Loss of Bison At ZooAmerica

September 8, 2011 in Uncategorized | by katiezoo

As many of you know, today has been a very difficult day at ZooAmerica. First and foremost, the Zoo staff cares deeply about the safety and well-being of the animals in their care, and truly considers them members of their extended families.

Today the Zoo experienced unprecedented flooding, more than we experienced with Hurricane Ivan or any other severe weather event in the company’s memory.

The Zoo team began flood preparation two days ago by moving all animals to higher ground. Recognizing the likelihood of serious flooding, the team activated our animal evacuation plan at noon today to ensure that the animals were out of harm’s way. This plan has been in place and effective in all other weather-related emergencies that the Zoo has experienced.

Unfortunately, no one could anticipate a weather event that went from inches of rain to feet of flooding in a matter of a few short minutes. While we were able to ensure the safety of the vast majority of the animals in the Zoo, flood waters rose too quickly in the area occupied by two of the Zoo’s bison and we were not able to rescue them.

Faced with the prospect of watching the extended suffering of the bison and their eventual death due to drowning, the Zoo staff chose the most humane path possible and euthanized the bison.

This is a very sad day for us, as we’ve built strong bonds with all the animals in our care. We can tell you that each of us feels this loss very deeply.

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September 8, 2011 at 3:23 am

Anonymous

So sorry for your loss. I know it wasn’t an easy decision, but a very humane one. The flooding everywhere is just terrible.

September 8, 2011 at 3:25 am

Anonymous

I hope that what you are posting is the truth. I have a family that has really enjoyed the zoo animals and am greatly angered to see what I did on this evenings news. You have no business having animals if you cannot care for them in any type of situation. To put up black tarps along the fences says bad things about the operations of the zoo. It is your duty to this community to come out with all the details of what went on.

September 8, 2011 at 3:27 am

EJ Gabriel

We grieve with you for their loss. Many of us have visited the zoo and have seen the animals and their presence made us smile. We pray that Hershey Zoo America Administration will honor the lives of these animals by working on having stronger preparedness plans in place for all animals. We understand that this was a true flash flood, but animals must never be trapped again. Hershey has the resources, we the public who visit, especially the local public, send our sympathies to the people who were given the privilege of being caretakers of these precious animals.

September 8, 2011 at 3:36 am

Anonymous

It seems that if there were exhibits next to a creek that had a history of flooding that there would have been a flood protocol in place or at the very least, up to date exhibits that wouldn’t serve as death traps in case of an emergency. I’ve always wondered why a multi-million dollar company never invested greatly in one of its greatest treasures; the animals that they keep in their care.

September 8, 2011 at 3:36 am

Anonymous

How many days does it take to move two bison out of an exhibit that’s known to flood?

September 8, 2011 at 3:42 am

Anonymous

In response to the Anonymous posting – shame on you for subscribing to the slanted sensationalism of mainstream media.
Give the folks that have dedicated their lives to the care and well-being of these animals the credit for doing their very best to care for them.
The circumstances were unfortunate and unexpected…..much like most natural disasters.

September 8, 2011 at 3:42 am

Debbie

I’m sure they did there best to protect ALL the animals to the best of their abilities and resourses, yes they should have had better ways of protecting them, but give them a break, they def didn’t do it on purpose. I mean come on, weather comes in many shapes and sizes, some are expected and some ARE NOT. So if a horrific storm comes your way and rips your roof off, should we talk trash on you because you should of been better prepared. Come on now people, give them a break. I’m sure they are grieving the loss of such beautiful animals as well.

September 8, 2011 at 3:52 am

Anonymous

OH PLEEEEZE! IT WAS NOT AN UNEXPECTED OCCURANCE!!!!! THEY HAD PLENTY OF WARNING!!!! IT’S BEEN RAINING INCHES FOR DAYS NOW! THE NEWS FORCAST FLASH FLOODING! ARE YOU GUYS PUBLIC RELATION PEEPS FOR ZOO AMERICA? DISGUSTING!

September 8, 2011 at 3:58 am

BA Dressler

My heartfelt prayers go out to the entire staff who has to go through this tragic loss, I grieve with you. Being one who enjoys all types of animals, it breaks my heart when this kind of event happens. Also, being a life-long resident of Cumberland & Dauphin Counties, I’ve enjoyed many visits to Zoo America, and have had the opportunity to take many pictures of the animals. I hope, as EJ stated, that the Zoo Administration will honor the lives of the animals lost by working on stronger preparedness plans to ensure that no other animals perish.

September 8, 2011 at 4:00 am

Anonymous

This is a horrible consequence for not being prepared to care for these animals in an emergency situation. No caged animal should have to be trapped to it’s death! There was time and help available, Flash flood warnings were out for two days before this afternoon, no exuses for these poor animals suffering. I’m sure your reputation will be ruined by foolish and very poor judgement. Luanne

September 8, 2011 at 4:01 am

Anonymous

OH PLEEEEZE! IT’S BEEN RAINING INCHES FOR DAYS AND THE NEWS HAS BEEN WARNING THE AREA ABOUT FLASH FLOODING! ARE YOU PEOPLE PUBLIC RELATIONS TRYING TO SMOOTH THINGS OVER? THE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD ANIMALS WILL NOT LET THIS GO! FOR HERSHEY TO SAY SOME APOLOGETIC DRIBBLE ABOUT NOT REALIZING WHAT THE FLASH FLOOD WOULD DO…WHEN THEIR ANIMALS ARE IN PERIL NEXT TO A CREEK…ESPECIALLY SINCE WE’VE BEEN HAVING RECORD RAINFALL…IS JUST SHOWING HOW STUPID THE HIGHER UPS WERE IN THEIR IDIOTIC DECISIONS TO NOT PUT ALL THE ANIMALS OUT OF HARMS WAY. THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE ANIMALS IF THEY CAN NOT PROVIDE FOR THEIR SAFETY. THIS IS NOT SOME ROOF BEING TORN OFF…THIS WAS AN ONGOING EVENT OF STEADY MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL THAT COULD NOT BE ABSORBED BY DRY LAND…THIS WAS INEVITABLE!!!!!

September 8, 2011 at 4:03 am

Jesse

I completely agree, this zoo is basically built in a trench with a creek running through it. I have been to this zoo many times and know that especially the buffalo had no higher ground to go to. When you have animals in cages you need to take care of them because they are no longer capable of taking care of themselves or escaping danger on their own. It has been raining for days, with more forecasted, and I just can’t imagine how this could happen.. weather forecasters couldn’t have given any more warning! Once the waters began rising they should have been moved out, no such thing as not enough time. This situation makes me feel sad and angry and sick all at the same time… I love visiting this zoo and I am so upset by this. I honestly see no justification for what has occurred.

September 8, 2011 at 4:06 am

Anonymous

This is a horrible consequence for not being prepared for an emergency situation. No animal should have to be trapped to it’s death.Flash flooding warnings were out for two days before this afternoon. There was time and help available,no excuses! I’m sure your reputation is ruined and that’s a shame for Hershey

September 8, 2011 at 4:09 am

Chip

This incident demands an inquiry by authorities and an explanation on the internet just isnt going to do it. Shocking, pathetic and inexpicable is all I can say. In the end Im sure the necessary corporate powers will get a pass.

September 8, 2011 at 4:13 am

Kelly

Really disappointed with Hershey….for the amount of money you charge everyone to get into the park, you’d think some would be put towards proper care and evacuation methods for the poor animals we keep locked up in cages…sickening.

September 8, 2011 at 4:15 am

Cindy Drexler

This is incredibly sad news!! God bless the members of the ZooAmerica staff, that because of the love and compassion you have for the animals in your care that you were forced to make such a difficult decision in a rather timely manner. It was definately the most humane thing to do, even though it had to be one of the most heartbreaking decisions ever! I share in your loss and sadness :’(

September 8, 2011 at 4:21 am

Angie Zimmerman

I also grieve with all of you that have felt the loss of those two wonderful souls. I do however find it absolutely unacceptable given the warning time. And yes, Zoo America you did have warning, like others have stated. It will be interesting to see who, if anyone, takes responsibility for this tragedy. It will also be interesting to see if a “fall guy” emerges. Please…to the powers that be @ Zoo America…..please learn from this & never endanger your animals again. To everyone else, know that these 2 bison are no longer trapped in bodies, trapped in a ZOO.

September 8, 2011 at 4:24 am

James Thomas

freakn BS. you can say all you want. we can move whole towns cause of danger of flooding. they with their billions could have moved all the animals.. guess they gave the staff off for a week to go sight seeing like the exchange students… i’m done with Hershey forever…

September 8, 2011 at 4:24 am

Anonymous

If the bison were in a low lying area & had no higher ground to go to, WHY WERE THEY NOT EVACUATED FIRST?????

September 8, 2011 at 4:27 am

Anonymous

Absolutely ridiculous. You want to capture animals, take them out of their environment for the purpose of moneymaking and then NOT be equipped to take care of them? This is just disgusting and you should all be ashamed. Let this be a lesson learned. I hope that you lose business from this because that’s what is deserved considering you had plenty of time to save these animals lives.

September 8, 2011 at 4:35 am

Anonymous

You CREEPS did not close until NOON????? There was a FLOOD WARNING!!!!!!!! Why did you keep animals on display when you should have been taking them to safety????????/

September 8, 2011 at 4:38 am

Anonymous

Cindy, you are NUTS blessing the staff for shooting animals they should have MOVED in light of the threat of flash flooding! Since they were in the flood plane…they should have been the first to be moved!

September 8, 2011 at 4:45 am

Anonymous

Seriously everyone acting as if them being shot was the best choice – THEY SHOULDN’T HAVE EVEN BEEN IN THAT SITUATION. Hershey is only concerned with one thing – $$$$$ who cares If the animals die let’s stay open as long as possible ( until it’s too freaking late)

September 8, 2011 at 4:54 am

Anonymous

Yes, there should and will be inquiries and proper investigation of protocol and action. However, it sounds like they did pretty good in moving the animals to safety. There are a lot of animals there, and to only lose two in a traumatic flood like this, is probably better than those animals would have fared in the wild. Also, while this does not console people, it is good that it was Bison, and not a more endangered species of animal.

September 8, 2011 at 4:58 am

Anonymous

Those poor animals that were being used to entertain and make money are now dead from reckless endangerment,There is no exuse for not evacuating these animals in time! The means and financing was available and should have been used. If my sister can evacuate 11 horses from a fire with only help from one other person, (when the fires in Florida were so bad) with one trailer, then this is just a hidious excuse for the zoo not to have been more prepared for this situation that was expected to happen

for days before hand! I will never visit the zoo again and I’m sure hoping people are held responsible for this terrible tragedy! Louie H.

September 8, 2011 at 5:15 am

Holly Long Davis

I totally must agree with Eva Ordo and many others on here.. I do not bless them for what they did, well didn’t do.. recall back in 2004 hurricane caused the same problems with the same bison area.. so common sense on zoos behalf, would be to move them asap.. not when their drowning and struggling for a breath.. Can we say ANIMAL CRUELTY, and I hope they get HUGE fines and Shut down.. NO more excuses.

September 8, 2011 at 5:15 am

Katie C.

It’s funny how this release claims the animals were moved to higher ground, yet the photos of the bison were taken through the fence of their own pen, which is located directly beside the creek. How dare you publish outright lies when there is photo evidence against you. Don’t forget there are residences right beside the bison exhibit. What happened today– the neglect, perhaps laziness of the zoo staff– is sickening. My daughter and I loved this place and now we’ll never go again.

September 8, 2011 at 5:20 am

Holly Long Davis

Eva Ordo– add me to ur petition pls

September 8, 2011 at 5:23 am

Anonymous

THERE WERE WAY MORE THAN TWO ANIMALS!!!! THE HIGHER UPS LEFT ANIMALS IN DANGER AND OPENED ZOO AMERICA UP THAT DAY! THEY WERE OPEN TILL 12 NOON INSPITE OF THE WARNINGS OF FLASH FLOODING WHICH HAS BEEN BROADCAST SINCE SUNDAY AND THEY HAD TO HAVE KNOWN YESTERDAY FLOODING WAS EMINENT!!! LAST THING THE NEIGHBORS SAW WAS “one” OF THE BISONS BEING SHOT AND THE WATER RISING AROUND THE COYTES ON A MOUND OF DIRT SORROUNDED BY WATER AS THEY WERE HOWLING!!!!!! HERSHEY PARK IS LYING!!! ACCORDING TO EYE WITNESSES ONE BISON DROWNED…THE OTHER ONE WAS “FINALLY” PUT OUT OF IT’S MISERY AS IT COULD NO LONGER KEEP IT’S HEAD ABOVE WATER!!!!!! AFTER THIS THEY SPENT TIME AND EFFORT TO PUT UP TARP TO KEEP THE WITNESSES FROM SEEING ANYTHING ELSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS WAS BROADCAST ON ABC 27 NEWS!!!!

I do not blame the poor employees…I blame the higher ups who wanted to collect money on showing zoo animals when they should have been evacuating animals!!!!!!!

FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS WERE BROADCAST ON ALL THE LOCAL CHANELS SINCE SUNDAY AND ESPECIALLY FOR TODAY AFTER ALL THE ADDITIONAL RAIN!!!!!!!

September 8, 2011 at 6:59 am

Anonymous

The dedicated staff at Zoo America that put their own lives at risk to save the lives of countless animals are owed a HUGE debt of gratitude. It is because of their selfless actions and quick action that we are only seeing two fatalities instead of dozens. No employees were injured or killed, which is a huge blessing in this most unfortunate situation. And no dangerous wildlife is out roaming the streets of Hershey tonight because of their actions. I personally know the decision to end suffering in an emergent situation is not an easy one. Moving such large, unruly animals is dangerous, even in the most well planned out evacuation plan. Those that are outraged are the same people who take advantage of zoos every year. The shame is the blatant disregard for the difficulties of this particular situation. Many thoughts and well wishes for a speedy recovery go out to your entire staff and extended family at the zoo. I hope to see you open for educating and entertaining soon!

September 8, 2011 at 9:31 am

Anonymous

I’m very saden for your loss. I’m sure you did everything you could do. I hope you get a better plan for evacuation. You can’t wait til the last minute that’s how tragedy strikes.

September 8, 2011 at 9:58 am

Joanna

I hate zoos for this reason. I will never set foot in a HersheyPark again. You should be shut down!

September 8, 2011 at 12:24 pm

Hershey shouldn’t be able to have a zoo if they are going to do crap like this. I live here and its not a tsunami that came through maybe close before 12 worry about human life instead of your financial pockets for once. With the last couple months events I have a strange feeling a lot of people are going to boycott your parks and your products. Firstly taking advantage of foreign workers & now this lol.

September 8, 2011 at 12:30 pm

Anonymous

They can replace a bison that’s their thinking ..they won’t lose funding however Hershey you’ve lost the respect of the local people seeing the bison photos set me on fire I sincerely hope ppl stop coming , jerks.

September 8, 2011 at 12:37 pm

Melissa

There is nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said! Pure disgust & outrage over what Hershey did. Sick animal cruelty and I pray they are held responsible for their actions, or lack there of! The notice is a BS cover-up! Sick, sick, sick!!

September 8, 2011 at 12:45 pm

Tara S

People trailer bison to shows all around the country. Please do not try to be condescending here. The bison are in a low lying area and should at least have been trailered and moved to higher ground even if that meant staying in the trailers for a few days. What an awful way to die, being trapped in a cage. Shame on you Hershey!

September 8, 2011 at 1:03 pm

Anonymous

Here’s an idea Zoo America… why don’t you release a detailed account of how this happend? On a news outlet there are claims that one of them drowned, the other was about to be swept away when it was shot. Any comment on that?

Let’s hear “the truth” from Zoo America, not just claims of lament. I recognize that the keepers and staff are locked into the policies and procedures of their employer, but come on, somebody had to have been there… Let’s here the real truth and let’s see some photos of when and how this happened.

September 8, 2011 at 1:07 pm

Brian Newton

No matter how your publisists try to spin it you knew there was major flooding coming. You had ample time to rescue 2 more animals. You just failed that’s all. Why don’t you just admit your wrong doing and say hey we failed. We were entrusted with the care and safety of these animals and we failed. I for one will never visit any of your parks or buy any of your “not even real chocolate” “Chocolate”

September 8, 2011 at 1:14 pm

Matthew Solovey

Don’t listen to all these aholes… you did the best you could. People who know better obviously weren’t here in Hershey in the middle of the flooding. Your staff has always been dedicated to the safety of those animals.

September 8, 2011 at 1:27 pm

Judith

You need to close your doors for good. Pathetic! All the money charged for admission to this park, millions or more dollars collected every month, and you can’t make a safe place for these captive animals to avoid these repeated trajedies? Shameful! Kept your doors open too. Wonder if your visitors heard the gunshots. Pretty easy to find an idiot that is willing to “hunt” a captive bison. Kind of like the canned hunts they have. What a rush for that guy! Wow!! All you had to do was call a farmer or even the rodeo people down the road who I know well. They deal with bulls, nasty bulls, and they would have been able to drive these animals onto a stock trailer and take them to a safe haven. Your are a bunch of IDIOTS and you all deserve to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the laws. How many times does this have to happen. Never again will I go to Hershey Park. I plan to tell everyone I possibly can about your negligence.

September 8, 2011 at 1:29 pm

Anonymous

Hershey shouldn’t even have a zoo. It seems like it’s more about money instead of caring for the animals they’re responsible for. I’ve seen farmers moving their animals to safer areas all week and they don’t have the amount of money or as much help as Hershey does. So sad and disappointing.

September 8, 2011 at 1:45 pm

Anonymous

I don’t believe your telling the truth what so ever. Witnesses and neighbors who were watching know the truth. First of all, why the hell would you stay open till noon? You idiots knew the weather was expected to be bad but yet you stayed open? You’re just in it for the money. You call yourselves people who are “saving” these animals and you “care” about the saftey of the animals when really, you don’t. You let those bison suffer. You saw the damn waters rising, why the hell didn’t you take action then instead of waiting for it to reach their damn heads. And then you go ahead and shoot them? And you call yourselves professionals? Professionals my ass. And after the story got out, you all had the nerve to put things up to block people from viewing what was going on? They already seen what had happen so too late, your news is out. So what other animals did you let die? This is a terrible zoo. I will NEVER in my life go there again and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I hope they are all punished and I hope this zoo gets shut down.

September 8, 2011 at 1:48 pm

Anonymous

I am so sorry for your loss. My family love the Zoo and the animals.
We know the dedicated staff did everythin possible to ensure the safety of all concerned. As we miss the annual celebration this week we are thinkg of all involved animals reptiles and humans/

September 8, 2011 at 1:48 pm

Donna

I must say that the individual people who have made the choice to take bad pay and long hours to love and care for all the animals are heart broken about the bison and all the other animals’ stress or/or suffering. Working at zoos is truly a labor of love, it is certainly not done for the money.

I have a relative that works with the sea lions that are in Hershey this summer. (Diego and Makia got out safely) and what she has told me about the magnitude of the situation and the terrible speed in which the water rose is staggering. Until you have experienced a flash flood, you really don’t have a concept of just how quickly things happen.

It is very easy to be an outsider and sit back and criticize what was and was not done. It is a tragedy that any of the animals suffered and/or died, but people are human and even with the best of intentions and effort, stuff happens sometimes that is worse than expected and even with plans laid in cannot be foreseen.

My hope is that this situation is learned from and plans are refined and put into place for any future situation. Practice evacuation drills would be a good idea.

Zoos serve a good purpose of education, not just $$$$$. There is a lot that goes into the care of the animals, both $$ and effort. The decisions to close the facility and start evacuations is a decision made by the “higher ups” not the folks on the ground actually giving the care to the animals in the zoo.

September 8, 2011 at 2:00 pm

Brian Newton

If they are so dedicated to the care and safety if these animals as some of you propaganda believing dummies think why did they stay open til noon? Did they think that in the midst of all the rain and flooding that there would be a enough people deciding to go to the zoo to justify staying open instead of closing and saving animals? Do you think that had they not opened and spent those extra few hours rescuing animals that maybe they could have saved the buffalo? You justify it however you want it whatever helps you sleep at night, but that was a heartless and senseless act in their part. They should be punished to the fullest extent possible and then some.

September 8, 2011 at 2:12 pm

Anonymous

sad, that is the first word that came to mind, sad for the animals, sad for those who cared for them who have now lost them. the higher ups may have made some poor decisions but flash floods are just that, they happen in a flash. the best plans may not have been able to be put into place under these circumstances. i just hope that the bison did not suffer a lot and i hope for peace for those who loved and cared for them….

September 8, 2011 at 2:18 pm

Sara

Anyone who has had any contact with the Zoo staff that works daily with these animals would realize the passion they have. As previously mentioned they are certainly not there for the money. Unfortunately tragedies happen and we learn from them. I think it is a terrible scenerio and I am saddened for the animals and the staff. I also find it terrible that people would be so heartless to all who accuse the “workers” of negelect when certainly if that were true it would come “higher up the chain” as it does in most work environments. Most of us all answer to some and if you don’t you will one day. I am also angered by the fact that grown people can not express themselves in manners that do not involved swearing. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved.

September 8, 2011 at 2:20 pm

Anonymous

No one likes to hear about animals having to be put down for any reason. And who are we to judge we were not in the situation and who knows if the so called wittnesses were telling the truth. I feel for the animals and I feel for the workers that were but in that situation. Everyone has an opinion and I think some need to mind their own business.

September 8, 2011 at 2:27 pm

Anonymous

I do not blame the workers / keepers at all, who clearly care about the animals and did what they could. I am sure they feel very bad about what happened.

The blame falls directly on the Hershey managers or whoever is the decision maker(s) in this situation. There ws time to react, facility should have been clesed in that AM and action should have been taken. And if the task was to great for the resourses available, they should have got help (BEFORE THE FLOOD SITUATION HAPPENDED) This person(s) should be terminated for poor planning and leadershiip. Aslo there is clearly a lack of a contigenct plan.

September 8, 2011 at 2:37 pm

Anonymous

Were there evacuation orders in Hershey? I don’t believe there were. Yes there were flash flood warnings, that happens all summer. There were no warnings that things would happen to the degree they have. Let’s keep in mind that people in the area have lost their lives due to this weather.

September 8, 2011 at 2:38 pm

Anonymous

Very sad situation overall. Any word on the status of the wolves, there are some rumors going around?

September 8, 2011 at 2:40 pm

Brian Newton

I honestly feel sickened by the way Zoo America conducted themselves. We all understand its not the workers fault any of this happened. No one is questioning that. Its the higher ups that decided it would be a good idea to open their doors knowing full well no one is going out in the storm to go to the zoo, instead of staying closed and putting a plan into action to save the animals. It only takes very basic common sense to figure that out. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for what they did. Don’t give me that “oh it was a flash flood and those happen without warning and they did what they could”.That is pure and utter crap. They watch the news, they have weather warning systems in place. Don’t try and tell me you didn’t know it might flood there. Its been on the news, papers, internet, even my weather app on my phone has been telling me for days there was a high risk of flash flooding. So instead of taking these warnings seriously you people decided to stay open, risk the potential safety of patrons attending as well as waste time not saving animals which because of your poor planning caused the bison to have to be killed. I’m really not sure what part of this scenario you people aren’t understanding.

September 8, 2011 at 2:44 pm

Anonymous

Anyone know if they were able to get the prairie dogs out? This seems like it would be a challenge.

September 8, 2011 at 2:47 pm

Sandra

We have been zoo members for the last seven years. Humane Society members for 20+ years. The Bison were my 5 1/2 year old son’s favorite animals and we are deeply saddened by their passing. I know the zoo has an evacuation plan for various situations and I’m sure the staff did their very best to save as many animals as they could in the time they had. It is very easy to state what should have been known or should have been done after the fact. The plan was clearly inadequate for yesterday’s situation and I would hope that the “animal lovers” posting here will put aside their anger and instead offer whatever assistance they can in helping the surviving animals and preventing future tragedies.

September 8, 2011 at 2:49 pm

Anonymous

And the worst part is that they had to prep/plan/act for Irene just a week prior!!!!! Plans should have been ready, rehersed and in place, and action taken in time!!!!! Anyone know who the overall decision maker is for this facility?

September 8, 2011 at 2:51 pm

Anonymous

Just so everyone knows – there are no coyotes in the Hershey Zoo (credibility of our “witness” who was clearly overwhelmed with anger after witnessing an animal being humanely euthanized). I frequent the zoo biweekly and live in Hershey. I have grown attached to many of the animals there. I believe the animal that the woman mentioned in the news was one of the 4 gray wolves – Kira, Dakota, Custer or Sioux – my favorite animals to watch.

I understand anger in this situation, but personally knowing members of the Zoo staff, I am sure the zoo did everything in their power to save these animals. I hope for their safety, this was a truly unanticipated disaster in the entire community – not only have we lost animals, but there have been at least 3 confirmed deaths (to give you an idea of how unpredictable the magnitude of this disaster was). It is truly the worst flooding i have ever seen in my 53 years.

September 8, 2011 at 2:51 pm

Anonymous

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire zoo family. This is truly a tragedy for you and the entire community. Please post something if you need volunteers to help with clean up. God Bless.

September 8, 2011 at 2:58 pm

John S

If ZooAmerica was open until noon, as posted earlier then Hershey is clearly at fault for these sad events. Others may post otherwise, but it is faultly judgement on Hershey part, driven simply to make a profit.

Yes, it’s good to remember that this is a pay to visit zoo and these aminals are simply corporate assets, which apparently can be replaced.

I’m sorry Hershey but there are simply to many witnesses and they almost all appeared outraged.

A hundred years ago when we lacked weather info Hershey would have had an excuse for these events. However, given all of the info and warnings of flash flooding which was presented, you’d have to have been brain dead not to have started moving these Aminals. However, Hershey clearly elected to totally disregard these flood warnings and continued to remain open until noon.

Could anyone at Hershey disagree that had the Zoo closed or remained closed at the start of the day there would have been time to move all of things to safety.

Finally, I can not and do not place any blame on the rank and file employees of ZooAmerica. They clearly didn’t make the poor choices.

September 8, 2011 at 3:12 pm

Anonymous

If the accusation regarding being open is true I am utterly disgusted with whoever made the decision to do so. You may or may not have had time to rescue them, but at the least it would have been that many more HOURS you’d have had to get them out before it would have been to late. I for one will not be coming there knowing that’s how you run your zoo. Despicable

September 8, 2011 at 3:29 pm

Allecia

As a fellow resident of South Central PA I understand how quickly this flooding took place yesterday but I’m also fully aware of how much warning has been given that this was coming. This is a travesty. As others have stated, the bison were in a low lying, flood prone area. I too will be boycotting Hershey after this horrendous act of blatant disregard for your animal’s safety.
The sad thing is that the employees who were there to move the animals that were moved and “euthanize” (as if this were humane!!) the Bison were probably not the ones who had the authority to make better decisions earlier on. I hope that others will continue to speak out on this so that Hershey get the message.

September 8, 2011 at 3:50 pm

Anonymous

I too am deeply saddened by what has happened at the zoo. I bring my kids there on a regular basis and it will be hard for them to understand what happened. It’s hard for all of us. I do believe that the zoo staff did everything they could as the situation arose but I don’t think that they were well prepared for this type of event and that is disappointing. That being said, does anyone know if the rest of the animals are safe or if help is needed, food donations, etc? We can’t change what has already occured but we can make a difference in what may be yet to come. I am willing to help in any way but I don’t know who to contact.

September 8, 2011 at 3:55 pm

Maria

I have never posted a comment on any site, but felt I had to communicate how angered and saddened I am at this tragedy. The warnings were coming in for days. Why weren’t these animals evacuated to a different location? Clearly your “emergency” plans are deficient. Your inablilty to keep all the animals safe is a travesty of trust.

The zookeeper and key staff responsible for caring for these animals should lose their jobs.

September 8, 2011 at 4:06 pm

Lynda

Horrible lack of preparedness, come on Zoo America it’s been raining for days!

September 8, 2011 at 4:39 pm

Michele

This is absolutely sickening! Zoo America/Hershey Park will NEVER receive profit from me or my family ever again. It is obvious that the Zoo’s number one priority is NOT the welfare of their animals. I want to see Zoo America burned at the stake for this. I have already alerted several animal protection organizations. Zoo America has proven that they are irresponsible and incapable of maintaining wild animals, such as bison. Their inadequate disaster planning is what led to the bison being shot to death. This COULD HAVE AND SHOULD HAVE been prevented by Zoo America/Hershey Park. Zoo America needs to be shut down immediately.

September 8, 2011 at 4:40 pm

Faelrin

To all the anonymous trolls, go back to /b/. Anyways while the loss of two bison is upsetting, and I will miss them, I think its also good to see the rest of animals there are alive. Its not over yet so best of luck to all the creatures and people there at zoo america and hopefully we don’t lose anymore.

September 8, 2011 at 4:41 pm

Rhonda

Please enlighten us which of your zoo team risked their own lives by jumping in the pen with two bison that were scared and covered with water up to their nostrils, and “humanely euthanizing” them? In using that phrase you leave us to assume you injected them…when indeed you shot them…own up to what you did…and while you’re at it tell us where are the wolves and the prairie dogs….

September 8, 2011 at 4:45 pm

Rhonda

Don’t even go there people with the comparison of losing animals that depend on humans for their every need, and the humans that died because of stupid actions like staying inside your home and refusing to leave and having it crush you when it collapsed…STUPIDITY PLAIN AND SIMPLE…

September 8, 2011 at 4:47 pm

Anonymous

When an animal is kept in a zoo, the owners/staff have the RESPONSIBILITY to make sure they are kept safely. If the animals were allowed to be free, they would have simply walked away from the water. The staff FENCED them in and made the decision to keep them there. They are, therefore, RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR DEATHS. They should be prosecuted along with Hershey executives. Those animals died a horrible death.

September 8, 2011 at 4:59 pm

Suzy

I am sorry for your loss. I am sure it has affected you. However, I am shocked that you allowed this to happen. I hope the lesson learned from this tragedy is not forgotten.

September 8, 2011 at 5:10 pm

Anonymous

Rhonda,

Thank you for calling a grandfather of 4, father of 3 and a neighbor of mine stupid for trying to empty his basement full of water. As I am sure you are not aware, his house was not surrounded by water and his basement was just flooded from the ground being over saturated. The house collapsed because of the unstable support. We were never told to evacuate, and I am sure everyone on our road was doing the exact same thing. Please try to gather some type of information before belittling someone’s life to being stupid. I hope that his family does not see your ignorant comment.

You are a real asset to humanity.

September 8, 2011 at 5:13 pm

Anonymous

i am upset too. why why
My grandaughter and I were just there those bison my favorite
Don’t understand WHY you couldn’t saved them days before!!!!
barbara stone and delaney stone

September 8, 2011 at 5:17 pm

Anonymous

Rumor (and this is second hand, so take it for that) is wolves and Prairie Dogs may have been lost as well. The lack of communication and specifics regarding the other animals, and the open ended-ness of the quote about the loss of animals is a concern that this may be true. I hope Hershey puts out a more fact filled specific communication ASAP.

September 8, 2011 at 5:23 pm

Anonymous

My heart is sad for all of you and our community. Zoo America is a place I take my kids regularly. I feel I know each of those animals personally so today I also feel sorrow as well. No one could imagine the distruction that has occured thoughout our town.We could not see the future. Our only fault is that we are human. May we always remember to help make the zoo a better place for future animals.

September 8, 2011 at 5:27 pm

Elliott Fackler

Knowing some of the zookeepers personally, I’m sure that they are all extremely saddened. They all love the animals they care for. I find it sad that humans put our animal friends in situations such as the one the bison were in, but I don’t think anyone in specific, especially the keepers, can be blamed. I don’t know the details of what happened, but I hope it doesn’t happen again. I love animals and seeing them, but I don’t want the ethics of keeping them in enclosures to be pushed anymore in a negative direction in my mind than they already were or are now.

September 8, 2011 at 5:33 pm

Anonymous

Luckily the zoo was open for two hours while it was pooring down raining…I’m sure that a lot of people went and lots of money was made…great managerial decision.

It is a blatant lie to state that only the two bison died as a result of Hershey management’s irresponsibility. if the water was higher than the buffalo, then the prarie dogs were at least 4 feet under water, and I can’t imagine that the zoo has any plan that could successfully get them out of their burrows alive.

The Zoo’s reputation is already ruined, so why make it worse by lying?

Please provide an honest accounting of what animals died.

September 8, 2011 at 5:44 pm

Linda Turner

So sorry… so sad to hear about that. I’m sure all your hearts are very sad too. Please take care of everyone else … be safe!

September 8, 2011 at 5:50 pm

Anonymous

I am deeply saddened by the loss of the bison and equally saddened by your lack of preparedness in taking care of these animals. Any person or organization, particularly a zoo with the resources to adequately pay for their care, should have a plan in place for situations of this magnitude. The area where the animals reside is a low lying area with a history of flooding. The animals could have and should have been moved. Whoever is in charge there of the animals should be fired. This is gross negligence and cruelty. I for one will NEVER patronize the park again if these additional accusations prove to be true and adequate changes aren’t made. I expect serious and transparent changes in order to regain the public’s trust again. I sincerely hope an inquiry will be made into this.

September 8, 2011 at 5:52 pm

This cannot be a serious statement:

“The dedicated staff at Zoo America that put their own lives at risk to save the lives of countless animals are owed a HUGE debt of gratitude.”

Are you kidding? I cannot think of a more selfish act. It’s their reponsibility to take care of the animals. It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about what happend to those poor things. I plan on telling everyone about this, and posting it to as many places as I can. Animal cruelty at it’s finest…

September 8, 2011 at 5:55 pm

Anonymous

The story I got from someone from the area is that really no animal s were moved out in advance of the flash, and efforts were only made after it was too late and the flooding hit. This makes sense since somebody made the decision to remain open until noon (as I am sure they did not want to take down exhibits for the crowds) I was also told that there are may more animals that died (including the wolves). I suspect IF this is true, they are keeping this quiet, as public outrage is already growing over the Bison.

September 8, 2011 at 6:13 pm

Anonymous

I am appalled at so many negative comments. To the animal caretakers and staff, my sympathies go out to you. Those animals become family when you take care of them for any length of time. To those of you who have used this tragedy as an opportunity to hop on your “save the animals” bandwagon, well, I’m positive that some of you at some point have funded this zoo with your patronage. Therefore, you encouraged animals being caged for your visual enjoyment. Now would not be the time to point fingers. Why don’t all of you who are so “outraged” get up off your butts and volunteer to help out.

September 8, 2011 at 6:13 pm

Anonymous

DISGUSTING! Pile that money high hershey execs, and leave ur animals in a low area to drown. You should be presecuted. i will be posting this on FACEBOOK.

September 8, 2011 at 6:13 pm

Anonymous

They are bison…relax people. They taste delicious.

September 8, 2011 at 6:14 pm

Nate

I am curious how many of the “outraged” individuals here would have jumped into a flooding cage in order to corral two 1,000-2,000lb animals? I am also deeply saddened by their loss. Bu let’s not lose sight of the fact that we lost three humans yesterday. I am a former Hersheypark employee and long-time supporter of the zoo. I have personally witnessed zoo employees respond to other urgent incidents involving their animals and have no doubts that they did everything within their power to save those animals. I appreciate the difficult decision they had to make. As someone who lives in the region, I understand how rapidly this flooding occured, and how frequently we receive flash flooding warnings which turn out to be nothing. I hope the zoo reviews their policies, but reject some of the shameful accusations posted here.

September 8, 2011 at 6:17 pm

Anonymous

I personally witnessed hearing those poor wolves howling in distress. And then suddenly complete silence. Most of the staff did what they could. They really really did – but all the way through this – their hands were tied by upper management and people who have NO business being supervisors there who were trying to micromanage everything. This park was OPEN yesterday morning!! Inexcusable. And HERCo is doing its best to cover up what really happened. Dont rest for it everyone – demand the truth. I doubt youll get it – but trust me – it will come out at some point in time. Boycott Hershey Foods and HERCO.

September 8, 2011 at 6:46 pm

Tracy Meckley

This was a totally uncalled for situation!!! This is not 1909 when such a thing as “flash flooding” really happened!!! Damn it, you people had days and days of notice….you knew well in advance that the flooding was going to occur!!! There is no excuse for this…..shooting a caged animal because you made a poor decision is disgusting!! I am so glad that there are neighbors that saw what really went on with all these defenseless animals!! And now you put tarps up to hide all your lies!!! I lay money on the fact that no animals were moved to safety because the zoo remained open till noon that day. Whats the Coyote and Wolf death count up to?? Even the larger animals could have been tranquilized and moved to another location days before this happen…don’t tell me you have no way of moving them cause I know other wise!!! I hope this makes NATIONAL NEWS and you get fried from every direction possible!! You people are not caregivers for the animals you are just running a business and are in it for the money cause obviously you are NOT in it for the animals!!!!!!

September 8, 2011 at 6:51 pm

Anonymous

Where’s the update from Zoo America? There are all these posts from people wandering about the animals. Why haven’t they posted anything?

September 8, 2011 at 6:53 pm

York Pa Mom

WOW, Is all I can say, what a very tragic learning experience I hope in the future they set an off site location to keep the animals safe in the future, if they can’t do so there. I’m sure not many people would have been upset if the would have shut down do relocated Unfortunately they should have had more staff on hand to watch the animals just in case with the equipment and knowledge to move them if necessary hopefully in the future this tragic experience will not be held against the zoo TOO MUCH, as it is one of the closeted for our children to see the animals up close.

September 8, 2011 at 6:58 pm

Anonymous

My guess is that plenty of zoo staff members tried to do the right thing, without support from upper management. I’m waiting for a whistleblower to come out and tell the whole story.

September 8, 2011 at 7:05 pm

Anonymous

This makes me sick. Those idots knew it was going to flood the zoo. Of course they aren’t going to say the truth, because they know they did wrong. I HOPE YOU PEOPLE ALL LOOSE YOUR JOBS.

September 8, 2011 at 7:07 pm

Anonymous

I visited ZooAmerica this year during the 4th of July holiday, I was so upset with the zoo because it as one of the hottest days of the summer, those animals were suffering the heat and most without sprayed water to cool off and a few had water container turned over. I told my husband and family, I will never return to this zoo, I was so upset with what I witnessed that day and this just breaks my heart. I saw that bison, my children spent most of the time talking to my husband about them. Death by drowning is one of the worst and cruelest things to do to a person or animal and you should be ashamed of yourselves Hershey for letting this happening. I’m telling you, if I would have been there, I would have risked my life for those animals, regardless.

Many have commented, you were not prepared, YOU WERE NO PREPARED, face it, you screwed up and now those poor bison have to pay the price for your neglect and not to speak of the coyotes, do we really have the story on them, are they safe?

I hope you lose business this coming year and most importantly the upcoming season. My place of business has been coming to your park for a family picnic for year, well count me out and I will continue to pass the word to boycott your park.

GO EVA!!!! I’m right behind you!!! I HATE YOU TOO HERSHEY PARK!!!!

September 8, 2011 at 7:08 pm

anonymous

I am so sorry for your loss and being in the animal field myself I know how hard these decisions can be. I am sure the staff did whatever they could and choose the best decision for their animals as unhappy as it might have been. These animals are like a keepers family and in these types of situations you can only prepare as best as you can. Nobody could predict how bad this storm would be or how things could play out. These keepers must be devastated and there is no need for these negative comments. My prayers are with all your staff and it breaks my heart to hear all of the hurtful comments that are being thrown your way. At the end of the day, it is a heart wrenching situation that nobody would want to have happen and our thoughts should be on the animals, not pointing fingers.

September 8, 2011 at 7:09 pm

Anonymous

This is why zoos are a horrible idea. It’s sad that those Bison had to die such horrible deaths, but even more sad that they had to live their lives trapped in an enclosure simply for the ‘entertainment’ of human beings. I would much rather die than live in a tiny room with only the bare necessities while people stared at me every day for their amusement. Hershey may be responsible for this by not being prepared, but if people weren’t so selfish that we had to take these poor animals out of their natural habitat in the first place – simply so we could look at them whenever we please – then tragedies like this would never occur!!

September 8, 2011 at 7:10 pm

Erik Montgomery

I see many angry people on this blog today. I can understand the anger and frustration that comes from the loss of life due to conditions we cannot control. However, it is very easy to for people to say what should have been done in hindsight while sitting comfortably at your computer. The truth is, as it has been stated many times before, that there were good people who actually care about these animals BEFORE they hear about them on the news who were out there in chest deep water doing everything they could to save them. It also strikes me as odd that people are outraged about the situation of the “coyotes.” Clearly they have never personally been willing to support the zoo financially by visiting because they are wolves, and wolves that remain alive thanks to the efforts of the keepers.

People can post how angry they are at the situation all they want on here but the truth of the matter is, that will not help the animals that are still dealing with this crisis. If you “animal lovers” truly care about these animals, support the zoo and donate money so that the survivors of a natural disaster have food, shelter, and clean water.

September 8, 2011 at 7:26 pm

Anonymus

hey, I thought bison could swim

September 8, 2011 at 7:28 pm

Anonymus

will there be more bison in the near future? If not, what will occupy the space?

September 8, 2011 at 7:29 pm

Anonymous

I hope if I get stuck in a flood someone saves me and doesn’t shoot me to “end my suffering”! Shame on zoo america for not better preparing to evacuate the zoo sooner. I only wish this story goes national and zoos will think about changing their procedures so more animals don’t die.

September 8, 2011 at 7:30 pm

Anonymous

Poor Zoo America…….I hope you are prepared in the future for floods, earthquakes, tornados, and the second coming of Jesus. Because, if you’re not, I’m sure the world will hate you all over again if any animals are injured.

I am sure that you all did everything you could, and that those of you who were present and trying to help these animals are not the ones who make the decisions that could have prevented this. I am so sorry for your loss, and sure that it is equal to losing a pet or beloved friend. I hope that you are all able to remain strong throughout this tragedy, as I am sure there will be a long road to recovery for all staff and animals when the flooding subsides.

September 8, 2011 at 7:32 pm

Anonymous

“You should have rescued them. Even if it meant that the keepers would get killed!!”

Really?? You are a moron.

September 8, 2011 at 7:34 pm

Donna Stimpson

Vicious comments about this. I find it hard to accept that people really think the zookeepers let this happen on purpose. It’s sad and I’m sure the zoo America employees were not negligent.

September 8, 2011 at 7:45 pm

Anonymous

I surely hope that Zoo America is better prepared the next time something like this happens. Unfortunately Zoo America does not seem to have been prepared well enough for this incident. It could have easily been prevented. What a shame.

September 8, 2011 at 7:46 pm

Allecia

There always seems to be a difference between the employees who are there doing the work and the people making the decisions. IMHO, the posts seem to reflect this same sentiment.

September 8, 2011 at 7:51 pm

Tara

Inexcusable, Hersey if you have nothing to hide show us that the wolves are still alive!

September 8, 2011 at 7:57 pm

Anonymous

It’s upsetting that many people are missing the point about this and negating people’s thoughts by calling anyone upset an animal lover and then defending the workers. When the real issue is larger than just the 2 bison and the workers.

Obviously the workers at the zoo did the best they could do given the contraints put on them by management and they really do care about the animals or they wouldn’t tolerate the low wages and corporate crap. I also agree with the person that states that buffalo tastes good so this isn’t about being a vegetarian.

If you remove emotion and look at the facts we are simply talking about HERCO’s continuing greed. A gigantic company who doesn’t care about the details including the animals or the workers who they forced into this predicament. HERCO “needs” every dollar so badly that they have an evacuation plan which is soley based only on reducing the amount of income loss by being open until the last possible minute. What kind of an emergency plan would be based on money?
I guess HERCO never calculated the income that will be lost from having to refund members(demand it), the impending public relations nightmare, and don’t forget that it will be difficult to sell tickets to a zoo where the “exhibits” are dead.

A responsible company would have had it all handled by Wednesday night and they wouldn’t have bothered opening on Thurday, because they care about the animals and their employees.

How much more do we have to learn about HERCO’s ongoing greed before we demand social responsibility?

Please do your best to get this on the radar of the National news.

September 8, 2011 at 7:59 pm

keri

This is not the first time this very area has been prone to flooding. We have had warnings for an long period of time before this happened. I wasn’t there so I admit that but I just don’t believe that everything was done to rescue these animals. It is disgusting!!! I live locally and will say this for sure, I WILL NEVER EVER be back to give them my money. It is sick and disgusting that these animals suffered. It sounds so nice to say they were euthanized, call it what it is neglect, poor management, murder, abuse. We euthanize animals suffering terrible illnesses. There is no excuse for what happened at the zoo. I am not one of these die hard animal lovers who hates zoos and thinks they are evil but this seriously changes how I feel about Hershey!

September 8, 2011 at 8:06 pm

Colia

Are the prairie dogs alive

September 8, 2011 at 8:08 pm

Anonymous

My condolences on the loss of the animals and regarding the comments of some of the idiots on this thread. I’m sure that your intentions were in the best interest of the animals. Some people just don’t get that mistakes happen.

September 8, 2011 at 8:16 pm

Anonymous

if you cant move 2 bison to higher ground you shouldnt have any animals at all. i used to love hershey park. but i lost all respect for hershey park and their workers.

R.I.P. BISONS.

September 8, 2011 at 8:27 pm

Jarrad Hetrick

Thank you for doing the best you could do. Thank you for saving the other animals. Thank you for risking your safety to do this. Thank you.

September 8, 2011 at 8:33 pm

Anonymous

Quote from news service on Bison story,
“Prairie dogs, wolves and hiennas are reported as perished as well.”

If this is the case, there was clearly a lack of effort and response. What would be the excuse for not getting out the smaller animals!!!! Hershey is planning damage control and spin right now to present to an angry public.

September 8, 2011 at 8:35 pm

Anonymous

Anyone else with an axe to grind? Hell, I think I see a tiny scrap of dignity left. Quick, bash the keepers who spent their lives caring for animals before they have a moments rest!

Face it, half of you haven’t ever been to zoo america, and so many of you are jaded and blind individuals who know NOTHING about zoo science. The “coyotes” which aren’t even coyotes are fine. The howling, which happens every time an emergency vehicle passes the zoo, wasn’t some anthropomorphic cry for help. All of the animals have access to water 24/7. The bison, which can run at over 30 mph and weigh close to or just over a ton, did not escape or kill anyone, and although unfortunate, they had been moved for days to the only safe pen that could reliably contain them. Unprecedented flooding surprised most of NE and central PA. You all want a statement? Seriously? After the staff spent all day trying to stay alive and trying depserately to save as many animals as they could? How about this for a statement? Only two animals perished in yesterday’s flood versus the dozens that could have if zoo staff were really the heartless, cruel individuals you all seem to think they are. Its ridiculous that all these “eyewitnesses” haven’t a clue what they were looking at but are given credence and justification for spouting off about something they know nothing about. Its not Chernoble folks. Its a zoo. Nothing top secret like experimentation or torture goes on. But you conspiracy theorists won’t rest until you inflict more pain than is alreay out there. Tragedy on top of tragedy is not the way to deal with this.

September 8, 2011 at 8:46 pm

Tina D.

I am certain that the keepers and staff are devastated and did all that they could. I feel for them; but they are not in charge. The buck stops at upper management and their initial reasons for creating this improperly run zoo and their inability to make appropriate decisions for the animals who live there. MONEY! Zoo America should be permanently closed, the survivng animals moved to a fully functioning facility that has proper emergency management policies in place and those who own the zoo: HERCO & Hershey Trust need to answer to someone for this travesty. They are responsible for this disgusting neglect and cruelty.

September 8, 2011 at 8:46 pm

Anonymous

While the zoo staff houses were flooding where were they? At the zoo helping the animals they could! Anyone who doubts them needs to do some research in the fact the bison weight 2,000 and r aggressive animals u cant just take them to a farm and let them run they will cause problems. The zoo staff did the best they could! Should we now boycott the fire companies bc people r dying and they couldnt b saved…same concept. Zoo staff i keep u all in my thoughts during your hard time.

September 8, 2011 at 8:55 pm

Anonymous

“No one could anticipate a weather event that went from inches of rain to feet of flooding in a matter of a few short minutes.” WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?! People have died in this flood. For over a day now, extreme weather emergency plans have been activated. You should have been ready.

September 8, 2011 at 8:56 pm

Anonymous

It breaks my heart to hear this news. I have worked with animals and know that these zoo keepers would not want to lose any animals they are caring for. I am just having a hard time knowing that they were planning for this flood for two days, but the bison were not moved from this enclosure. Sorry, but with all the money that Hershey has I am positive they have the capabilities of moving these animals. The BIG question is who in management decided not to be proactive about the bison. It seems to me that this could have been prevented. Tragedy strikes another zoo – sad day!

September 8, 2011 at 8:59 pm

Anonymous

I feel horrible about the loss of the bison at the park, and I am certain that the people who care for the animals on a daily basis feel horribly about the situation as well. However, when you take on the responsibility to own and operate a facility such as this you have a responsiblity to take care of the animals. I am certain that the flood water did rise much faster than was aniticpated by the zoo managment, however there was more than ample time to adequately prepare. This weather system was heading your way for days and even in Alabama (where I currently live) it was on the news that the flooding in your area would be unprecedented. The animlas should have been moved long before the rain even started. It breaks my heart to think of those animals and of the people that had to “humanely” kill them to prevent suffering.

September 8, 2011 at 9:05 pm

Ed Greenland

there are no coyotes in the zoo collection. the entire area had flash flood warnings so i’m not sure why everyone is saying it was such a freak occurrence. the keepers truly care about their animals. they are not the ones that should be targeted in this situation. the management needs to be dealt with accordingly. flooding has happened within the zoo in the past and will continue to happen in a flood plane. the zoo is accredited by the association of zoos and aquariums. i would suggest that if anyone is seriously concerned by any of the recent happenings that they contact the association who then can professionally investigate the incident.

September 8, 2011 at 9:21 pm

Denyse

I hope the staff at Zoo America don’t blame themselves for this unfortunate occurrence. Noone could have predicted this terrible tragedy. Those of us who visit the Zoo regularly know all the staff are very compassionate and loving towards all the animals. This must have been a horrible day, my thoughts and prayers are with all of you!

September 8, 2011 at 9:27 pm

John

This is BULLSHIT!!!!!
I firmly believe that the actions you people took were unacceptable…if you try hard enough it can be done….

September 8, 2011 at 9:52 pm

Anonymous

This truly a tragedy, the life of the animals ending. HOWEVER, as a few of the above people have said– blame management, not the zookeepers themselves. Had management made the SMART executive decision to close and relocate all animals, perhaps this may not have happened.

September 8, 2011 at 10:00 pm

Anonymous

I just love the rumor mill….why don’t all u idiots wait to get the facts before you all post lies!!!! I’m saddened by the loss of the animals as well, but I wasn’t there and refuse to pass judgment on the workers who were there. The bison are very large, dangerous animals who I’m sure aren’t real easy to move real quickly. And for someone to suggest that “the employees should have died to save the animals”….seriously, you are another real asset to society!

September 8, 2011 at 10:00 pm

Jess

I feel horrible for the staff of Zoo America…this cannot have been an easy situation! I had to take my child to HMC yesterday at 11. At 11, the roads were fine. At 1, when we left, we were barely able to get out of the HMC complex, and had to abandon our car. So for those of you who think that the Zoo America staff were too unprepared, stuff it. First off, the blog says they started preparation 2 days ago. Second, NO ONE anticipated the rain being THAT bad. Every time we get heavy rain there are flash flood watches that usually turn out to be nothing. Third, to the person who suggested sedating the animals and dragging them to safety: are you an idiot?? Do you have any idea how much a bison weighs? It’s not like dragging a dog to safety….they did the best they could with the procedures in place. Also, as someone else mentioned, these are dangerous animals, especially if they’re panicked. My family enjoys Zoo America, and we will be back next summer.

September 8, 2011 at 10:07 pm

anonymous

What is so upsetting and infuriating is that this could have been prevented. The weather forecasts, flood warnings – the animals should have been moved BEFORE the situation became an emergency. I hope the person/persons who failed these animals by not ensuring their safety not only lose their jobs but also are fined/prosecuted for the torture these animals had to endure.

September 8, 2011 at 10:28 pm

Anonymous

This is horrible. Animal cruelty in my mind. Do they not know what a flash flood is? The farm show building could have been used and Giant center too. What about the area where Sweet Lights is setup. Something more could have been done. I hope the officials of ZooAmerica are investigated and upset by their actions or maybe their lack of action. This area is prone to flooding yet they did nothing to prepare these animals for this. I am so upset by this. RIP Esther and Ryan :’(

September 8, 2011 at 10:28 pm

Anonymous

I agree that some of the things being said are ridiculous. I also think most of us “know” that bison are large and dangerous. People trained to work with these animals know how to move large animals like this and tranquilize them, so why were they not moved ahead of time – it says right in their statement they were preparing for two days. Zoos across the world deal with large animals all the time! The question is what genius from management decided to stay open until noon to make money. Taking care of those animals comes before making money. I feel for all the animals that lost their lives and the people that helped trying to save them.

September 8, 2011 at 11:06 pm

anothernately

Behold: the comments of a moronic citizenry (many of whom are still convinced that buffaloes are those cute little cuddly stuffed animals floating around in the gift shop right now). The only thing pathetic on here are the ridiculous, uniformed, and downright laughable negative comments.

September 8, 2011 at 11:12 pm

Anonymous

I have visited that zoo, which compared to other zoos it hardly something to brag about. As a resident of the area which flooded and a past customer and visitor of the zoo I can say with complete confidence that I will never visit again. My first response was anger but almost immediately PAIN took over as I thought about those two poor animals that
1. Lived in a cage for how many years of their life
2. Struggled in fear for however long (the duration is irrelevant)
3. Had to be “euthanized”-SHOT to death after being in fear and not being tranquilized and moved properly.

I am sure that all zookeepers tried their hardest, and yes this is a tragedy…but it could have been prevented. To the person who made the decision to stay open to noon…when it had been raining all night before and that morning with warnings present please put thought to how you would feel being trapped in a cage suffering and then dying after living no life of freedom.

With all these emotions all I have the power to do is change my behavior by never visiting that “zoo” again and educating people around me about this horrific event in hopes that it will influence their decision to visit as well. It made national news…so hopefully more people with follow and Hershey’s actions will determine their own fate.

I truly hope there were no other animals harmed by the mismanagement selfish and greed driven decisions made that day. No animal should suffer like that.

September 8, 2011 at 11:19 pm

Jennifer G (@Mom2Ian03)

Amazed at some of the negative comments, I’ve been to ZooAmerica many times and I feel they truly care about the animals. No zoo (company) would put their animals in harms way or neglect them, I am sure they did all they could to recuse the Bisons. I don’t think anyone really expected the flooding to be as bad as it was. My heart goes out to the entire ZooAmerica family. And I can’t wait to visit ZooAmerica again!

September 8, 2011 at 11:26 pm

Anonymous

I absolutely love animals and zoo america. Im 26 yrs old and have been going to the zoo since i was a child. The zoo is wonderful and always will be. How bout we talk about all the stupid people who have died it their homes and vehicles cause they were to stupid to leave i dont feel bad for them in the least bit! The zoo has been evacuating for two days. How bout credit for saving their hundreds of other animals. If the time and effort was spent evacuating just two bison all of the other animals would have died instead of just 2. Bison r unpredictable and uncontrolable know ur fact people before u start talking shit!

September 9, 2011 at 12:00 am

Anonymous

They should gave gotten the animals out sooner rather then wait until last minute.

September 9, 2011 at 12:18 am

wolflover

My thoughts are with the Zoo staff, maybe all the animai safety and emergency wild animal evacuation experts giving criticism should submit their applications with Zoo America so that they can do a better job next time it gets like this…..oh yea, its never been this bad before.

September 9, 2011 at 12:29 am

Anonymous

Hey Alabama – let me guess, if something like this would have happened when you worked there, I’m guessing your self righteous and pompous attitude would be singing a different tune. You’re gone, with good riddance. Just because you’re bitter doesn’t give you justification to bash those who were kind enough to give you your start!

September 9, 2011 at 12:45 am

Anonymous

Why did you not think ahead to load the bison on a horse trailer and move them to an area farm where they could have safely stayed. We were all forewarned of this flooding, and rain did not go from the sky to being feet deep in minutes as you earlier posted on your website. What a disappointment. This has set a terrible image for your facility, and reinforced why animals should be left in the wild instead of in a chain link fence. Hopefully ZooAmerica will learn to be proactive in the future.

September 9, 2011 at 12:52 am

Anonymous

I was THERE. I saw EVERYTHING. I will not sensationalize with BS and innuendo. The Bison were treading water for nearly 2 hours straight as the water was up to their necks and then above. They were leaping out of the water to get air at times. They paced nervously and were panicking very obviously. The zoo keepers offered comfort, and tried to coax the bison to the fence and even appeared to be trying to open the pen at one point…..The water was just too high and the bison were not cooperative. The bison pen is a low pit below the bear den and adjacent to the prairie dog enclosures….. IN MY OPINION, there is no higher ground for the bison within their enclosure. I do not think it is appropriate for the zoo to ascertain that in any aspect. The female bison drowned near her shelter and was pinned against the fencing. the male was swept away and I had hopes they could get him back….. but I saw the tears the workers shed and I saw the gun. still naive, I thought it was for tranquilizing to calm him down or something….but that shot will resonate with me. It was a very obvious kill. IN addition, for the zoo to assert that no other animals were lost, I’d like to offer that several prairie dogs were spotted BY ME at the Parkside bar racing to drier land (at the time). I cry and pray for the bison and the workers who tried feverishly to help them. I am disappointed in the delayed action of the zoo in securing safer accomodations. IN addition, after the demise of the bison, there was significant delay in the rescue of the wolves (some mistakenly referred to as coyotes….zoo america, you knew what was being insinuated..don’t get into semantics with the neighbors). The wolf enclosure was under significant flooding conditions for the duration of the bison….. I understand there MUST be emergency plans in place for zoos to be accredited, like schools that have fire drills, I suggest practice of such drills is put in place for your zoo to prevent such tragedy in the future.

September 9, 2011 at 1:53 am

Kristin

After reading all the comments on this blog I have become very angry at the people who are criticising the keepers and the decisions they made. I am a former employee of Zoo America and know 100% that the keepers there care very deeply about the animals and would do anything for them. These keepers definately do not work for the money. Lets face it, the salary at this zoo absolutely sucks. They work there because they love the animals. For the people asking why, if the keepers cared so much about them, didnt they rush into the water to try and save them? First of all a bison can stand 6 ft tall so if the water is well over their heads, its going to be way over a person’s head. Also when a 2000lb bison is panicking it is very unwise to just swim up to one as one kick to the chest or head will easily kill a person. A dead person is going to be no help to the bison.
Someone also said if they were there they would have jumped in the water to help. Obviously this person thinks that Bison are just overgrown cows that you can just walk up to. I have cared for those bison and i know that they are very dangerous and unpredictable. I have had them charge the gate at me and admit they made me nervous a few times, and I work with Elephants!! I gaurentee if that person actually saw a panicking bison they wouldnt jump into deep water with it if you offered them a million dollars.
For the person that said the keeper who did the shooting must be happy with himself. This is a really ignorant and untrue comment to make. Nobody wants to harm their own animals. Making the decision to end an animal’s suffering is a true act of compassion. Its the same as euthanizing a sick pet or pulling the plug on someone who is brain dead.
People are freaking out about two very well cared for bison that died in a tragic accident. Did you know that hundreds of bison are killed everyday for human consumption? Nobody is complaining about that because lets face it, Bison meat is very tasty. The two bison at Zooamerica were well cared for and loved by keepers and visitors alike. They lived longer then they would have on a buffalo farm.
People are also reporting that coyotes and hyenas also died in the flood. Obviously these people know nothing about Zoo America. The zoo has wolves, not coyotes, and they are safe thanks to the efforts of the keepers. Also Zoo AMERICA is a north american wildlife park….hyenas live in Africa, therefore they would not be found at this zoo.
My condolences go out to the staff at zoo america. This is a really hard time for them. My hope for the future is that upper management will take responsibility and learn from this tragedy. A better protocal needs to be put into place so that nothing like this will happen again. Mistakes happen, learn from them.

September 9, 2011 at 2:56 am

DOGG

I wonder what PETA will think of this????

September 9, 2011 at 3:04 am

Katharine Lively

For those of you that think HERCO owns the zoo, you clearly have NO IDEA about the town of Hershey. Zoo America is owned by the Hershey Foundation; an educational institution. Perhaps your other facts are flawed as well?

I think the loss of the two bison is horrible and sad – for EVERYONE! The zookeepers, the bison, the people that loved them.

Just make sure your facts are accurate and true before you post them!

September 9, 2011 at 3:11 am

Lifetime Hershey resident

I am also horrified by the events that took place. However, I am not surprised about the level of care taken by the Zoo, on a recent visit, I witnessed a turtle who had flipped on his back and was in obvious distress. A zoo employee walking by said to his co-worker, “Hey, that turtle is upside down”… And kept walking. I reported it to the front gate who made several phone calls before finding someone willing to help the poor turtle. I was disgusted by the lack of interest everyone seemed to have for the animals well being. Herco should be ashamed, but as usual they believe they are above everyone and everything.

September 9, 2011 at 3:29 am

Rathernot say

I do feel bad, but you knew the water was coming and you still had the zoo opened that day till 12n noon..

Why couldnt you get the firetrucks with a crane to get the bisons out. We saw the pics of them swimming they were in that water for how long before you did something..

Those poor bisons how scared they must have been and noone can help them..its horrible I am still upset over it

September 9, 2011 at 3:50 am

Shawna

This is not there fault….. They did there best half my town got flooded in a matter of 5 min after being evacuated because water rose that fast so stop bashing them it makes you no better by saying stupid things sometimes you don’t have enough time that’s just how it is …… Atleast they only lost 2 animals and not the whole zoo ….

September 9, 2011 at 5:22 am

Barbara

First, for those few here who think this is Hershey Chocolate’s responsibility, it’s not. So, let’s not blame them and take it out on the candy.

It’s Hershey Entertainment, and of course, ZooAmerica.

Needless to say, many are upset with the manner in which ZooAmerica handled several day warnings of flash floods. The zoo physically located near water is a huge clue that evacuation was a necessity when warnings were announced.

Not obtaining a safe place for the animals, when warned, demonstrates lack of good judgment and irresponsibility, clearly placing caretakers’ safety in jeopardy, as well, as they were expected to rescue bisons and other animals trapped in fast rising waters. It appears management waited until the flood forced evacuation.

Many of us don’t approve of animal confinement. Obviously, the bison were restricted and could not escape rising waters. In their native environment, instincts drive them to higher ground and safety. it is very sad.

Why were the bison floundering around in the water for two hours? As I view the videos of them in the water, it appears ropes around their necks could have led them to an area where they might have been rescued. Don’t know. If they needed to be lifted up and out, the zoo should have had equipment available and trained personnel for stranded large animal rescue. If equipment could not maneuver at this location, then bison and other animals should not be housed there. It’s obvious, safety in this area was not adequately considered for these animals.

Rescues are preplanned, thought out ahead of time. It’s obvious this didn’t occur. We see animal rescues on television in much more severe conditions than these bison. Large horses weigh 2000 pounds and can be dangerous when frightened. Their owners and rescuers do everything to save them using helicopters to lift them out of the water, if necessary. Surely, there were rescue helicopters in the area. Had anyone thought of calling the National Guard for help? One call from a Hershey exec would have gotten a helicopter in a flash. There is no excuse for this. The main problem is management negligence on all counts.

Although the spokesperson said rescue drills are in place, the best rescue would have been to get these animals out when flood warnings were announced. Animals should not be kept in low-lying areas near water if they can’t be evacuated quickly and safely and obviously they can’t.

Hopefully, rumours concerning the wolves and prairie dogs not making it are just rumours.

Hershey Entertainment needs to rethink having a zoo or moving it to a safe location, not only for animals, but for staff, as well. This is a good time to do that.

September 9, 2011 at 5:39 am

Barbara

@Kristin,
Don’t think anyone is blaming the caretakers. Surely, they must love animals or wouldn’t be involved with them. Had I been a caretaker, I would be crushed. The blame goes to management.

Yes, wild animals are dangerous, so are tame animals in distress. Consider large 2000 pound frightened horses. The point is, these bison should not have been located where they were.

The reason why we are warned of possible disasters is to protect lives. There were warnings on TV everyday about the possibility of flash floods. It was raining cats and dogs with predictions to continue. The bison were located in a low-lying area around water. What does that tell you?

September 9, 2011 at 5:45 am

Barbara

To the person saying Bison are killed for food so why are we making a big deal about two bison being killed.

There are some of us that wouldn’t think of eating bison. Saving animals is much more important than eating them.

When animals become pets and members of the family, as I am sure these two bison were to the caretakers, eating them never enters their minds. If it did, it would be disgusting.

September 9, 2011 at 5:46 am

Barbara

Correction

Was told Hershey Entertainment owned ZooAmerica. Evidently, not. Not sure who does.

September 9, 2011 at 10:14 am

taea

Then why was the park open Wednesday. You should have been moving animals!

September 9, 2011 at 12:27 pm

Cathi Schroettner

My deepest sympathies for your loss!
The zoo birthed and raised them, allowing them to live in a protected habitat. What an amazing experience that must have been.
You have my sympathies.

September 9, 2011 at 1:07 pm

Anonymous

I’m in WI and new the flooding was happening, why didn’t the zoo do something days ago when the warnings went out? They moved furniture out of the governors mansion, but they couldn’t move captive animals? This is disgusting, they should be prosecuted for neglect.

September 9, 2011 at 1:25 pm

Anonymous

All you guys saying I’m not going there anymore you guys are all lying. It’s just an ordinary death at zoo America. If the bear died you couldn’t be making a big fuss about it. Some people died in this flood from getting stuck in their homes they were like the bison they couldn’t be rescued and people tried to get them to safety. I love the zoo and always will. I don’t get why you guys are making a big deal about it because they had to get all the small and big and dangerous animals out and two losses isnt as bad as the whole Zoo. Like all the posionies snakes they had to be careful so they wouldn’t get bit. All the parie dogs how many were ther alot they probably had to get some out of the holes. Yesterday we went down to zoo America and I could still here the wolves and saw parie dogs so the only loss they had were the bison. I will always go to zoo America. You guys know you will go there again if you guys have younger children because they wouldn’t know what happened to the bison in the flooding. They will probably get new bison. And you guys taking this lime those were the only animals in the zoo they have over 100 animals to rescue. You guys are just pathetic idiots who are writing negative comments. The people whor writing positive comment bet you guys are going to go back to the zoo.

September 9, 2011 at 1:35 pm

Anonymous

heckuva job Hershey

September 9, 2011 at 1:43 pm

Monica Donlin Johnson

very sad….

September 9, 2011 at 2:00 pm

Anonymous

To Barbara,
First of all these animals are not pets. They are loved and well cared for but not pets. They are not tame either, they are wild animals way different then a scared tame horse. I am also the one that stated that bison are used for food. I cared for these bison of course I would not want to eat them. My point was that bison are killed on a daily basis but no one seems to be complaining about that. I assume that you had no problem with the location of the exhibit before the flood as I do no recall you writing any comments about the exhibit on this blog before the flood occurred. It’s easy to point fingers and say what shouldhave been done after the fact. The rain was predicted yes, but the magnitude was not. If they would have known it would flood that much obviously they would have moved them. They wouldn’t have wanted anything to happen to any animal there. I believe your comments and beliefs are better suited for PETA.

September 9, 2011 at 3:16 pm

Judith

To everyone condoning the pathetic actions of ZooAmerica and the powers that be: Put a towell in it. They had plenty of time (2 days) to evacuate these animals. Guess what, Einsteins, there is a rodeo company 1 1/2 hrs down the road that deals with 2000 pd. bulls, much more difficult that these 2 bisons. They trailer them all over. Did anyone think of calling someone like that to move them to higher ground? Hell no! For DAYS the weather conditions were accurately called, and forecasted. No excuse for ZooAmerica who had the same thing happen in the past. They obviously don’t learn by their mistakes, do they? We’re not talking about a slaughterhouse here. You can buy bison meat in the store, that is true,but these were caged animals on display in a “zoo??” Not ones intended for slaughter. And the magnitude of this event WAS predicted, and obviously ignored. Get your facts straight. I have been in the rodeo and horse business for 40 plus years, dealing with large animals like these on a regular basis. They can be maneuvered, and loaded in a trailer and moved, and yes, there are bison farms right here in neighboring Juniata county, and they would definitely state that bisons can be contained.

September 9, 2011 at 3:49 pm

Anonymous

Judith go back to the rodeo

September 9, 2011 at 5:28 pm

Kristin

Seems to me that a Zoo should never be put on a flood plain, under any circumstances!!! Flood plain + zoo = disaster.
To the point, there is no excuse for this!! It could have & should have been avoided. “We put the animals on the highest ground in there enclosure.” Really, that’s all you did, that’s your defense!! So you think it’s ok to have rushing flood waters go through an animal exhibit with animals in it as long as the animal is on high ground. Whether it is 4inches or 2 feet any amount of water rushing through an exhibit does not = proper living conditions. That’s like calling 911 for help because your home is flooding and them telling you just to go up stairs to the second floor and wait for the flooding stop!! Oh you don’t have a second floor I guess your f..cked!! None of this makes sense. Then to top it all off tarps are put all around the zoo so people can’t see in!!! There is much more to this story then the public knows and I myself am sickened by it.

September 9, 2011 at 6:12 pm

Anonymous

I agree you had plenty of warning and should have been Abel to take the animals to safety! If they were like family? Would you shoot your family member I don’t think so!! Shame on you I will not visit this zoo!! You shouldn’t have animals if your not prepared for disasters!

September 9, 2011 at 6:43 pm

Anonymous

I cannot believe with all the Money and staffing behind Hershey you could not find a way to save the animals. I know I will never return there again along with many other people I know. If you couldn’t save two bison then how did you save all the other animals!? I do not believe this is the truth and I believe many other animals died due to poor lack of judgement on your part.

September 9, 2011 at 7:17 pm

Anonymous

Anybody knows a good evacuation plan ALWAYS removes what is at risk first and how hard would it have been to get a trailer loaded up with the 2 bison and move to higher ground since we ALL knew what Irene deposited and the rainy weather we had through the season and with the forecast of Lee and Katia. Appears to me that the bigwigs that run Hershey Park, Amusements, Theatre. and Arena are only there to make mega bucks and could care less what decisions they make to keep prices affordable for a challenged economy and blew it with their decision to not remove God’s creatures to safe higher ground.

September 9, 2011 at 8:16 pm

Anonymous

I am in no way blaming the care takers for this tragic event!! They do the best they can do to take care of the animals they so love! BUT.. i DO blame the decision makers who thought it would be a great idea to stay open till noon whenever they are calling for flash floods!!! The care takers are only doing what their “bosses” tell them to do!!! It just a shame that these bison had to die to prove a point!!! ZooAmerica…WAKE-UP!!! get a better evacuation plan together… and for gods sake..move the larger animals enclosers to higher grounds!! let the smaller animals be in the lower ones so that if this happens again… it will be easier to evac!! Prayers go to the bison AND the people who cared and loved the animals!!

September 9, 2011 at 8:19 pm

Rick Heckman

I have 1 comment to say. IN the future please be sure to have a plan of action in place for any kind of problem that may occur. You are just making comments to satisfy peoples comments. You can’t bring those animal back. They are lost forever!. Maybe if more people like myself would just not go to your park, maybe you would be a little more careful on how you make your plans. I’m a very dissatisfied customer!

September 9, 2011 at 9:34 pm

leonna l

I’m from Oklahoma, once a resident of Hershey but I’ve been fallowing the news and weather because of family and friends.

Sunday when my brother had called, I told him CNN was expecting Lee to dump ’10 inches on the east coast. That they were expecting floods. This was Sunday. WARNING FLOODS ARE COMING.

Wed morning, I sat here watching CNN at 6am, explaining the east coast was expecting to get slammed. The weather channel, my local weather channel, CNN was all showing SEVER FLOOD WARNING FOR THE EAST COAST. I soon started seeing news feeds popping up about the rain, small tiny areas of flooding, at 6am. So if a person in Oklahoma, knew danger was coming, a professional facility, responsible for the well-being of life was completely aware. There is no excuse. Though we’ve already seen their press releases, their reasoning and explanation. I’ve seen people defending Hershey zoo, saying there was nothing that could be done. Nothing but stand and watch the two animals slowly drown. THEY JUST STATED ABOVE THAT THEY STARTED THE EVACUATION EARLY IN THE DAY! WHY WERE THE BISON NOT FIRST IF THEY WERE SO DIFFICULT? NO EXCUSES! no they waited until the water arose to their heads then decided, “welp, now is probably a good time to shoot’em, they’ve had enough.”

No one can predict how bad a situation can get but they can take steps to prevent casualties. The zoo did nothing until 5pm when yes, the water was too high get them help. Instead of being responsible and shutting down Wednesday morning, and starting the evacuation, they waited. No excuses, Someone should be held accountable But sadly, Hershey being Hershey will write out an apology. Tell their said tall tale and go about their way. Capturing and containing more defenseless animals they can’t promise to keep safe and protected.

Im sure some were deeply hurt, the ones who cared and loved passionately for these two amazing creatures and for you I ache but come on and for you sheep who believe everything you read/hear, DO THE MATH.

September 9, 2011 at 9:46 pm

leonna l

STOP WITH THE BS!

“Hershey had no time, it wasn’t their fault, how could anyone know it would be this bad?, the water arose in 5 mins”

THERE IS NO JUSTIFICATION, THERE WERE DAYS OF WARNINGS COMING, DAYS.

I live in tornado alley, I know what a surpirse attack from mother nature is, you can’t be warned 3 days ahead that a tornado is coming but you can bet if they could I’d have the sense to save myself and family.

The zoo was warned, and could have moved them, and if by luck nothing had happened at least none of this would have happened.

September 9, 2011 at 11:03 pm

rediculous

This is travesty these people running the place should be put on trial

September 9, 2011 at 11:36 pm

Jenny

OK people, first off this really was not a FLASH flood. The water was rising as witnesses went to work that morning. BEFORE the zoo even opened (or at least I expect since most people are at work before 10am). Secondly, I believe the staff were upset because they thought of these animals as family. What I don’t believe is that the management was upset even for one moment because I’m sure these animals were insured. Thirdly, I hope someone reading all of this is in a position to call for a necropsy because the zoo says that both of the Bison were shot before they drowned and apparently there were witnesses that claim this is true. However, there are witnesses that say that they saw Esther drown. So, do a necropsy and find out the truth. Fourthly, there are witnesses that saw coyotes standing on a “hill” and crying until they stopped…so there were other animals that were sacrificed as well. I just wish that the WHOLE story would be told not just the parts that the “powers that be” want told.—-The witnesses of the drownings were quoted on WHTM 27 news reports when this all first broke. “Surprisingly” they were forgotten in later reports.

September 9, 2011 at 11:53 pm

Anonymous

I cannot believe the hateful comments about the zoo’s action in this situation. Being prepared for every possible disaster is truly impossible – get real! Hindsight is always 20-20. The zoo did the right thing for the bison; letting them drown when there was a more humane option would have been unthinkable for anyone who loves animals, as I do. I’m sure that the death of these wonderful animals was more painful to their caretakers than it was to anyone else. Give these people credit for doing the right thing in a very bad situation.

September 10, 2011 at 12:19 am

Amanda

How long does it take to put two animals in a truck? Or open the gates so they can at least survive and get them later. How long does it take to round up two bison. ZooAmerica makes me sick. I live in the area. Anyone posting about here that sends ZooAmerica sympathies should be quiet. This is not the media. This is irresponsibility. ZooAmerica should be shut down.

September 10, 2011 at 12:32 am

Katie

Hershey you are only in it to make money thats your number one priority. You all make me puke. Never ever will my family step foot in your park again. Idiots

September 10, 2011 at 1:44 am

Bekah

I absolutely love animals, and this tragedy breaks my heart. Hershey, I want to apologize on behalf of all of these hypocrites who are criticizing you. Your efforts and truly heroic actions saved SO many animals. Yes there were flood warnings, but there have been flood warnings in the past that did not end this way. You did everything in your power to save every single animal, and I’m amazed that the casualty number was only two. Two of God’s beautiful creatures died, and that is not to be taken lightly. It is heart breaking and devastating. But it is not your fault. I know one person writing this on an online post will probably not bring any comfort, but I pray that none of your staff is personally taking this blame upon themselves. Many of you risked your lives, up to your chins in water, trying to protect and save those poor animals.
Natural disasters cannot always be prepared for. I am grieving this loss with you and my thoughts and prayers are with all of you. All that can be done now is to make better preparations for the future.
Stay strong and don’t let these awful posts get to you. I hope to see you open and educating again soon!!

September 10, 2011 at 3:28 am

Anonymous

For all of you who believe ZooAmerica did the right thing and believe they could not save the pair of bison just remember in the future when the weather forecasters are able to prewarn the public days in advance that we may be in for heavy rains and you live by a creek and you choose to do nothing about it till the water rises suddenly your stupidity may leave you helpless like the bison were.

September 10, 2011 at 4:28 am

Tonya

This just makes me sick, money hungry MF’s .. Just like the IRS.. They are after one thing and one thing only and thats money.. Maybe we should put them out there and let them all drown.. Heard thats the worst way to go besides being burnt.. * FINGER* to you people at Hershey Park.. HAHAHA maybe this summer coming up I will just stand outside on the side of the road leading into there and protest with big signs that your nothing but ANIMAL KILLERS , DONT SUPPORT HERSHEY !!!! I will never be going to your park.. I dont support animal killers..

September 10, 2011 at 1:17 pm

Judith

PLEASE!!!! Get out of the zoo business. You can try to spin this thing anyway you want, but the bottom line is ZA was negligent, incompetent, greedy and stupid. Your staff and you made many wrong decisions and now there are consequences. I, for one, will be very active in seeing to the demise of ZA. You needed to adhere to the guidelines that every zoo in this nation does, and you failed. Does evacuation plan ring a bell? What does your ad for ” zoo keepers” say, “not required to use common sense in emergency situations?” Don’t give me BS about the “flash flood” either. THis weather was predicted, forecasted, whatever, for days in advance, but you chose to stay open the very day this trajedy happened. NO thinking at all about alternative remedies like even looking in the yellow pages, duh, for animal transportation, call a local farmer, horse people, rodeo people to aide in evacuating these animals. I also would like to know since these animals were so “wild and untouchable”, how did they get veterinary care in the past like vaccines, emergency treatment, antibiotics if needed, worming on a regular basis, hoof trimming? Or were you negligent here too? These are questions that need to be asked when you investigation ensues. You should have hired people experienced with large animals (cattle, bulls, horses) who would have been competent in dealing with animals of this size.

September 10, 2011 at 4:38 pm

Anonymous

Truly poor planning. Zoo American thought tranqualizing these magestic animals would be stressful for these American icons…how stressed do you think they were at the time the flood waters rose. If you can’t manage the animals in your care, you shouldn’t keep them in your care. It’s a shame Ryan and Esther had to suffer this way.

September 10, 2011 at 6:15 pm

myangelian

Hershey has the resources to upgrade the zoo for the animals’ safety! I live near Hershey and have been going to the zoo since I was a kid. Since I’m 63 yrs old, that’s a long time. As far as I’m concerned there have not been many upgrades made there. The bison enclosure has always been set low. Given the fact that there has been more flooding in our area over the years, you’d think the zoo officials would use their brains and common sense and think…… “Gee, maybe we should move the bison enclosure to higher ground since they are 2000 lb animals and not to easy to move and transport. If they were on higher ground they’d be safer if and when the zoo gets flooded again.” Instead Hershey keeps cramming in more roller coasters. I’m not saying they shouldn’t add more rides, just make sure the animals are safe, too. Make it a priority!

September 10, 2011 at 7:32 pm

disgusted

Shame on the people in charge. You make all that money charging people entry to see the animals you keep in captivity and your multi million dollar corporation can’t buy a used cattle trailer for $2000.00 to move these animals to safety so you have to destroy them?? How thoughtless. You have no business having animals in your care.

September 10, 2011 at 8:18 pm

It is actually humorous to read how disgusted some people are with the zoo, even doubting the story’s truth. Yes! It was tragic! But come on! They were BISON for crying out loud! They aren’t human- don’t have souls and are MASSIVE animals! (and as indicated, one DID drown while trying to be rescued.) At least they euthanized the other one instead of letting it drown- either way it died. That water rose faster than some PEOPLE could get out of their cars, and still people are upset with the zoo staff? I shake my head in disgust at the disgusted and try not to laugh becuase humanity truly is lost.

September 10, 2011 at 10:15 pm

Anonymous

one thing for sure that i am never going back to Zoo America You failed to protect the animals your in your care some one should be held accountable for the deaths of the animals

September 10, 2011 at 10:36 pm

becky

For those who post negative messages about how poorly the zoo handled the bison situation. I feel that considering how many animals and creatures the zoo has in its protection, that the lose of only two of these animals is I believe is very good. You have to remember that “flash flood” is that a flash flood in which water rises at a rate you would never expect. I believe the zoo did the best they could have done under the situation. I am certain that the death of these animals was the last thing the zoo wanted to have on thier hands, let alone all the people bad mouthing the choices they had to make. If the removal of these animals was so simple then why didnt these people come and help? So sorry they had to die but I still feel the company did what they could.

September 10, 2011 at 10:42 pm

disgusted

ET- not upset with staff but management. Your responsible when you cage an animal anytime but for profit and don’t address its needs, even in an emergency..? there were warnings way ahead of time being they were next to a creek. As far as people in cars..that’s an analogy in poor taste.

September 11, 2011 at 2:59 am

burt

FUCK YOU and FUCK ZOOs

September 11, 2011 at 4:51 am

Anonymous

There is NO excuse for this happening…you folks shot both Bison or one of them drowned, and you shot the other one. Tell the truth, and don’t put any more animals in a flood-prone zone. Period.

September 11, 2011 at 6:52 am

Eubbie Hadd

This zoo needs to be shut down! It’s obvious the management has no common sense and greed is the top priority. I’m sure the management and staff got their family’s out of harms way before the flood waters hit, after all, they DID have several days warning!

I ask that all reading this, use whatever Social Media they have access too, to initiate a boycott to shut down this zoo until all TOP management is replaced and just not shuffled around!

September 11, 2011 at 8:40 am

This being the 10th Anniversary of September 11th Americans are still so quick to point their finger and blame at any situation that even was an accident and this a force of nature. PEOPLE lost their lives in this flood, not just the 2 bison at Zoo America. The devistation is terrible around this town. The day the flood came, there were no roads in or out of Hershey. It will take a while to rebuild most of Central and NorthEastern PA. As i know Katrina was much more devistating in the South. And many other disasters around this country in the past. Accidents happen in this life, we can not control the force of mother nature and how quickly things occur at her grasp. I feel sorry for those who have anger in their hearts and minds over this what was an accident. I believe that if these animals, which weight upwards of 2800 lbs. would have most likely seriously injured or killed any person in their way considering the incoming flood in their zoo habitat. Thank GOD that did not happen. I ask you, have you ever tried to move a large animal, i.e buffalo, while they were threatened by any type of danger (flood waters) animals get stressed more so than people. They also have large horns. I just thank the Lord no zoo keepers were hurt during this, and thank GOD that no human life was lost in the zoo. I feel sorry for the zoo keepers who were close to these animals, i understand it takes a special talent to work with such animals, it is unfortunate that such a accident has occured. I pray for them in this difficult time and speak peace and healing over them. And i hope that these sticks and stones thrown at them in the form of human words do not peirce them deeply. Think before you speak, get the facts before you accuse. And for goodness sake come together and stop placing blame. Everyday accidents happen. Move on, let it go. Much much worse has happend in the world. Get over it, i hope you ask for forgiveness for such harsh words spoken to these people. Lets start working together for a common goal, love and forgiveness. Look at the bigger picture. Not just this small, unfortunate fragment.

September 11, 2011 at 2:05 pm

myangelian

ET – I shake my head with discust at people who think because they’re “just animals” it doesn’t matter if they suffer and die a horrible death! And saying at least they shot the second one before it drowned like it’s a good thing is horrible. There is no higher ground for those poor animals to go to. After being flooded before the zoo should have moved the bison enclosure to a safer place since ut us nit an easy task moving such large animals.
And Becky to say the loss of “only two” animals is good is horrible, too. Losing any is not good. They’re caged and can’t take care if themselves. People cage them. Then people should have a plan to take proper care of them.
This storm has been a horrific event for so many. Lives lost, homes destroyed, property destroyed. I’m not just disturbed about the bison. But they didn’t have a choice of their location. Many people do and make wrong choices.

September 11, 2011 at 3:39 pm

Anonymous

Tranquilizing the animals would be stressful on them! Well, how stressful was it when the one drowned and the other nearly drowned and was shot.

September 11, 2011 at 4:50 pm

myangelian

Exactly, Annonymous, September 11, 2011 at 3:39 pm!! I think fighting for their lives in rising water and being roped and then drowning and being shot would be more stressful!! They should have been in a safer location to begin with given the history of flooding there.

September 11, 2011 at 8:03 pm

myangelian

I’m wondering why on earth was the zoo even opened at all that day when we were having torrential downpours? Who would be visiting in that kind of weather?

September 11, 2011 at 10:12 pm

Susan R

Hershey and Zoo America should be ashamed of their conduct and ‘planning’. You were to be protectors and stewards for these animals. These same animals that have brought Profit to your spineless pocketbooks. God sees all and no misdeed or self serving action will go unpunished. Perhaps you may learn something from your lack of planning.

September 11, 2011 at 10:44 pm

Jane Morris

I am appalled at the information I have just read about the bison at the Zoo–There is absolutely no excuse for the horrific deaths that these animals suffered at the hands of uncaring, inattentive and unqualified keepers–I lived in the apartment house in the zoo in the early 70′s and was unlucky enough to have experienced the Agnes flood in 1972 when Springcreek overflowed its banks and flooded the entire area of the zoo, Park Ave.. and a bit of Trinidad Ave.–that creek created a dam at the corner of Park and Trinidad –I left the apartment that morning to go to the corner to see if I could get out to go to work and observed a man standing on the top of his car and no one would help him- I went into that water and pulled that man off his car–the current of the swirling water was so strong that we had absolutely no control and luckily we were picked up by the current and pushed over to a bank by the stone house on that corner or we too would have drowned–the point is that anyone who has lived in Hershey for a long time is aware of that creek running thru the zoo and the damage that it has done in the past–Did anyone sit up and pay attention to the history of flooding in that area this time–obviously not–My question is why did Herco not pay attention at the beginning of the week when the weather forecast was foreboding and dangerous to start taking those animals out of harm’s way and put them in a safe place to be safe rather than sorry–I am afraid the answer is not enough concern and not wanting to spend the money to take care of their endangered caged animals-instead allowed them to drown and be shot cruelly –there is no excuse for any of these problems–the zoo has smelled bad of urine in the heat of the summer for years and has appeared to be unkempt and neglected–it is below street level which puts animals in an inferior spot in case of trouble before trouble even arrives–I hope that the animal rights people do an investigation, prosecute those who are guilty and that the zoo is closed forever–I lived there and experienced the flood waters and I know all of these terrible events and needless suffering of those animals and how many more could have certainly been avoided–

September 11, 2011 at 11:06 pm

Get over it

bison in the wild were shot by the millions when English settlers arrived. that wasnt very nice either now was it? Nobody is complaining about that. the bison have made a comeback and are now farmed for food. they are no longer endangered. you people bashing the zoo need to get over it. those bison were well cared for and died in a tragic accident. stop crying on this blog. what happened, happened. its over, get on with your life. for those of you who want to complain to peta, did you know they kill more cats and dogs then any other shelter in the United States? what are they going to do? they’ve been trying to shut down circuses for decades and keep failing. Thank God because i love circuses. they just con people for their money, saying it will go to save animals but it doesnt. it goes into the lawsuits they try to file year after year and they fail every time. Peta is the worst organization ever. The leader of peta is diabetic and is on insulin. Do you know where insulin originally comes from? COWS and PIGS. Does this tell you something? I love zooamerica and will support it forever.

September 12, 2011 at 5:50 am

anonymous

Some of you are so stupid you can’t differentiate between animals that are free to roam without any restraints and those that are born in captivity, fed and, yes, to some point, domesticated. There was no excuse for those animals not to be moved well in advance of this travesty. And to say the zoo can’t move them everytime there is potentially bad weather is ridiculous. Not much effort to drive them to safer ground. Oh gee I forgot, not enough space for the animals because there is a new roller coaster going there. Planning is so important, especially when this had happened before, but ZooAmerica chose to let the bison in the low lying area of the park instead of excavating an area to create some kind of hill where they at least could have stayed on until the water receded. Just opening their gate and rounding them up after the flood MAY have been an option. Animals can sense danger and do a good job of keeping safe for the most part. They would have had a much better chance of survival being let out of the pen.

September 12, 2011 at 10:05 am

Anonymous

some of you are so stupid to realize that the zoo has its space outside of the park. the roller coaster is not going up anywhere near the animals. their space is never going to change. why did you just drive up to the zoo and “let them out.” You saying what should have and could have been done is a little late. what happened, happened. your little two cents isnt helping now is it? where was it before?

September 12, 2011 at 12:04 pm

anonymous

Everyone is trying to offer something so that this doesn’t happen again. But, that would be the third time, right? THe whole thing was handled wrong, and when an investigation is finished, I hope that this place has its license pulled, and the rest of the animals placed in competent zoos. If you can’t provide food, shelter, health care and a safe environment for confined animals that depend on these things, then places like ZA have no business having them. If the park and the zoo have nothing to do with each other, then why is it you get into the zoo free when you pay for the park ticket? I don’t care if the zoo is inside or outside the park, something needs to change so ANY of these animals can take safe refuge when something like this occurs.

September 12, 2011 at 2:15 pm

Anonymous

Please check your info before you post it for everyone to see. The new roller coaster has nothing to do with the amount of space that the bison have. Otha zoos have made mistakes also. Remember Christmas day a few years ago when I tiger leapt out of it’s enclose at the San francisco zoo and killed a person and mauled several others? That tiger had to be shot.They didn’t provide the right shelter either? Zoos in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Washington D.C, San Diego, and Pittsburgh have all had animals escape.. Then there is Knut the polar bear who died from a seizure at a zoo in Germany. People thought there was some great conspiracy theory that the keepers killed him. Zoos make mistakes. It happens and it doesn’t mean that they care about the animals any less. Does this mean we shouldshut down all those zoos? No. Zoo America won’t get shut. And I am happy for that

September 12, 2011 at 5:39 pm

To Get Over It- VERY WELL SAID! So happy, way to bring PETA (Pretty Exteme, Totally Assinine) into it. This zoo will always have my support.

September 12, 2011 at 5:44 pm

And to everyone calling for their license to be revoked, what then?? where will your kids go to see these amazing animals? Phily? DC? parking sucks and the pay is worse. What would happen if in the next earthquake, a crevice opens and swallows the hippos at the Los Angelos zoo. Is everyone going to cry about that because they should have known it was dangerous to house animals on a fault line?? Next thing all those animals have to be moved to a better zoo. Why do they even have them out in the open? these poor helpless creatures were getting wet while it was raining. They should each have their own house. Had the zoo opened their cages and “let them out if their instincts told them to flee the water (even some humans don’t stay out of the water, can’t imagine bison doing it), they would run through hershey and probably trample someone or bash a car, then what would everyone be crying? the Zoo is incompetant blah, blah blah. Great honk people, get a life. You aren’t bringing back the buffalo or helping anyone.

September 12, 2011 at 6:18 pm

myangelian

Like it or not, the zoo needs to make some changes or close altogether. It’s in an area prone to flooding. They know it, the public knows it. Devastating things have happened so it’s time to do something about it. We’ll “get over it” when we feel it’s a safer place for the animals.

September 13, 2011 at 5:26 pm

myangelian

I am not blaming the zookeepers… They care deeply for the animals and do their best! Their hands are tied and have to answer to higher-ups.

September 14, 2011 at 5:49 pm

Anonymous

Every year i take my daughter and 4 of her friends to Hershey Park candylane for her birthday! We would walk through ZooAmerica…How dare you not take responsibility for moving the animals it rained for days….I will never be back!!!

September 14, 2011 at 7:10 pm

anonymous

The majority of those who have written in feel the same; they will never be back to Hershey and ZooAmerica. Ditto for this family. Total greed and irresponsibility. I hope the same resonates throughout Pennsylvania and the rest of the US visiting Pa. I will certainly bring this up every time someone mentions going to Hershey Park. Maybe ZA doen’t take it seriously, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see. To add insult to injury, the zoo staff feels “they did the right thing”. How delirious are they??!! They sicken me.

September 16, 2011 at 5:21 am

ecampell

I have never understood why a zoo would be placed at an amusement park? Kids screaming, constant noise of rides. It just always seemed so inappropriate and stressful and inhumane for the animals.

I remember as a kid seeing a bear in an exhibit at ZooAmerica. It was a concrete box. There was nothing for the bear. No tree, no toys, no ground, just concrete. It broke my heart. I’m glad it’s improved there over the years.

I wish Hershey would take this time to consider relocating the zoo away from the amusement park to a place that is more appropriate. They could build much bigger and better areas for animals. It’s a cramped zoo. They could really make it shine. And it would be nice if a memorial would be made in honor of the two bison that died.

September 16, 2011 at 2:01 pm

Anonymous

It was all over then news for days about the flash flood warning. Why were the other animals rescued but not the bison? There wasnt even an attempt to get the out. Instead, you shot them. Why was there no attempt to get them out? Couldnt you have left other animals that could swim there and have gotten the bison out? Thats not right. Those bison should be aive today. along with all the other animals.

September 17, 2011 at 6:17 am

myangelian

I remember the “bear in the box”. The poor thing used to pace back and forth all the time. I feel so bad for animals that are penned up in small areas not at all like their natural habitat!! It’s cruel!

September 20, 2011 at 6:14 am

Brad

I’m a Hershey Resident and live 5min from the Bison. Here are my thoughts.

Hershey Foods and Derry Township needs fined. For inadequetly redirecting the upstream creek thru a CLOSED factory. That factory once operated on manpower, now all the jobs are going to robotics.

Just upstream, it flows thru the plant, just prior to entering the zoo. Had a reservoir been built, none of this would have happened. Had a human been on the job in the factory, instead of a machine. None of this would have happened.

But instead of a reservoir, what does Hershey zoning permit to be built there? A golf course. They are in part to blame for this travesty. More so than that Curator who was just working with what he had. A zoo in a crawspace/gully.

The water here didn’t go from inches to feet in minutes like this phoney bolognie PR says. It did pour fast and hard, quickly, but not that fast. Not to whole feet, in minutes, your talking about 6-7 feet to drown a bison right? Well that didn’t happen in 10min.

That creek burst out from that dammed up stream, thanks to Hershey Foods, who inadequetly mismanaged its flow thru its Plant.

I believe the coyotes were a type of praire dog. Further PR lies. Yeah they don’t have coyotes, but they did have lotsa crazy canines. They were screaming as their holes filled with water, I imagine.

Hershey is surrounded by cattle farms that provide the Corporation with its highly genetically modified milk, one of those could have easily housed those bison if they had actually practiced their emergency drills, and relocated the outside ground pounders.

The National Guard was here, and their is an Army base not far. It has many helecopters that would have been able to airlift a harnessed animal. Hell many towns have bulls charging down the streets…

I wanna know why they tried to cover it up, and say both were shot, instead of report the truth. That beast drowned in a cage, I can’t think of a worse way to go. I’d have been paranoid too.

Demote the Curator, revoke ALL HERCO’s outdoor exhibit permits, fire the safety inspector who last signed off on the Zoos 4 yearly inspections, Fine HERCO, and then Fine Hershey Foods, and then SUE Derry Township’s zoning department, for their unsafe waterways in a residential and commercial area.

Thank god PETA is on it now, atleast somebody is doing the right thing. Hershey sure isn’t. Milton’s prolly rolling over in his grave.

September 23, 2011 at 5:02 pm

Anonymous

I hope someone has notified Hershey park that the area may experience flash flooding again today! PLEASE! This story sickens me to no end! I will not visit again!!! My heart does go out to the employees, that were more than likely just doing what they were instructed to do. I have no doubt that they have deep concern for the animals in their care, although I wish someone would have used better judgement.

I am REALLY more outraged, at the powers that be, and that their first concern was how to make a few more dollars, by remaining open to the public. Please! Was anyone really interested in a trip to the zoo during a flood? Good Lord! Why were such large, and potentially difficult to evacuate animals. placed in such a vulnerable area to begin with??? Did anyone think this through?

Come on! I hope the souls of these two beautiful creatures are at total peace, and roaming free! No more cages, no more danger, no more suffering! I hope they can forgive their “care takers” Although, I’m sure they will. They are peace loving creatures! Shame on Hershey park!

With appropriate planning, I’m sure plenty of volunteers would have come fourth to help the cause. There are plenty of Veterinarians, as well as those with the equipment, and shelter who would have been happy to help these two animals. Especially in the Hershey area! I hope that they didn’t suffer too long! AFH

October 3, 2011 at 7:51 pm

Brad

Debbie, it wasn’t a mercy killing. Forcing a beast to watch his own sister drowned then noose it off to a gate, suffocating him in high water is not merciful, its just the opposite torture. Pulling down the fence, and tossing a flashbang, chewtoy, whatever inspired it to leave the dangerous area for higher ground is what should have occured. Preparations and forthought would have been the way to go also. This ZooAmerica Curator isn’t qualified to muck a stall.

October 26, 2011 at 1:15 pm

Deb

Going to this zoo was one of the most horrible experiences in my life!! The animals are in tiny enclosures…rocking back and forth or pacing.

Zoo America is CRIMINAL!

January 31, 2012 at 11:54 pm

Jodi

We were just at the zoo on Saturday How i missed what happened to the bison is beyond me I think what happened is heartbreaking. I cant imagine why the outcome was what it was. Was ther NO WAY to save those poor animals???? I know we will not be coming to Zoo America anymore. If you take on the task of caring for animals then you need to have plans in order in case of emergency to keep them safe!

Loss of Bison At ZooAmerica

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