Zoo reopens contentious pet-a-stingray exhibit

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This article was published 03/07/2019 (2281 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Assiniboine Park Zoo has reopened its Stingray Beach exhibit despite calls the feature be permanently closed.

After animal activists decrying the exhibit demonstrated Sunday at the zoo, Winnipeg Humane Society CEO Javier Schwersensky joined in by posting a missive Wednesday on his CEO blog, and emailing the Assiniboine Park Conservancy, asking that the zoo close it permanently, but the zoo resumed the exhibit on Tuesday.

The exhibit was temporarily closed last week after three of its 27 stingrays died and another three were injured during natural, aggressive mating behaviour.

“We would like the Assiniboine Park Conservancy to permanently close the exhibit, and we would like for the owners and sponsors of the exhibition to stop travelling the show. It’s not fair to these creatures, what they’re doing,” Schwersensky said in an interview.

“They have a very capable team at the zoo; we consider the zoo a friend and they do wonderful work….It hurts us to criticize an organization that we admire, and the people that work there are great. This is just not a good idea. We are an animal welfare organization, and we need to say something about it.

“We were really concerned about the exhibit when we saw that 10 per cent of the population died, and they are having such a struggle.”

The exhibit, which opened in May, allows visitors to reach into a shallow pool to touch and feed the animals. The barbs, stingrays’ natural defence mechanism, have been clipped so they can’t hurt people.

The zoo has stated the show will go on.

“We respect the work of the Winnipeg Humane Society, but do not agree with their position regarding the Stingray Beach exhibit and the role of modern zoos or the manner in which they chose to advance it,” zoo spokeswoman Laura Cabak said in an emailed statement. “The new Stingray Beach exhibit provides us with an important opportunity to expand our conservation messaging to include the health and well-being of our oceans, while offering a positive, interactive experience for our visitors.”

Schwersensky said exhibit forces the stingrays into large-scale human interaction when there is “zero evidence that they enjoy it.”

“You cannot just leap to the conclusion that stingrays like to be petted. The science is not there,” he said, noting the Smithsonian Institute has been studying stingray migration patterns for the past two years and found cownose rays travel 2,000 kilometres every year.

“It’s stressful enough for any of these species to be in captivity in regular tanks but to add the additional stress of the travelling and thousands of hands touching them; wildlife, they do not really want to interact with humans.”

Chris Enright, the zoo’s director of veterinary services, said last week the injured rays are recovering and there’s no indication that human touch contributed to the rays’ rough behaviour. He said the water temperature in the pool and the rays’ exposure to light has been reduced so the animals will think mating season is over.

Schwersensky said the stingrays are being exhibited for human entertainment under a guise that it’s educational.

“We have the technology now, in which we can simulate and be immersed in their natural habitat,” Schwersensky said, referring to virtual reality and 3D experiences. “This is not really required.”

Cabak said the zoo is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which involves regular reviews.

“Our animal care and veterinary team members are highly trained professionals who are passionate about animal care and conservation,” she stated.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca