Zoo's director of conservation resigns

CALGARY - As the Calgary Zoo awaits the results of a probe following a string of controversial animal deaths and accidents, a top director has stepped down.

Cathy Gaviller, the zoo’s director of conservation and research, resigned on Wednesday after 20 years at the facility, said zoo spokesman Simon Scott.

“Cathy made a personal decision,” Scott said.

“She cares so much about the zoo, she decided moving on was for the best right now.”

In a statement Thursday, Gaviller said she’s proud of the overall achievements of the zoo, and her work at the signature Calgary facility. But she acknowledged the stress of the past months.

“The past few months have been very challenging for the organization and for me personally. I care deeply for the Calgary Zoo and hope my decision can help the zoo move forward confidently and begin a new chapter in animal stewardship,” she said.

The zoo has weathered sharp criticism in recent months after a string of bizarre and fatal incidents.

On Monday, zoo management suspended an experienced keeper after a gorilla nearly escaped from its pen. Weeks earlier, two snakes went missing at the zoo for almost 24 hours after a keeper left a drain cover off and they slipped into the pipes.

A team scouring the zoo’s overall operations is in the middle of its review.

The probe, which includes officials with the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums and its U.S. counterpart, was announced in December after a capybara died when it was caught in a hydraulic door. Results are expected mid-April.

Zoo staff have been under severe strain in recent months, Scott said.

“For many of the people who work here, the zoo is way more than a job. It’s their life.”

JKOMARNICKI@THEHERALD.CANWEST.COM