DUBLIN Zoo has confirmed that some mammals have been moved from the zoo over the past three weeks. A spokeswoman for the zoo said that two black bears, a black buck deer, an orang utan, a largibbon and several pat as monkeys had been "temporarily relocated" abroad.
She said this was necessary to facilitate work on the polar bear enclosure, as part of the zoo's £15 million development plan.
She dismissed Green Party claims that the movements took place "amid a cloud of secrecy". They had not been publicly announced because the zoo was anxious not to give the "wrong impression" that it was being progressively stripped of its animals, she said.
The mammals would return once the work was complete.
She said the black bears had been moved to a wildlife park in Valladolid in Spain. The zoo's director, Mr Peter Wilson, had personally inspected the bear enclosure there. He felt the bears would be "very happy" mixing with other bears during their stay.
The patas monkeys had gone to Holland and the other mammals to Britain. The black buck deer has gone to Longleat Safari Park, the orang utan to Dudley Zoo and the largibbon to Tycross Zoo.
They were moved by a specialised transport service owned by Chipperfields Circus, but the circus itself had "no role" in their relocation, the spokeswoman said. Similar relocations could be expected in the future as development work progressed.
Their relocation and welfare was supervised by the International Studbook Keepers, an organisation dedicated to maintaining a healthy gene pool among zoo animals. One bonus was that the orang utan and the largibbon would take part in breeding programmes during their sojourn abroad.
The Green Party animal rights spokesman, Mr Gerry Boland, criticised the zoo for failing to inform the public about the movements.
"This excessive secrecy is in stark contrast to the publicity hype which surrounds high profile animal arrivals," he said. "Is Dublin Zoo, one must ask getting rid of its most embarrassing residents in response to ongoing criticisms from members of the public over recent months?"