The Dye is Cast

In some very sad news from the Philadelphia Zoo, five meerkats died suddenly and unexpectedly.  The zoo is still investigating, but right now the likely culprit seems to be some dye that the zoo was using to help identify the meerkats as individuals.

Zoos and aquariums care for an amazing diversity of species - and each of those species has its own unique medical needs and challenges, including sensitivity to different chemicals and compounds.  Different taxa have different levels of sensitivity.  Amphibians and birds are often the most sensitive groups, the former due to absorption through their skin, the later due to inhalation.  

Whenever someone at our zoo wants to use a new substance - a chemical for cleaning, a paint, a caulk, a sealant - it has to get a pretty thorough review from our vet to make sure it is safe.  Or at least that it appears to be safe - you can never be 100% sure until you actually use it.    Then, you have to keep a close eye out every time you buy a new batch - you can never be sure that the company hasn't tweaked the formula into something that might seem minor to them, but could have deadly consequences.

Information on all chemicals used is kept in Material Safety Data Sheets, and a typical zoo or aquarium has stacks of binders of SDS sheets tucked around the facility.  These contain info on what the chemicals contain, what they are used for, and what first aid treatment (for humans) is needed for accidental ingestion, injection, inhalation, or other exposures.  Again, the info on those covers human safety.  Not animal.

People who work within our zoo are always very understanding of this process.  Where we get some exasperation and complaining is when we hire contractors to do maintenance work.  They sometimes don't understand why we slow walk - and sometimes refuse - chemical products that they've worked with for year.  Sometimes we require them to find substitutes, which might be harder to get a hold of, or more expensive.  Those chemicals might be safe for human use in human settings, but have detrimental impacts on animals.

But, as the meerkat case shows, there's always potential risk when animals and chemicals come together.