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87–961 2014

THE NATIONAL ZOO OF TODAY AND TOMORROW—AN INNOVATIVE CENTER FOCUSED ON 

THE CARE AND CONSERVATION OF THE 

WORLD’S SPECIES 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE 

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE 

ADMINISTRATION 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

Held in Washington, DC, April 2, 2014 

Printed for the use of the Committee on House Administration 

( 

Available on the Internet 

www.fdsys.gov 


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COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION 

CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan, Chairman 

GREGG HARPER, Mississippi 

PHIL GINGREY, M.D., Georgia 

AARON SCHOCK, Illinois 

TODD ROKITA, Indiana 

RICHARD B. NUGENT, Florida 

ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania, Ranking 

Minority Member 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

JUAN VARGAS, California 

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

SEAN MORAN, Staff Director 

KYLE ANDERSON, Minority Staff Director 


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THE NATIONAL ZOO OF TODAY AND TOMORROW—AN INNOVATIVE CENTER FOCUSED 

ON THE CARE AND CONSERVATION OF THE 

WORLD’S SPECIES 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 2014 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, 

COMMITTEE ON HOUSE ADMINISTRATION, 

Washington, DC. 

The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:43 a.m., in Room 

1310, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. Candice S. Miller 

[chairman of the committee] presiding. 

Present: Representatives Miller, Harper, Gingrey, Schock, 

Nugent, Brady, Lofgren, and Vargas. 

Staff Present: Sean Moran, Staff Director; Peter Schalestock, 

Deputy General Counsel; Yael Barash, Legislative Clerk; Bob Sensenbrenner, Senior Counsel; Mary Sue Englund, Director of Administration; Erin Sayago, Communications Director; John Clocker, 

Deputy Staff Director; Kyle Anderson, Minority Staff Director; 

Matt Pinkus, Minority Senior Policy Advisor; Matt DeFreitas, Minority Professional Staff; Khalil Abboud, Minority Deputy Counsel; 

Thomas Hicks, Minority Senior Counsel; Mike Harrison, Minority 

Chief Counsel; Greg Abbott, Minority Professional Staff; and Eddie 

Flaherty, Minority Chief Clerk. 

The CHAIRMAN. I now call to order the Committee on House Administration’s hearing regarding the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. The hearing record will remain open for 5 legislative 

days so that members might submit any materials that they wish 

to be included therein. 

The CHAIRMAN. And a quorum is present, so that we will proceed. 

This hearing is for the committee to receive an update on the 

current health and management of the National Zoo, as well as to 

discuss the important science and research activities regarding endangered species and the National Zoo’s overall contribution to the 

world’s conservation efforts. 

I certainly want to thank the panel of witnesses that we have 

here for taking time to appear before the committee today. Each of 

our witnesses has dedicated years to the pursuit of science, conservation, and the passion to share knowledge of the world’s species with others around the world. 

The Smithsonian, based in our Capital, is the largest museum 

and research complex in the world. It includes 19 exceptional museums and galleries, as well as numerous scientific research cenVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:07 May 31, 2014 Jkt 087961 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\A961.XXX A961

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ters, and today we will be examining one of the most popular 

Smithsonian facilities, the National Zoo, which is home to one of 

our Nation’s and the world’s most unique and fascinating living collections. 

The zoo was created actually by legislation signed into law by 

President Cleveland on March 2nd of 1889, and so it has a unique 

roll as a Federal zoo, supported by the taxpayers. It is a zoo truly 

provided for and by the people. Within its unique role as the Federal zoo, the National Zoo receives the majority of its funding from 

Federal appropriations. This funding is one of the many ways our 

Nation exercises our commitment to stewardship and the pursuit 

of knowledge. 

It is the Congress’ role to ensure that taxpayers’ dollars are allocated responsibly and the commitment to stewardship behind those 

dollars is being met. This role has become increasingly important 

as the zoo works to manage its resources, to maintain the health 

and the safety and overall welfare of the animals in the zoo’s care, 

as well as visitors, employees, and their volunteers. 

Actually, last week, I have a monthly cable show, and I had as 

my guest Dr. Murray, who is the chief veterinarian for the zoo, and 

I told her she had the coolest job, I thought, in the entire Capital 

here. But it was very interesting talking to her about the care of 

all of these animals. She mentioned that the National Zoo is actually working with the Detroit Zoo, which I am so very proud of, 

working with a technique that they are using to monitor the heart 

rate and the rhythm in gorillas, and that some of the information 

you are learning there actually has transference to humans. It was 

very, very interesting. 

I look forward, certainly, to hearing from the director of the National Zoo on how his team has pulled together and met the challenges of being a world-class zoo. It is clear to anyone who visits 

that the animals at the zoo are incredibly well cared for. And while 

there have been some recent news stories regarding animal deaths, 

the deaths, first of all, are most often of natural causes, and many 

animals are exceeding their normal lifespans. 

Zoology, like all things, is never perfect. Sometimes an unfortunate incident happens. And the zoo, I believe, has demonstrated 

their ability to respond and to identify problems and to implement 

improvements. Overall, the National Zoo has been successful in 

maintaining the health of the animals in their care at the very 

highest of levels as demonstrated by their repeated accreditation by 

the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This accreditation reflects 

the high standards of animal care set by the zoo and its staff. 

For the last 125 years, the National Zoo has improved its facilities, the living collection, its participation in the worldwide scientific community, and focused on advanced species-savings research. 

The National Zoo encompasses a 163-acre zoo park, as well as a 

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute campus in Front Royal 

in Virginia, which maintains a research-based collection on 3,200 

acres. The National Zoo’s mission is to provide engaging experience 

with animals and to create and share knowledge that saves wildlife 

and habitats, and its vision to save species from extension. 


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Through a coordinated effort, both the National Zoo Park and the 

Front Royal campus care for approximately 2,000 animals, representing over 400 species, of which 50 are threatened or endangered. The National Zoo is a national treasure providing a unique 

experience, allowing visitors the opportunity to roam and to see 

animals from all different regions of the world and discover all 

sorts of species that inhabit our Oceans, our lakes, our trees, and 

our sky. 

The National Zoo sees up to 2million visitors annually who have 

access free of charge—I think that is an important thing to note, 

again, free of charge—and the zoo works to engage the local, national, and international communities by preserving wildlife and 

teaching the responsibility we all share for its conservation. 

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute campus in Front 

Royal, Virginia, has an equally, if not more important role. The 

Front Royal campus is home to various endangered species and is 

the nexus as well for the Smithsonian’s global efforts to conserve 

species as well as to train current and future generation of conservationists. 

So today we look forward to receiving an update from the leaders 

of the National Zoo and its primary research arm, the Smithsonian 

Conservation Biology Institute, and discuss with them how Federal 

funding is being used, the zoo’s operations and plans for the future, 

as well as hear from the directors on the important and noteworthy 

conservation research and science activities undertaken by the zoo. 

And we will also hear from the president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a group which has established high 

professional standards to review a multitude of areas beyond the 

quality of animal care, conservation, and research, such as viability 

of the zoo’s governing authority, physical facilities, safety, staffing, 

and guest services. 

Zoos make the journey to learn about various species accessible 

and offer us the opportunity to see an animal firsthand. They also 

provide the chance for us to encounter an animal that we never 

knew even existed. Zoos offer us all the knowledge to learn about 

the world around us and be caretakers for what is entrusted to us, 

and that is something I believe that is beyond value. 

So again this committee is looking forward to hearing from our 

three witnesses, and at this time I would like to turn to the ranking member for his opening statement. Mr. Brady. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you for scheduling 

today’s hearing on the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. 

The visiting season in Washington has already begun and this 

means more visitors to the zoo’s outstanding facilities on Connecticut Avenue. And while the public does not see it directly, the 

Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, a part of the zoo’s 

complex located in Front Royal, Virginia, continues its 

groundbreaking research and educational activities on conservation 

and the preservation of endangered species. 

On this committee we are always concerned about the safety of 

visitors, the staff at the zoo, and the safety and care of the animals 

and the collection, and the level of Federal funding to support that. 

We have been assured that Federal cuts imposed by the sequestration and other legislation would not impact care of the animals, 


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and I look forward to hearing our witnesses today to address that 

important issue. 

We have periodically approved construction projects to meet the 

zoo’s challenging needs, and we have regularly reminded the 

Smithsonian Board of Regents of the necessity of keeping admission to the Smithsonian facilities, including the zoo, free to the 

American people. I remain strongly committed to that priority. 

I welcome today’s witnesses and look forward to your testimony. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman. 

Are there any other members that wish to provide an opening 

statement? Yes, the gentleman from California is recognized. 

Mr. VARGAS. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. 

My comment, and I would like to hear from you during your testimony, if possible, or I will ask you a question later, is I think you 

are doing a great job and we at the San Diego zoo are very proud 

of it. We think it is the best zoo in the world. I am sure others 

would argue about that. And we have been members forever. And 

that is why I was so scandalized when the Copenhagen zoo killed 

Marius, a healthy giraffe, and then fed it to the lions, and then 

later on killed four other lions. And I think that was outrageous. 

I would like to know, though, from you if it was something that 

was necessary, one; and secondly, why didn’t we help if we could, 

some zoo in the United States. They said that no one would take 

them. And I would like to hear a little bit about that. I think it 

has captured our imagination in a very negative way. 

And again, I thank you for the opportunity to speak. Thank you, 

Madam. 

The CHAIRMAN. I thank the gentleman very much. 

Any other members have an opening statement? If not, before I 

formally introduce our witnesses and begin, I am going to take a 

moment of personal privilege here because I am like everybody 

else, I am addicted to this panda webcam, looking at Bao Bao, and 

who just yesterday ventured outside of her mother’s yard for the 

first time, and I asked my staff to get the video clip of that. We 

will see if it works. 

[Video shown.] 

Look at that. Unbelievable. There she is. Well, all right, we don’t 

want to go on too long with this clip. You like the clip? All right, 

great. 

Mr. BRADY. Looking at everybody here. 

The CHAIRMAN. I read that on the airplane coming here yesterday and I said, oh, my gosh, we are going to have this hearing tomorrow, we have got to see the clips of Bao Bao going outside. 

Okay, at any rate, that gives you a sense of some of the wonderful, 

wonderful things they are doing at the zoo. 

Let me formally introduce our witnesses now. And first of all, 

Dennis Kelly, of course, is the director of the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. He is responsible for overseeing the 163-acre facility in 

the Rock Creek Park, as well as the 3,200-acre Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute campus in Front Royal, Virginia. He is 

also responsible for managing the zoo’s research programs and 

oversees education programs coordinated by the zoo’s nonprofit 

membership organization, Friends of the National Zoo, and in 2011 


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he was elected to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Board of 

Directors. 

Then we will hear from Dr. Steven Monfort, who was appointed 

as the director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute 

in January 2010. The facility, headquartered in Front Royal, Virginia, serves as the focal point for the Smithsonian’s effort to use 

science-based approaches to conserve species and train future generations of conservationists around the world. He has spent his entire career working within the zoological community and has been 

with the Smithsonian since 1986, serving in many roles, including 

veterinarian, research scientist, educator, conservationist, and executive-level administrator. 

And then we will hear from Mr. Jim Maddy, who is president 

and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. He previously 

served 9 years as the president of the National Park Foundation, 

president of the League of Conservation Voters, and was the first 

executive director of the Western Governors’ Association. He also 

currently serves as the chairman of the board of directors for the 

Center for Clear Air Policy. As president and CEO of the AZA, Mr. 

Maddy has raised a positive profile of the AZA accredited zoos and 

aquariums as drivers of tourism and economic development, as 

leaders in animal care and welfare, and as key players in the conservation of wildlife and wild places. 

So we do have all of your written testimony, and again we appreciate you all attending today. And we will start with Mr. Kelly. 

STATEMENTS OF MR. DENNIS KELLY, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL 

ZOOLOGICAL PARK, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION; DR. STEVEN MONFORT, DIRECTOR, SMITHSONIAN CONSERVATION 

BIOLOGY INSTITUTE, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION; AND MR. 

JIM MADDY, PRESIDENT AND CEO, ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS 

AND AQUARIUMS 

STATEMENT OF DENNIS KELLY 

Mr. KELLY. Madam Chair, Ranking Member Brady, and members of the committee, thank you so much for this opportunity to 

talk about the zoo, about the Conservation Biology Institute, and 

to talk about our stewardship of an important living collection of 

animals, and our vital research and conservation efforts. 

Simply put, our job, our mission, our role is to save species. However, our number one priority, day in, day out, 24 hours a day, 365 

days a year, is the welfare of the animals in our collection and 

human safety. We use five distinct oversight processes to ensure 

great animal care and safety, including a robust Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, annual inspections and guidance 

from the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, advice and inspections from OSHA, an annual Smithsonian safety 

and health inspection, and as you will hear from Mr. Maddy, accreditation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. 

Last December we had several public reports about animal welfare issues at the National Zoo. The issue actually began last summer when a volunteer notified me about her concerns about animal 

welfare decisions at the Cheetah Conservation Station department. 

I immediately directed our Animal Care and Use Committee to inVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:07 May 31, 2014 Jkt 087961 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\A961.XXX A961

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vestigate. The IACUC, as we call it, concluded last fall that some 

of the volunteer’s concerns had merit, and they made 25 observations and recommendations. I agreed with 24 of those observations 

and recommendations, and it is important to note that the animal 

care team had already addressed or were in the process of implementing appropriate changes. There were no egregious surprises. 

Now, it is my judgment that some of the problems in Cheetah 

Conservation Station resulted from staffing imbalances that temporarily stressed our system. So in late 2013, I initiated a three-part 

program I called Speed Up, Slow Down, and Rebalance, and that 

program has provided relief to animal care staff. 

Human resources staff, at my direction, has given high priority 

to filling vacant animal keeper, biologist, curator, veterinarian, and 

nutritionist positions, and already seven new animal care hires or 

promotions have been completed, and 10 more recruitments are in 

process. So I assure you that we provide great care for our animals 

and we operate safely. 

As part of the Smithsonian, the zoo and the Conservation Biology 

Institute do rely on Federal appropriations for the majority of our 

funding needs. However, in order to realize our mission to operate 

a safe environment and to maintain our role as a leader in animal 

care, we must and will grow alternative funding sources. Since my 

appointment 4 years ago, we have focused on raising more resources from private research grants and government research 

grants and contracts to fund our research and conservation. We 

have focused on philanthropy from private and corporate donors. 

And we have generated income from sales of food and merchandise 

and stuffed panda bears and even a new carousel. 

So I am pleased to report that all of these sources of revenue 

have grown over the last 4 years, and while these sources can supplement our Federal appropriation, they cannot replace it. And as 

Secretary Clough and the regents often remind me, my job is to 

raise more revenue from these alternative sources in the future. 

The National Zoo and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute play a crucial role in one of the Smithsonian’s four grand 

challenges, and that is understanding and sustaining a biodiverse 

planet. We are guiding this mission by three leadership strategies. 

Number one, we are saving species through science. Number two, 

we are training the next generation of conservation biologists. And 

number three, we are providing a world-class educational experience and a great visitor experience right here in Washington, D.C. 

In just a moment, Dr. Monfort is going to speak about the first two 

of those strategies, but I am going to conclude my testimony with 

a few words about our plans for a great public experience here at 

the zoo in Washington. 

Did you know that the National Zoo is the favorite destination 

in Washington for families with children? Now, I never want to 

give up this hard-won leadership position because we can use this 

position to deliver an effective, efficient, informal and formal education message for learners of all ages. We coordinate this conservation message with K through 12 STEM curriculum, and to 

stay relevant and efficient we are using both Federal and private 

funding to modernize our exhibits and our animal care infrastructure. 


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During the last 10 years we have invested more than a quarter 

of a billion dollars in our beloved institution. That sounds like a lot 

of money and it is, but we are 125 years old, and as Madam Chair 

said, and we still have a ways to go to upgrade these important facilities. And we are using Federal and private sources and technology to expand our reach around the country and around the 

world. Unique assets like panda-cam, sponsored by Ford Motor 

Company Fund, engage and delight millions of virtual visitors 

around the globe, while at the same time educating and inspiring 

global audiences about conservation and saving species. 

The zoo’s highest priority is and always will be the welfare of our 

animals in our care and the safety of our visitors and staff. So I 

am excited and grateful for our Federal support for collection stewardship, scientific research and conservation, professional training, 

and a great family experience. 

Mr. Vargas, I will be happy to address your question in the Q&A, 

if that is appropriate. 

Mr. VARGAS. Thank you. 

Mr. KELLY. Thank you very much. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Kelly. 

[The joint statement of Mr. Kelly and Dr. Monfort follows:] 


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The CHAIRMAN. We now turn to Dr. Monfort. 

Dr. MONFORT. Madam Chair, distinguished members, thank you 

so much for the opportunity today to appear before the committee 

to testify about our efforts to save species through science and to 

train the next generation of conservation professionals. 

You may not know that in the late 1960s the National Zoo established one of the world’s very first stand-alone zoo-based research 

departments and we cofounded an entirely new discipline of science 

known as zoo biology, a discipline that was specifically aimed at 

using science to improve animal management, reproduction, and 

welfare. Today, in fact, science-based management is considered 

the gold standard of practice for all modern zoos, and that transformation of the zoo profession can be traced directly to a lineage 

of National Zoo scientists and the generation of colleagues that 

they mentored and placed in positions worldwide. 

Additionally, in the early 1980s, our scientists helped usher in 

another entirely new discipline of science called conservation biology. And this is a discipline that is based on the premise that biological diversity and the functioning of ecosystems are of benefit to 

current and future human societies. Before the first textbooks in 

this discipline were even published in the late 1980s, the National 

Zoo and its scientists had already begun reintroducing golden lion 

tamarins back into the Atlantic coastal rain forest of Brazil. And 

today this remains as one of the greatest success stories in modern 

zoo and conservation history, joined by other programs that were 

led or assisted by National Zoo scientists, including programs like 

the black-footed ferret, the California condor, the Florida panther, 

and others. 

Today, roughly 20 percent of the world’s accredited zoos in Europe and America have dedicated research departments, but only 

a very small number of those actually employ full-time Ph.D.-level 

scientists and conservationists. Through our generous Federal appropriations, we employ 33 Federal Ph.D.-level scientists and veterinarians, and by effectively leveraging our Federal appropriations 

with grants and philanthropy we are able to support an additional 

14 non-Federal scientists, 25 postdoctoral fellows, and 70 graduate 

students. 

All told, the National Zoo has more than 200 scientific personnel 

involved in understanding and sustaining a biodiverse planet working with partners in more than 25 countries worldwide. 

Saving species is hard work and it requires fundamental knowledge about the complexity and diversity of species biology, and the 

truth is, that knowledge is sorely lacking for hundreds of species 

that already are reliant upon human care in zoos. The time to save 

a species is not when they are down to their last couple of dozen 

animals, which was the case for species like the Przewalski’s horse, 

the black-footed ferret, and California condor. 

Conservation success really requires a combination of things: 

trained scientists, access to animals, funding, of course, and appropriate facilities designed specifically to study and manage wildlife 

species before they become threatened. 

At the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, we are creating a whole host of new alliances. We are pursuing aggressive animal management strategies and investing in 


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conservation science to achieve significant and expanded conservation outcomes. Our science ranges from saving species in human 

care, but also includes conserving key wildlife habitats, to understanding animal migration patterns, and even identifying disease 

pandemics that threaten both humans and wildlife alike. 

Our scientists have made many important discoveries, including 

the identification of the elephant herpes virus, which is known to 

cause up to one-third of juvenile elephant mortality around the 

world, the Chytrid fungus, which is potentially responsible for up 

to a third of amphibian species becoming extinct across the planet, 

and we possess the world’s foremost wildlife reproduction laboratories that have done things like helped us produce Bao Bao, of 

course, but other species, like elephants and even sea corals. 

But savings species also requires the commitment of well trained 

professionals, and over the past 40 years the National Zoo has pioneered training of more than 6,000 trainees worldwide, many of 

whom have gone on to become leaders in the conservation field in 

more than 30 countries worldwide. 

Now, in partnership with George Mason University, we are very 

proud of our Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, which is 

located on our 3,200-acre campus in Front Royal, Virginia, and this 

program builds on our legacy and reflects our philosophy that the 

best way to prepare for an uncertain future is to foster a new, a 

better equipped, and highly motivated generation of conservation 

professionals that will work to conserve the living natural resources that we all need to survive ourselves. 

This is the core principle of the discipline of conservation biology 

and the role that is emerging within zoos worldwide. And we believe that it is the achievements of our trainees that will provide 

the best hope for long-term success in achieving our mission of understanding and sustaining biodiversity for the benefit of all of us. 

Thank you very much for the opportunity to testify. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, very much. 

And we now turn to Mr. Maddy for his testimony. 

STATEMENT OF JIM MADDY 

Mr. MADDY. Thank you, Chairwoman Miller and Ranking Member Brady, for the opportunity to testify before the committee today 

about the AZA accreditation process. 

AZA’s 224 accredited zoos and aquariums annually see more 

than 182 million visitors. Collectively, they generate more than $21 

billion in annual economic activity and support more than 204,000 

jobs across the country. 

Let me just pause and say that when I look up at the dais, I see 

elected officials. I see Members of Congress, and members of the 

committee, but I also see the Georgia Aquarium, the Detroit Zoo, 

and the Philadelphia Zoo, and the Happy Hollow Zoo in San Jose. 

So it is a pleasure to be here and have the opportunity to speak 

about the National Zoo. 

Over the last 5 years, AZA-accredited institutions supported 

more than 1,000 field conservation and research projects that cost 

about $160 million annually, and our members are operating those 

programs in over 100 countries. In the last 10 years, these accredited zoos and aquariums formally trained more than 400,000 


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schoolteachers supporting science curricula with effective teaching 

materials and hands-on experiences. School field trips and programs annually connect more than 15 million students with the 

natural world. This is very important, because a recent National 

Research Council study found that people learn as much as 95 percent of their science in informal settings such as AZA accredited 

zoos and aquariums. 

At the heart of the AZA mission is the accreditation process that 

we are here to talk about and focus on today, which ensures that 

only those zoos and aquariums that meet the highest standards can 

become members of AZA. In the past 40 years, hundreds of inspectors have devoted more than 200,000 hours to the accreditation 

process. The AZA accreditation process is rigorous and unbiased. It 

is a lengthy evaluation involving self-evaluation, onsite inspection, 

and peer review, and it really has stood the test of time. 

The standards are continuously evolving, getting stronger as we 

learn more about the needs of the animals in our care. Accreditation helps to develop public confidence through a thorough, measured, and documented audit that establishes whether an institution meets or exceeds current professional standards and as established by the association. 

This is accomplished by a periodic comprehensive review and site 

inspection conducted by zoological experts in operations, animal 

management, and veterinary medicine. Once granted, AZA accreditation is a publicly recognized badge signifying excellence in and 

commitment to animal management and welfare, veterinary care, 

ethics, physical facilities, staffing, conservation, education, safety 

and security, finance, and support organizations. Conversely, denials of accreditation should lead to improvements in identified areas 

and a concurrent increase in cooperation and support from governing bodies and other organizations. 

Each institution that goes through accreditation does so with the 

understanding that the process is confidential. In keeping with that 

standard operating procedure, I want to briefly describe how the 

overall AZA accreditation process works. 

First, we carefully select the Accreditation Commission members 

who have the expertise to evaluate each zoo and aquarium. These 

are experts and leaders in their field, have been for many years. 

They are educated and experienced in zoo and aquarium operations, animal management, and veterinary medicine. There are 12 

experts on the Accreditation Commission. The commission evaluates every zoo and aquarium to make sure it meets the highest 

standards for animal management and care, including living environments, social groupings, health, and nutrition. The commission 

also ensures that animals are provided with enrichment which 

stimulates each animal’s natural behavior and provides variety in 

their daily routines. We evaluate veterinary programs, their involvement in conservation research, education programs and their 

safety policies and procedures. 

Because a zoo or aquarium needs a strong foundation in order to 

continue to meet those high standards, we also look at finances. We 

look at the operation of the governing authority and any support 

organizations, such as the Friends of the Zoo. 


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Every candidate for accreditation fills out a detailed questionnaire that is a self-evaluation process that comes to professional 

staff in my organization, which reviews that and comments on 

that. After the Accreditation Commission studies that application, 

the team of inspectors visits the zoo or aquarium in person. Each 

team includes at least one veterinarian, along with animal and operations experts as well. They produce a written and detailed report. The commission meets twice a year to consider all of those 

candidates for accreditation, and when they meet, the director of 

the institution appears before the commission to answer questions 

and resolve issues. 

They examine the application, the supporting documents submitted by the zoo or aquarium inspection team’s report, and any 

information received from outside individuals and organizations, 

including U.S. Department of Agriculture and often other Federal 

agencies that have had opportunities to comment on the zoo. 

The zoo and aquarium senior officials must appear before that 

Accreditation Commission. Each zoo and aquarium must keep up 

with these changes to remain AZA accredited. As I explained to the 

gentleman at the table and other members of our association, if you 

just keep doing what you are doing, 5 years later you won’t be accredited because the standards are constantly evolving and constantly getting stronger. 

I want to conclude by saying that the National Zoo is highly respected within the AZA community and among the public for its 

leadership in scientific research, its commitment to conservation. It 

is unique among AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums, as the chair 

mentioned, in that it truly belongs to all Americans by virtue of 

being a member of the Smithsonian family. 

I also want to commend Dennis Kelly for his outstanding leadership at the National Zoo. Dennis is a member of the AZA Board 

of Directors as an expert voice on a range of issues, particularly including conservation and safety. Dr. Monfort also is a member of 

the association and is a leader in our scientific endeavors and our 

science committees. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify on this important matter. I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you 

very much. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much. 

[The statement of Mr. Maddy follows:] 


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The CHAIRMAN. I appreciate all of the witnesses, and I think I 

will start with Dennis Kelly. 

Mr. Kelly, I had the opportunity to visit the zoo with you not too 

long ago, and it is just a remarkable place. And as we mentioned 

at the outset, it is unique because the funding comes from the Federal Government. 

I am just wondering, do you think that changes your vision for 

a zoo? I mean, if you were running a zoo that was not federally financed, how does that change, perhaps, your master plan and how 

you do things there at the zoo as well? And a two-part question, 

because really showing the Bao Bao, and I am glad you mentioned 

in your opening comments about Ford Motor Company, a Michigan 

company who is very, very engaged. They are sponsoring the panda 

exhibit. I know they just recently gave you a new truck. 

I just mention that as one of the many, many corporate citizens 

and sponsors, donors the National Zoo, and average, everyday citizens as well. And so really, even though you are getting the money 

from the Federal Government, the amount of money that you are 

raising privately is also really quite remarkable and a tribute, I 

think, to the leadership that you have exhibited at the zoo. So perhaps you could talk a little bit about the financing part of that. 

Mr. KELLY. Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair, for that question. 

First, I have run another zoo, Zoo Atlanta, in the past. And here, 

as in this role, I feel a particular responsibility to each and every 

citizen of the United States, every taxpayer. So the work we do is 

in cognition of it has to be as relevant to the family in Rock Creek 

or in Cleveland Park, but it also has to be relevant to families in 

Kansas and Hawaii and California. And so our work is focused on 

science, it is focused on conservation, it is focused on training the 

next generation, as well as interpreting it to the visitors who come 

to Washington and experience the zoo. 

So every decision we make is in cognition that our owners are 

every American citizen. In that regard, we reach out to people like 

Ron Kagan at the Detroit Zoo and we cooperate with him on his 

efforts. For example, you mentioned research on gorilla heart disease, and that collaboration is very valuable. We are collaborating 

with not just zoological colleagues, but colleagues in China, for example, with direction of the State Department and the Fish and 

Wildlife Service, to actually make sure that there are more pandas 

like Bao Bao born. 

Having said that, we are consciously aware of the fact that we 

should and must leverage Federal resources, so collaborations with 

great partners like Ford Motor Company, like Microsoft, like the 

Coca-Cola Company, even international companies potentially like 

international airlines that want to build a presence, but also contribute to our mission, we find those to be powerful and leveraging, 

and we think that is a good way to use the taxpayer dollars. So 

you will see more of that in the future—leveraging. And my colleagues at the San Diego Zoo and Detroit Zoo are using the same 

strategies. But we think it is a win-win for conservation. At the 

end of the day, we all want to save species. 

The CHAIRMAN. You know, you mentioned Microsoft, and that 

also brought me back to something that you had mentioned, that 

the zoo is the number one destination in D.C. for groups of families 


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with children. And just because of the webcam, the panda-cam that 

has been such an incredible success, could you just talk a little bit 

about how you are utilizing technology to be able to enhance the 

experience for folks that just, you know, can’t afford to come to 

Washington, D.C.? But really, again, a zoo is such a National treasure, how can we get that kind of information out to teachers, teacher resources, or what have you. Perhaps you could expand on that 

a bit. 

Mr. KELLY. Great question. We are actually utilizing Federal resources. So we have more critter cams than any other zoological institution in the world. That is because of our Federal support and 

Federal infrastructure. So panda-cam is one. It is interesting that 

the very first critter cam was actually the naked mole rat, and that 

is still today our—— 

The CHAIRMAN. The what? 

Mr. KELLY. The naked mole rat. The naked mole rat is a fascinating creature that we have been studying for years. 

The CHAIRMAN. One of my personal favorites, I know. 

Mr. KELLY. But the naked mole rat camera was the very first 

one. But it is interesting because the naked mole rat lives to be 

about 30 years old and it is one of the few species in which cancer 

has never been detected. It lives its life underground, it is a mammal, and yet we have never detected cancer. But that camera is the 

way to tell that story. So collaborating with people like Microsoft 

and Discovery Channel and Smithsonian Channel is a way that we 

are building that awareness of conservation. 

And if my might, Mr. Maddy and AZA have done work with 

Microsoft in a unique way, that, if I may, get him to explain how 

Microsoft has partnered with accredited zoos. 

The CHAIRMAN. Sure. 

Mr. Maddy. 

Mr. MADDY. We are actively involved with Microsoft now, with 

a family-friendly game called Zoo Tycoon. The original version of 

that, very popular, millions and millions of families have purchased 

that and played that game. The zoo in the game did not meet our 

accreditation standards, and so it was a lot of fun over the last couple of years to work with Microsoft engineers and others to redesign the game so that all of the animal care practices, all of the 

animal welfare practices, the veterinary care, and everything else 

in this simulation actually simulates the best standards of animal 

care and welfare as a learning tool. A lot of fun, and hopefully a 

meaningful educational experience for millions of families. 

The CHAIRMAN. Very good. I am sort of boring in on these questions because, you know, we are here, we work here every day and 

we see these fantastic facilities that we have here in the Nation’s 

Capital. And I come from southeast Michigan that was number one 

in everything you didn’t want to be number one in during the very 

painful economic transition, and our kids just can’t afford to hardly 

get on a bus and come to a field trip anymore. I use that as sort 

of an example of how we are, in all of the Smithsonians, really trying to reach out around the country and the world, really, to bring 

this experience. 


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And with that, and that is why I mentioned, I thought it was 

worth noting, just saying that there is no fee for people to come 

into the zoo. I think that is such an important thing. 

And I would ask the next question to Dr. Monfort about Front 

Royal, because I think you only open it to the public on a very limited basis. I am not sure how often. But I know you are thinking 

about opening it a bit more. And as you mentioned, all of the 

Ph.D.s that you have there, and all the science and research that 

is going on there, and I guess this is my question. I am assuming 

that one of the reasons it is not open to the public more is because 

you think it might impact in some way your work, your very important work that you are doing there. So what is your thought going 

forward on having any more public availability to go there, or 

again, using electronic access to be able to really open it up as 

much as you possibly can? 

Dr. MONFORT. That is a great question. 

First of all, the facility is very unique in that we are a sciencebased facility, so the structures that we build are built for 

functionality, for the ability to do naturalistic breeding. Animals 

that need herd setups can be in herds or social groupings. Or in 

order to conduct science, we have special facilities that are built 

just for, say, carnivores, or for hoofed animals, for example. In 

many cases those research projects are being conducted in a way 

that having a lot of visitation might disturb the research that is 

going on. 

Having said that, we do work very hard to try and open our facility when it is possible. One of the ways we have done that is 

through our new partnerships. So when we did our master plan 

about 7 or 8 years ago, we created partnership zones, and the idea, 

the result of that ended up being initially our partnership with 

George Mason University, and now we have a school there which 

attracts, you know, quite a number of people that come there for 

both undergraduate education and professional continuing education, but also for holding special events, and things of that nature. 

We have a new partnership with NEON, which is the National 

Ecological Observatory Network, and so we are one of only 20 core 

sites in the United States, part of that program where they are collecting information on the ecology of North America. So that is also 

attracting a lot of new collaborators and new people. 

And our master plan does include having a small visitor center 

there. And first thing I would say, if you haven’t been, please come. 

We would love to show it off to you. It is a really fascinating facility. It was a calvary remount station back in the early 1900s, so 

it has some really great history. And there are people that want 

to come in and learn about the history, they want to learn about 

the programs we are doing, and we think we can do that with some 

guided tours. We do actually provide guided tours by docents now. 

And so we are working to open it up, but we want to maintain the 

core mission, which is science, and make sure that whatever we do 

to open it up doesn’t interfere with that primary mission. 

The CHAIRMAN. Okay. I am glad you mentioned about the 

docents. That is one of the things that I found certainly at the zoo, 

at all of the Smithsonians, at the Library of Congress, or whatever. 


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Before I came to this job actually, I was the official historian of 

Michigan and we had the historical center in downtown Lancing. 

I am going to tell you, we could never have run that operation and 

they can’t today without the volunteers and without the docents. It 

is just remarkable the passion that these folks feel and how great 

they get at their jobs, and they do a wonderful job. 

Just my last question. I know I am a little over my time here. 

But to Mr. Maddy, just listening to you go through as you mentioned the very lengthy, rather exhaustive accreditation process 

that your organization has, and does anyone ever lose their accreditation? Maybe you don’t want to mention anyone specifically, it 

would seem like that would be an uncommon thing, but yet going 

through that kind of, as I say, an exhaustive process that you have, 

certainly some people probably just—some organizations, facilities, 

just don’t make it. 

Mr. MADDY. Yes. Unfortunately, it is—well, fortunately it is rigorous, and it is every 5 years. Being accredited isn’t forever. It is 

until the next accreditation inspection and review process. 

But, yes, the Accreditation Commission meets every 6 months, 

roughly. They hear on average 25 cases each time they meet. That 

is roughly 50 a year. And typically in a year there will be institutions whose accreditation is suspended for a year, we call that tabling, because there are outstanding concerns that have not been 

fully addressed. And from time to time institutions are not, even 

with a year’s grace, are not able to overcome those concerns and 

they do lose their accreditation. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you very much. 

I recognize the ranking member, Mr. Brady. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you, Madam Chairman. 

First of all, for full disclosure, I always wanted to be a director 

of the zoo in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. But I would be doing it 

a little bit differently. I would have my khaki uniform, with my 

short pants and the crop, the camouflage Jeep, and I would have 

an animal with me everywhere I go. I don’t know whether it would 

be that naked rat, but a cub or whatever, because every time I see, 

like, our director of the zoo, or not necessarily him, but a lot of the 

people that work at the zoo, they always have a cub or something. 

That is a great promo. I mean, nothing better than that, than the 

show and tell. 

And the only time I leave my office to vote or go to the hearings 

on this committee or other committees is when there is zoo day. 

And I go over there, and the last time I saw the little chimpanzee 

and they had the lion cub. I mean, that is a great promo. You 

ought to think about that, or maybe you need an assistant, you 

know, at the end of my life here. It seems the only uniform you 

guys have here is beards, which is fine. I could grow a beard. 

But I just got a couple of little questions. We had that terrible 

problem with the deaths of the animals and somebody had mentioned early on that it might have been budgetary. But I also hear 

it wasn’t budgetary. They wanted to blame it on the sequester, 

whatever. But it was maybe administrative issues. Have we addressed that? I mean, can you tell me, you know? 

Mr. KELLY. Yes, sir. We have, like every agency, are responsible 

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sions to make sure we stay within our budget and made a number 

of cuts that didn’t impact frontline animal care. And it was as we 

were raising more money, but we want to be as lean an operation 

as possible. So I actually, after having arrived 4 years ago, I reduced staff in administration, in communications, in various departments. I have never cut frontline staff. 

Having said that, the budget that we have now provides for us 

to continue having great animal care and grow our basis. Budget 

uncertainty is the worst thing in running an institution like ours, 

and now that we have budget certainty we can move forward and 

build upon that basis. I would also add that, you know, I am close 

to the Philadelphia Zoo. I take great advice from your director, Vic 

Dewan. I consider him a—— 

Mr. BRADY. Don’t tell him I want to be the director, please. He 

won’t let me back. 

Mr. KELLY. I am afraid the secret is out. But Vic is a great example of what we are emulating, is to build upon a strong Federal 

base and utilize selling of more stuffed panda bears and carousel 

rides, and plow that back in such a way that we can support the 

research mission going forward and actually leverage it. 

Mr. BRADY. Mr. Maddy, you mentioned something about the Department of Agriculture. They did a test. They gave us a clean bill 

of health in the zoo prior to those animals’ deaths, you know, the 

problem that we had with the animals that were killed. I mean, did 

they miss something? 

Mr. MADDY. No, I don’t think so. The U.S. Department of Agriculture inspects 3,000 facilities that display animals for the public 

to see, and it is not the multiple-personnel, multiple-day kind of inspections. It is a different kind of inspection. But, no, I don’t think 

they missed something here, because the conditions under which 

the National Zoo is holding and caring for its animals, it meets our 

standards, it meets USDA standards. But there is mortality in the 

collection every day because it is a living collection. 

Mr. BRADY. Thank you. One last question. I have a major peeve 

with our zoo. We lost our elephants. You walk into the Philadelphia Zoo, you see a great big sculpture of an elephant, but we don’t 

have any elephants. I have four grandchildren. Two of them saw 

elephants. The other two, being younger, won’t get a chance in 

Philadelphia to see my elephants. I want to come down and let 

them see the elephants in your zoo. 

I would imagine that was an area issue, we weren’t big enough 

to have them. I think we sent them out to Arizona, you know. You 

have, like, four of them now, right? 

Mr. KELLY. Yes, sir. We have four elephants, and we are actually 

taking on three more that are being transferred to us from the Calgary Zoo, all with private funding. The important thing is every 

zoo, every well-run, accredited zoo needs to make choices and decisions about the animals that they can care for best. At your Smithsonian National Zoo we made a decision almost a decade ago that 

we were going to focus on a species that needed help, Asian elephants, so we committed a lot of resources, a lot of taxpayer resources and private resources and land to build a world-class Asian 

elephant facility. 


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Meanwhile, we decided not to be the polar bear conservation, in 

the polar bear business, but Philadelphia Zoo is, and so that is an 

example of the tradeoff that we make. I think Vic Dewan is making 

and the board of the Philadelphia Zoo are making those tough decisions, but that doesn’t preclude elephants from coming back to 

Philadelphia when the right space and the right time— 

Mr. BRADY. Yeah, we are looking to enlarge, you know. Again, I 

want to bring the two grandchildren who never saw a live elephant, I want to bring them down here to see them. When I visited 

your zoo a few years ago they brought me back to see the elephants 

and there was a mother and a daughter and a bull. You can’t get 

near the bull. You know, nobody can get near the male elephant. 

And they brought us into this room and we went back there and 

they sat us there, and here they came. 

Well, the first thing I did was look for the exit. They are massive. 

They are magnificent animals. So I would like to see us get them 

back, but meanwhile you get another customer to come to your zoo. 

Thank you all. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank the gentleman. And just before we go to 

Mr. Vargas, we had the same thing at the Detroit Zoo with our elephants. Well, our director made the decision, you know, they were 

standing on concrete so many hours in the day. They were getting 

arthritis in their legs and all these different kinds of things. And 

it was very traumatic for the community when we lost our elephants, but we understood the decision that he made. So as you 

say, the directors have to make their decisions. 

The chair recognizes Mr. Vargas from California. 

Mr. VARGAS. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. I appreciate 

it. Come to San Diego. We have them all. We have the elephants. 

We have the polar bears. We have naked rats and mice. In fact, 

all our animals are naked. We don’t have the naked guy. That guy 

is in New York. 

I am very much in favor of zoos. I have lived in New York, and 

they have the Bronx Zoo, which is a magnificent zoo also. And I 

have been to your zoo here, which is magnificent. And of course we 

have the best one, the world famous San Diego Zoo, which really 

is—it is a jewel in San Diego. We love it. It is fantastic. We also 

have the wild animal parks. 

Mr. BRADY. Excuse me. Philadelphia has the first zoo. 

Mr. VARGAS. And a wonderful zoo. 

And my daughters—in fact, you have a beautiful picture here I 

want to make sure I share with her—I have a 10-year-old daughter 

and a 17-year-old. My 10-year old loves the giraffe, and we have 

a picture at home of my wife and I actually feeding the giraffes at 

the wild animal park. We had a chance to do that a number of 

years ago. 

And I thought it was outrageous what the Copenhagen Zoo did. 

You know, it certainly struck a chord I think in everybody’s heart 

around the world that sees these animals as gentle giants. And 

then how they did it. They dissected it in front of children and fed 

it to these lions. And no disrespect to the lions. In fact, some of 

those lions lost their lives in a very inglorious way themselves. 

I know that the Europeans have a different view than we do with 

respect to the purity of lions and animals and they didn’t want to 


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have inbreeding going on. Of course, there are other ways to do 

that. There are contraceptives that they can use with the animals. 

There are ways that they can move them so they don’t have to kill 

the animals. 

But I have to say, I mean, it just seemed outrageous what they 

did. Could you comment on that? My daughter was so upset about 

that: Are they going to do that to our giraffes? And I assured her 

that they wouldn’t do it, and I hope that my assurances are correct. 

I mean, in San Diego, I have to tell you, I am confident in San 

Diego we wouldn’t do that. We wouldn’t do that. The outcry would 

be absolutely outrageous, so many of us that belong to the zoological society there would be absolutely outraged. We wouldn’t allow 

that to happen. 

Mr. KELLY. And you are correct. In fact, we have a written policy 

at your Smithsonian National Zoo, I approve every euthanasia. And 

we do euthanize animals when they are suffering, just as you 

would your dog or your cat. It is our written policy, and I would 

never approve at Smithsonian National Zoo that we would 

euthanize an animal for population management purposes as was 

done at the Copenhagen Zoo. 

You are exactly correct. In Copenhagen and in that part of Europe they have a different philosophy about how to manage animals. It is based in science, but it is against our culture to use that 

same policy. And in fact at the National Zoo we do use contraception, we do use social separation as a way to manage that. 

You mentioned in the early part of the hearing that they could 

have sent those animals to other zoos. There were other zoos in Europe that offered to take them, and the director chose not to take 

that option. I can’t get in his head. I know him, but I don’t know 

why he didn’t take that option. 

Mr. VARGAS. That is something that I have never seen it here in 

the United States. That is something that I imagine wouldn’t happen. We also have, for good or ill, we do have also reserves or areas 

where people take animals. I mean, people unfortunately have wild 

animals in their homes, and every so often they are discovered and 

they are taken from them and they are put in these places where 

they preserve them. I mean, we wouldn’t do this, right, we wouldn’t 

go around trying to figure out how to kill these animals for no reason? Are there any zoos in the United States that would follow the 

Copenhagen model? Can anyone answer that? 

Mr. MADDY. Not that I am aware of. 

Mr. VARGAS. Not that you are aware of. 

Okay. I mean, it is interesting because zoos are controversial, as 

everything is. We had a very wealthy individual in San Diego donate a lot of money to the university, at one of the universities, to 

set up a school for engineers, and someone criticized him for that. 

So I know now that whatever you do it will be criticized. I mean, 

this is his philanthropy, and he was criticized for it. So everything 

is controversial in my opinion now. 

That being said, zoos I think are wonderful places where children 

learn about animals, to respect them, respect nature. They are willing later on to make sacrifices themselves, to give money to preserve animals in the wild, also to preserve them through zoos. I 

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pen I think sets us all back, and I hope that within your groups 

as you speak among your peers that that word would get out to 

others, that I think it was very damaging to zoos around the world. 

Thank you, Madam Chair. 

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you all very much for coming. The zoo is 

a fantastic thing. And, you know, as has been mentioned and I appreciate the questions, the very insightful questions about sometimes we hear about the death of the animals. And I was just reading an article that appeared here today, the headline is, ‘‘Why are 

baby animals dying at the National Zoo.’’ But when you read the 

article, it is not anywhere really as what the headline is really saying. Here is the one line here. ‘‘The national kingdom is a rough, 

brutal, and fatal place even in controlled environments like zoos 

and even for species that are cute and cuddly.’’ 

And I mentioned to you that I had the great opportunity of having Dr. Murray, your chief veterinarian, on my cable show last 

week, and she was talking about the bear sloths, where the mother 

bear had ate, was it one or two of the—two? But she mentioned to 

me if this was in nature, all of them would have been gone. 

So it really is for us, I think, to keep reminding folks of the kind 

of business that you are in, and sometimes these sensational stories, we have to put them in perspective. But I certainly appreciate 

your comment about the Copenhagen Zoo. 

And just one other issue that I thought was sort of—when I came 

to visit you last, it was just several days after you had recaptured 

Rusty the red panda. Talking about social media, that had to be 

the biggest social media event going on in Washington, D.C., when 

Rusty escaped. And so I now know how Rusty got out of his enclosure, because if you go there, along the back is all this real high, 

black bamboo, and they theorized that there was a real heavy rain 

the day he got out and the black bamboo must have come down a 

little. Man, that thing saw his way out, and he was gone. They finally picked him up in Dupont Circle or somewhere. He was off. 

The amount of hits that you had, somebody said there were 30 

million hits about where is Rusty the red panda. It was on all the 

national talk shows. I just mentioned that in closing because I 

think that was a very vivid demonstration, indicative of how the 

people certainly of Washington, D.C., and our Nation’s Capital and 

throughout our country feel about our National Zoo and our zoos 

and what a national treasure they are and how important it is. 

And before I close I see Mr. Maddy waving his finger. 

Mr. MADDY. Just very quickly, Madam Chair. Thank you. And I 

will take you back to the comments of Mr. Brady at the beginning. 

Zoo Day this year is in late May. We will be in the Rayburn House 

Office Building. We will be downstairs in the courtyard, in the cafeteria. I would guess that if last year is any guide there will be several thousand of your colleagues and your staff there enjoying a 

wildlife experience in an unusual way, and we hope that all of you 

will join us then. 

The CHAIRMAN. Well, thank you for reminding us of that certainly, and I know Mr. Brady will be there in his khaki shorts and 

his outfit, with his whip there. So he will be ready. 

At any rate, we thank you so much. This committee looks forward to continuing to work with the zoo, of course the entire 


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Smithsonian. So if there are issues that you would like to talk to 

us about or other ways that this committee can, as we are exercising our oversight responsibilities, help amplify a very positive 

message as well, that is part of our jurisdiction and our desire as 

well. 

And so without objection, all members will have 5 legislative 

days to submit to the chair additional written questions for the witnesses if there are any so that they can be made part of the record. 

And with that, the hearing is adjourned. Thank you. 

[Whereupon, at 11:42 a.m., the committee was adjourned.] 

Æ 


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