be-an-elephant-sized-deal-breaker

please feel free to follow along:

Documents

toronto zoo elephants

african elephants

asian elephants

current elephants

quarantined elephants

toronto zoo vet

toronto zoo staff

resident elephants