By Laura Goldman from Care2

As she cleaned an enclosure during the tenth day of her internship at Conservators Center in Burlington, N.C., late last year, Alexandra Black was attacked and killed by a lion, Matthei, when he escaped from a holding pen. Matthei was then shot and killed.

Matthei was able to reach Black, who was working with two other interns, through a gate that was blocked by a large ball. The center denied this, saying it was “neither accurate nor plausible,” but did not provide a reason for how the lion escaped.

Douglas Evans and Mindy Stinner co-founded Conservators Center in 1999 as a nonprofit sanctuary and rescue. Eight years later, the facility changed its focus and became what Stinner has referred to as “a kind of a community zoo.” Among the 85 or so animals it keeps in captivity are a dozen lions, three tigers and two leopards.

North Carolina, along with Alabama, Nevada and Wisconsin, are the only U.S. states that allow the private ownership of exotic animals.

The center is licensed by the USDA but is not accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), which requires these facilities to follow standards regarding management and care of their animals, including regular escape drills. In a statementafter the tragedy, the AZA said most facilities that are licensed by the USDA to keep dangerous animals are not accredited.

Obtaining a license from the USDA isn’t too difficult, according to Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) President and CEO Kitty Block. “The barest minimum with practically very little oversight,” she told ABC11 in January.

Dan Ashe, executive director of the AZA, agrees. USDA standards are “minimal,” he told the Associated Press (AP) May 25. “If a facility has dangerous animals, they should hold themselves to high standards and should be held by the government to high standards,” he said.

More than 140,000 people have signed a Care2 petition urging North Carolina lawmakers to pass legislation prohibiting the private ownership of exotic animals. Black’s family has also been advocating for stronger state laws to increase the safety of zoos.

Five months after the Conservators Center tragedy, our voices are being heard, to some degree. House Bill 577 is making moving through the North Carolina state House. The bill would prohibit the private ownership of lions and other big cats, as well as great apes, hyenas and bears. It would become a misdemeanor to privately own, possess, breed or sell these animals. The penalties would increase if the animal escaped or harmed someone.

Unfortunately, House Bill 577 excludes zoos and shelters that are regulated by the USDA — including the Conservators Center. Virginia Black, Alexandra’s aunt, wants that to change. She believes her niece’s life could have been saved if the center had better safety protocols in place.

“Sanctuaries and zoos where a person has been killed or injured where investigation has revealed a lack of proper safety drills, equipment and protocols should no longer be able to keep dangerous wild animals,” she wrote in a letter to North Carolina lawmakers, according to the AP.

Less than two months after Black and Matthei were killed at the Conservators Center, the facility reopened. In an email to the AP, Stinner wrote that the center had thoroughly reviewed safety measures and had retrained its 12 employees that care for over 80 animals. The center was “confident that if all of its policies and procedures are followed, its guests, staff, and animals are safe,” she wrote.

Like many others, Black’s aunt was flabbergasted that the Conservators Center would open again so soon. “I just don’t know why it’s enough for them to say, ‘Look we changed some things … come on over!’” she told the AP.

It’s not enough. North Carolina will be taking a very important step forward if it passes legislation prohibiting the private ownership of dangerous animals, but that legislation should also include privately owned facilities. Alabama, Nevada and Wisconsin need to follow North Carolina’s lead and enact similar laws of their own.

TAKE ACTION

Please sign and share this petition urging North Carolina state legislators to pass a law banning privately owned zoos from keeping dangerous animals.

Join more than 86,000 people who have signed this petition urging the U.S. Congress to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act (HR 1818), which would make it illegal in every state to privately own lions, tigers, cougars and other wild animals.

If you want to make a difference on an issue you find deeply troubling, you too can create a Care2 petition, and use this handy guide to get started. You‘ll find Care2‘s vibrant community of activists ready to step up and help you.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

For more on this story go to; https://www.care2.com/causes/intern-killed-by-north-carolina-zoo-lion-inspires-bill-banning-exotic-animals.html