Did you know?
Devon the tortoise has a shell condition that is very common among captive raised Sulcata Tortoises. It is believed this condition is caused by an inadequate diet. The only physical evidence that this condition exists is displayed in the appearance of the animal’s shell. The individual pleurals and vertebrals of the shell become raised to form points, known as pyramids. The decree of pyramiding is dependent upon the severity of the dietary deficiencies over time. It is understood that this condition is for the most part irreversible.
It needs to be noted that Devon came to GuZoo already afflicted with this condition. We are not by any means saying that Devon was incorrectly treated by her former owners. But this is a good example of how more education needs to be made available to would be exotic pet owners on how to properly care for these unique reptiles.
Did you know?
This past fall, some anti-GuZoo people took some photos of Devon our tortoise, edited them to make them look like Devon’s shell had SERIOUS deformities and gave the deformity a fancy name. They sent these photos to the Alberta SPCA telling the officers they are tortoise experts and can tell by this photo that the animal is in distress.
Did you know?
Devon the Tortoise was stolen?
16 comments:
Wait, so, some person or group stole an already sick tortoise thinking they could help it? What qualifies these thieves to take care of a reptile? If they think it is a reversible disease, what harm are they going to do to 'fix' the poor reptile?
How does one steal an animal when the zoo has such adequate supervision and has been closed?
thsprogAre you saying that you dont have Devon anymore? He is gone? I thought he was returned to you, are you saying that someone came and stole him recently? Or are you talking about when the SPCA took him to be examined?
Just another case of Guzoo accusing people of harming or stealing animals that Guzoo can't or won't look after properly.Quit yur bitchin and do the right thing for the animals and quit trying to push the blame off on innocent people who truly have the animals best interests at heart.
Which animal rights group is being investigated?
Shell pyramiding can be caused by a poor diet; it is also caused by improper microclimates within the tortoises enclosure. Diet is a factor, but not the only factor.
The physical pyramiding is irreversible, and yes, the tortoise was already pyramiding when it came to Guzoo, however the conditions it is/was being kept in at Guzoo are making the condition worse. When I was there, I saw no evidence that the Guzoo was attempting to provide the proper diet. I saw romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce and bits of pea pods. Peas should never be fed; they're too high in protein and stress the kidneys. While there was an abundance of timothy hay in the enclosure, there was also an abundance of lettuce. When presented with fresh vegetables, a sulcata will choose the fresh veggies over hay. It's imperative that the keeper monitor their tortoises food intake to ensure that the tortoise is actually eating the hay provided. If you're not going to bother with that, then you're guaranteeing that your tortoise is not going to be getting the proper diet. Every time I have seen this tortoise, it always has a pile of lettuce -- evidence that romaine lettuce is not being fed as an "occasional treat".
The sulcata's enclosure was FAR too small for it to turn around comfortably, let alone sustain a proper temperature gradient, or microclimates. If Guzoo is not making the effort to provide the proper diet, or environment for this sulcata, and the conditions it's being kept in are detrimental to its health, then individuals who are passionate about animal welfare have every right to alert the SPCA to the neglect this creature is being forced to endure.
When I last saw that tortoise, there was evidence of multiple shell fractures, and the severe pyramiding is indicative of metabolic bone disease. Combine that with the fact that the Guzoo clearly does not care to provide an adequate enclosure or diet, and it's a textbook case of neglect.
It's absolutley ridiculous that you're telling people that those pictures were edited. I have seen the videos of the tortoise. Are you going to tell people that the videos were "digitally edited" too?
I was told that your sister in law is planing on building an 8x11 plexiglass enclosure for Devon. That's wonderful, however I wonder why it's taken so long? That tortoise should have never been put into that tiny aquarium. That aquarium was never a suitable enclosure for it. Before you give me your speech about "considering the physical capacities of a tortoise", I suggest you look up the physical capacities yourself. While they may not need room to jump and run, a sulcata tortoise does in fact need room to burrow, soak, hide, and roam. Again, before you trot out your speech about how this tortoise enjoys a large outdoor enclosure in the Winter, you should understand that an adequate enclosure for four months out of the year, does not compensate for woefully inadequate conditions for eight months. I know that at Guzoo, it is believed that if an animal's alive, that must mean it's healthy, but bear in mind that reptiles can linger a long time before finally succumbing to their environment. What exactly is the Guzoo teaching the public in terms of tortoise husbandry? That tortoises can stay alive even in awful conditions? I honestly hope that one day, the Guzoo will be brought to task for the clear, and clearly long-term disregard for the welfare of the animals within their care and control.
Also, the woman who told me about the new tortoise enclosure you're planning mentioned to me that you were considering putting your iguana in with the tortoise. I really hope that this isn't true. Iguanas need a high humidity environment, and that tortoise is a desert tortoise. They can't both thrive in the same enclosure.
Kevin Maimann an editor of the Edmonton Examiner came last spring accompanied by two girls, one of which was described as Devon McDonald. Kevin Mainmann proceeded to occupy Mr. GuZoo while his two accomplices went into our warm petting barn, broken into the Sugar Glider cage and stole a breeding pair and their offspring.
Why does this happen? The Gustafson family always treats visitors as friends, and friends don’t steal. That people can carry out such evil acts upon a trusting family is utterly shameful. Especially since Kevin Maimann is a distinguished and high profile editor a tabloid magazine.
You all are missing the point. An animal rights group is being investigated because they made it possible for an animal to be taken from an owner without going through proper proceedure as laid out in the Alberta Animal Protection Act.
If this group can steal animals from us, you can be sure they can steal animals from you also. And lets hope for your sake you are providing the standard of care that they think you should, not what you think is right.
Who are you accusing of stealing the sugar gliders and the tortise and who exactly is being investigated.A little more info would be helpful.
But are you not only being asked to follow the Alberta Zoo Standards? They are a minimum levels of care. If you can't even achieve that, dont you think you should leave keeping these animals to people who do know how?
Not taking proper care of an animal, and then having that animal seized does not prove the reporters to be bad guys, it proves you are not caring for the animal properly. Did the expert say he was found to not be in distress? Apparently, although that opinion is not shared by others.
His MBD, not just some fancy word, is indeed getting worse in your care. If he was on a proper diet and in a proper enclosure it should stop, or at least significantly slow down. The fact that you call MBD "some sill name" shows me not only are you ignorant to the things important to the survival of the anima, but it also tells me the animal never saw a vet till it was seized or you would know what MBD is as the vet would have told you that was what he had, and you would have researched it to learn what it was, not just some silly name, and how to change it.
This terrible habit of telling half truths, and gas lighting people is obvious. Sadly not all of us are as undereducated as you appear to be.
I also find it incredibly ironic that someone who runs B and I aquariums would not be able to set up a proper enclosure for a tortoise. You advertise custom made aquariums and terrariums, yet you keep your tortoise in sub par conditions.
Do you keep your fish in similar conditions? Someone said you have like 50 tanks in your house... How the hell do you have time for that... but this poor tortoise has been left to rot in the barn without proper care?
Thank you for publishing my post. I apologize for the typo. You provide an adequate enclosure during the summer rather than the winter; I thought I should clear that up.
I do want to ask though, if animals are indeed being stolen out of the petting barn, why isn't there any supervision in the barn? Wouldn't some supervision stop theft? I know that it is nice to assume the best of people, but don't the Alberta Zoo Standards state that contact areas must be supervised by zoo staff? Also, if these animals were, in fact, stolen by the individuals you say, did you ever press charges? Did you contact the police? If you have no proof of what you say, perhaps it would be wise to not name names.
I'm also confused Irene. How did an animal rights group make it possible for an animal to be seized without due process? I've already explained to you the reasons for my complaint to the SPCA regarding the tortoise; I've succinctly explained why the conditions the tortoise was being kept in constitutes neglect. The animal protection act does address neglect as well as abuse. My complaint was not prompted because of a picture; I personally witnessed the conditions, and diet the Guzoo deemed adequate for Devon.
I'm not afraid of my animals being "stolen" by the SPCA, because I have not violated the Animal Protection Act. In the tortoises case, the Guzoo did violate the Animal Protection Act.
I look forward to seeing the new 8x11 enclosure in April. I sincerely hope the conditions have improved for Devon. I am, however, deeply disturbed that an SPCA seizure was necessary to prompt the construction of Devon's new enclosure.
We at the Guzoo can not monitor every visitor nor can the Calgary zoo or any place open to the public. It is a known fact that even with the best security theft occurs. Your sitting there and telling people theft is fine if you believe something does not meat your standards is crazy theft is theft do not make excuses for it.
If you think your leader Devon is so all knowing why does she not know bull elk can not produce offspring in a bachelor herd. Surely someone in your group of experts could have set her straight before she published such nonsense on the internet for the world to see.
All of you complain about animal neglect at the Guzoo. Yet in all of your visits here spying this summer not one of you told us of any problems. Maybe it is time you be charged for leaving animals in distress. Walking away and complaining on face book does not help animals that you believe are out of water,food or dirty. Think about that the Guzoo is not on face book so it could take along time to hear of any complaint which would only be something you believe any way. Your silly belief that animals should all ha clean water in front of them 24/7 is absurd, I have seen deer in the wild bed more than a mile from any water and the water there was not clear or fit for human consumption.
Another issue we would like to address here is if you can not use your name and post under anonymous your post will be deleted.
I find it very cowardly to post this way as you all know all of us at the Guzoo.
I would also ask next time you come here to please come to us and identify yourselves as this will even the field seeing as you know what we look like.
Bill Gustafson
Thank you again for posting my comment. Yes, of course theft would still occur even if there is supervision, and no, theft isn't okay. I certainly am not condoning theft, I am asking for clarification. How is it that an animal rights group got the tortoise seized without due process?
No, the Calgary Zoo cannot monitor every visitor, but the Alberta Zoo Standards don't demand that every visitor be monitored. The Zoo Standards state that designated contact areas, such as your petting barn, be supervised.
What the SPCA did was not theft. The SPCA was doing their job. They were investigating a complaint; I myself lodged a complaint after seeing the condition that tortoise was being kept in. It is their job to investigate complaints. I explained to them exactly what I explained here, and they followed through and did their jobs.
I have never said that theft is okay. If those individuals did steal your sugar gliders, again this is a dangerous allegation to make without proof, then what they did was wrong. I don't know why you're bringing Devon into this; I am my own person, and I can come to my own conclusions. I saw with my own eyes the conditions that tortoise was in. I did not complain to the SPCA about the green water dishes, or the dirty enclosures; I complained about the clear violation of the Animal Protection Act -- the tortoise.
The fact is Bill, during my last visit to Guzoo, I did not see any staff members. Who exactly was I supposed to voice any concerns to?
Also, it is your responsibility to research the care of your animals. It is not the responsibility of the public to notify you of the needs of your collection. Despite the fact that it is the Guzoo's responsibility to research, and provide for the animals, the public has in fact brought the tortoise's neglect to your attention. There is an entry on this blog in which Irene "debunks" some of the concerns regarding Devon. She even goes so far as to post a care sheet -- a care sheet that outlined everything Guzoo was doing wrong with its tortoise.
I'm sorry you feel attacked. I'm sorry you feel as though the Zoo standards are unfair. I'm very sorry that your sugar gliders are gone. I would be happy to e-mail my phone number to the Guzoo's email account if you are interested in discussing the finer points of reptile husbandry.
I used to enjoy reading this blog, however I am a little concerned with the tone it has taken lately. There is no sufficient evidence to your accusatory post pertaining to a tortoise being stolen and now sugar gliders being stolen and as to whom is involved with investigating. I feel this could very well be a case of libel and it makes me uncomfortable with the idea of visiting your zoo with the way this is going.
Would you like to comment on the photos you have recently posted of Wallace? You blame animal rights people for photoshopping pictures even though they have accompanying video. Now you clearly have a photoshopped picture of Wallace here. It is a very bad job so it doesn't take a genius to figure it out lol. Do you really think people are so stupid? Or are we to believe that Wallace got gum treatments, a crown and veneers. How can you mislead your dedicated supporters like this?
Mary-Ann
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