Brookhaven Town supervisor Dan Panico announced an independent investigation launch with Suffolk County district attorney Ray Tierney last week after allegations of severe animal neglect were revealed by former employees and two animal welfare groups regarding the Holtsville Ecology Center and zoo.
The allegations included improper food being given to the animals, enclosures not being cleaned properly, overgrown hooves, medical neglect and surgery being without anesthesia and performed by non-veterinarian personnel, said John Di Leonardo, president of Humane Long Island an animal advocacy organization. Di Leonardo is an anthrozoologist and founded the organization 12 years ago first concentrating on circus act animal cruelty. The organization rescues exotic and farm animals in need of help from Manhattan to the end of Long Island.
But there were three meetings with town officials well before the story hit the news and the press conference about the district attorney’s investigation.
“Honey the bear, who was euthanized, was treated over the phone by a dog-and-cat vet,” Di Leonardo said. “We met with the town three weeks before Honey died and offered for Honey to be seen by a large-animal vet. They wouldn’t budge.”
Originally eight former employees came forward; another spoke up recently, Di Leonardo said. Via interviews and in a 120-page document, the alleged neglect was chronicled and presented to the town, he said.
Di Leonardo said the first meeting with the town was on Sept. 13 with councilman Kornreich, then on Oct. 8 with Kornreich and supervisor Panico, and again on Nov. 7 with Kornreich, Panico and highway supervisor Dan Losquadro’s deputy and the ecology center’s manager. Losquadro wasn’t present, he said.
“Photos were shown of the injured animals and offers were made to relocate them to accredited wildlife sanctuaries,” Di Leonardo said. “While councilman Kornreich and supervisor Panico were sympathetic, Losquadro’s staff were not.”
Jessica Chiarello, hospital supervisor at the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Service, who isn’t a former employee, said she worked with Di Leonardo to collect the evidence. “I was at all the meetings with the town,” she said.
A red flag on the neglect was raised last winter with Nessie the Peking duck, Chiarello said. Nessie was brought to Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue when she was dying and couldn’t stand and town ecology staff wouldn’t help, Di Leonardo said. Chiarello said her group offered to keep the duck for rehabilitation and adoption after they treated her, but was rebuffed by ecology center officials and had to be returned after they treated her.
Nessie was diagnosed with lead poisoning, a fractured wing, and staph infections on both feet, said Di Leonardo, who had been notified.
“There are 120 animals and all would have placement across the U.S. since we’ve been working on this,” Chiarello said. “It was our main pitch to the town. A lot of the places were accredited and they would be getting completely different care” she said.
“When we sat down at the first meeting, we told them we wanted to do a good story with [the town], to show that they were working with animal advocacy. They said they would look into it. Panico said, ‘We are going to take this seriously’; he toured the ecology center with the new veterinarian and said it looked great. That was the news he brought at the last meeting.”
Chiarello said she and Di Leonardo haven’t had direct conversations with Panico since that last meeting.
Brookhaven director of communications Drew Scott, who introduced the Dec. 23 press conference, referred our paper’s questions to that event.
“Supervisor Panico and the town board members joined him and said they will follow any recommendations by the district attorney’s office after the investigation,” Scott said.
At the press conference, Panico commented emphatically, “There will be zero tolerance for any animal neglect in this town. At the conclusion of the findings, this town board will decide which action, if any, we will take at the conclusion of this investigation.
“We chose the district attorney because we want the investigation to be independent and to show how seriously we take these allegations.”
When asked about the three meetings the animal advocates had with the town with photos and documentation before the press conference, Scott referred them to the Highway Department.
“Since this investigation is now in the hands of the District Attorney’s Office, it would be appropriate for you to direct most of your questions there,” he said.
Queries to the Brookhaven Highway Department were unanswered at press time.
