From: Walter Watts (wlwatts@cox.net)
Date: Wed Feb 11 2004 - 17:43:54 MST
DrSebby strikes again...........
Who Is Killing the Animals at Sao Paulo Zoo?
Feb 11, 10:01 am ET
By Paula Lace SAO PAULO, Brazil (Reuters) - The zoo in the Brazilian
city of Sao Paulo is facing a murder mystery worthy of an Agatha
Christie novel.
Since late January, the zoo, one of the most modern in Latin America,
has lost 10 animals, including an elephant -- fatally poisoned by what
police are calling a "serial animal killer."
So far, laboratory tests have shown the animals were killed with sodium
fluoroacetate, a banned rat poison.
According to the Sao Paulo State University, where autopsies were
performed, the poison caused the animals to stop breathing and led to
cardiac arrest. What troubles investigators is that tests on the
animals' food and water could find no trace of the poison.
The first animal to die was Tony, a chimpanzee. Since then, two other
monkeys, an elephant, three dromedaries and three tapirs, including a
newborn, have joined the casualty list.
"We are deeply saddened by these events. Many of the workers have been
with the zoo for several years and spend more time with the animals than
with their own families," said Fatima Valente Roberti, a biologist at
the zoo.
"We cannot fathom what could possibly lead a person to commit such
aggression."
Fluoroacetate is colorless, odorless and extremely potent. One gram is
enough to kill an elephant. It can be easily produced but is
commercially available only in the United States and Australia.
Police have been closely watching zoo workers and visitors but all they
can tell is that the killer was someone who had a good knowledge of
chemistry and biology and who also knew well the zoo's daily routine.
Police have not ruled out any possibility, including visitors who come
to the park at unusual hours. The Sao Paulo zoo has recently opened at
night for the public to observe the animals' nocturnal habits.
Management has increased security measures, including hourly visits to
each of the zoo's 3,200 animals.
The zoo's executive director, Paulo Magalhaes Bresan, said this was the
first time in its 46-year history that animals had been killed by
poisoning.
"We were not prepared for this kind of action. Our security personnel
was very well trained to deal with visitors, or even possible animal
escapes, but we never expected this to happen."
-- Walter Watts Tulsa Network Solutions, Inc. "Reminding you to help control the human population. Have your sexual partner spayed or neutered." --- To unsubscribe from the Virus list go to <http://www.lucifer.com/cgi-bin/virus-l>
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