Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 September 2022
157. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will provide details on the cause of death for each of the 300 animals in locations (details supplied), including euthanasia, gender, age at time of death and the origin of these animals. [47651/22]
View answerMy Department has responsibility for implementation of the European Communities (Licensing and Inspection of Zoos) Regulations 2003 which deal with the inspection, licensing and regulation of zoos. These Regulations give effect in the national context to the EU Zoo Directive.
Mortalities recorded by a zoo are addressed during inspection. Post-mortems are also examined as part of the inspection and anything which is outside the normal range of mortalities, in the context of that zoo's animal population, is noted in the zoo inspection report.
Mortality rates are assessed year on year to demonstrate trends, taking into account the variety, age profile and range of species, the type of programmes carried out and the overall animal management at the zoo. This information is a useful marker for assessment of welfare as part of a wider view but is not utilised in isolation.
My Department inspects around 70 establishments each year and does not retain the post-mortem details for individual deaths in each establishment. These records are kept by zoos for inspection and as part of the day to day management of their establishments.
