Basel zoo maintains security policy after rhino incident

Basel Zoo no longer wants to present itself with caged enclosures Keystone-SDA

Basel Zoo will not change its security policy after a visitor climbed into the rhino enclosure last month.

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The zoo is persisting with its middle course between fencing off enclosures and providing an open presentation of the animal world.

“Basel zoo is a safe facility,” said director Olivier Pagan during a tour that led from the giant kangaroos and pelicans to the rhinos. An incident involving the latter on February 17 attracted a lot of attention.

A man had climbed into the rhino enclosure, stroked the mighty bull and then made his way to the outdoor enclosure of the two rhino cows. He had stayed in the enclosure for “a few minutes” until an animal keeper managed to persuade the apparently mentally disturbed man to leave the enclosure.

The animals did not react aggressively, said Pagan. But the intruder was lucky that the two young animals had already left the Basel Zoo. The fact that a mother’s protective instinct can have serious consequences was demonstrated in 1990 when a woman was killed trying to stroke a young animal.

No tightening of safety measures

Following the incident, Basel Zoo has not changed its safety precautions for the time being. When the rhino enclosure was last renovated in 2006, the barriers had already been raised, said Pagan. To ensure the highest possible level of safety, the zoo would have to return to the caged enclosures of the early days, and that was not what they wanted.

However, this means that it is not possible to completely prevent visitors from entering the enclosure, even if it involves some effort. With 99.9% of visitors, however, you can rely on their good sense.

On the other hand, certain animals have or would have the opportunity to escape. A giant kangaroo, for example, could easily jump over the four-metre-wide moat.

However, the animals have no desire to leave their familiar and perceived safe territory and enter the perceived unsafe world of humans, said Pagan.

However, the tour of the zoo also revealed an exception that proves the rule. For the last time in the winter season, the penguins, accompanied by many visitors, had set off for a relaxed walk outside their enclosure.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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