AR-News: (US) HI AZA weighs in on Rusti and the Honolulu Zoo

[cathy goeggel]

      Saturday, April 24, 2004

      http://starbulletin.com/2004/04/24/news/index11.html


        Orangutan deal
        raises concerns

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        By Diana Leone
        dleone at starbulletin.com
        The city is still trying to work out plans to move Rusti the
orangutan to the Honolulu Zoo more than two months after Mayor Jeremy Harris
made the announcement.

        Because of the delay, plans to break ground on a new habitat for
Rusti this summer are behind schedule, said Sherry Broder, a Honolulu
attorney working for the Orangutan Foundation International, Rusti's owner.

        The latest wrinkle is a letter to Harris from the American Zoo and
Aquarium Association noting that the proposed agreement between the city and
the Orangutan Foundation conflicts with the association's accreditation
standards for zoos.

        Mary Healy, chairwoman of the association's accreditation
commission, wrote Harris on March 31 that several aspects of the city's
agreement with the Orangutan Foundation give it, rather than the city zoo
director, authority over management decisions for Rusti. That, she wrote,
"may place the zoo's accreditation in jeopardy."

        Healy also noted that proposed funding of $200,000 for a new
enclosure for Rusti does not appear to be adequate.

        "Our intent is to assist the Honolulu Zoo in maintaining the
standards of excellence required to be a member of the elite group of 214
zoos and aquariums accredited by AZA," Healy wrote.

        Yesterday, city Managing Director Ben Lee wrote Healy, saying, "We
believe the arrangement referenced (between the city and the Orangutan
Foundation) is consistent with AZA guidelines and does not conflict with
accreditation standards."

        That statement has not been completed yet, Broder said.

        A month ago, the City Council's Parks Committee postponed accepting
the Orangutan Foundation's gift of a new enclosure for Rusti because of
questions:


          » Why the city's proposed agreement eliminates liability for the
Orangutan Foundation and its employees for any injuries or damage caused by
Rusti if a foundation employee makes a mistake that leads to an escape or
problem.
          » Whether a provision in the agreement allowing a foundation
collection box by Rusti's cage would violate Kapiolani Park Trust rules
against commercial activity in the park, which includes the zoo.

          » What would happen if a proper enclosure for Rusti cannot be
built for the $200,000 specified in the agreement.

          » Why a proposed Orangutan Foundation sanctuary on the Big Island
was never built.