A Zoo Professional Chimes In On The Sick Deer At The Salisbury Zoo

"I mentioned to Joe about this last year. If the deer has been castrated the lack of testosterone would not help regulate the growth of the antlers. Antlers act like a cancerous growth, if you will, while in velvet. The hormone levels help determine size and when to stop growing.

I have seen some cases of castrated males receiving testosterone shots to minimize this condition, but can be a very difficult thing to get right.

Ideally they should have vasectomized the male. However, it is the testosterone that make the male aggressive and dangerous to keeper staff and other animals on exhibit. Ideally you should have a separate holding yard for the male during rut.

Castration works well for horned animals although some of the male characteristics reduce (muscle, coloration, etc.), but nothing like the antler growth problem.

When I interviewed for the director position, Gary, the curator, did not ask me a single question about myself, experiences or philosophies. Steve Sarro actually told me he did not take the position because he could let remove Gary from his position.

I do not believe this animal has to be put down with out first trying hormonal replacement first or if that is not the case determining what the actual cause is. Get a second opinion. I utilize multiple vets at my facility.

Is it not that errors and weird things happen in animal care. We are constantly learning new things and adjusting our husbandry tactics. Besides dealing with the new information about species, we should not forget the strange individuals that throw a wrench into things.

So the question here, has the new director and zoo team have the methodology to address these types of concerns, and how do they communicate that with the authorities and public?"