SPCA ponders charges after giraffe deaths at B.C. zoo

The B.C. SPCA says it might recommend charging a zoo in Fort Langley with animal cruelty following the death of three giraffes at the facility in the last two months.

A young male giraffe named Jerome died Friday at the Mountain View Conservation and Breeding Centre during surgery to trim its overgrown hooves.

Two other giraffes there died during a cold snap in December.

The centre could be charged with violating the provincial Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

The SPCA ordered management at the centre in November to trim Jerome's hooves because they had become too long.

The animal welfare group inspected the facility after getting complaints from former staff members about the treatment of animals there.

Surgery always risky

"This could have been avoided if the animal's hooves had been trimmed all along," said SPCA animal protection officer Eileen Drever.

Jerome's hoof problem was caused by a genetic predisposition, according to centre veterinarian Bruce Burton.

In any case, even minor surgery on a giraffe is a risky proposition, Burton said.

"Thirty per cent of the time, when you anaesthetize a giraffe, they're not going to get up again," he said.

Drever said the SPCA was waiting for results from a necropsy on Jerome before deciding on whether to recommend charges to the Crown.