Friday, July 17, 2009

When is a rat not a rat?

In June, days before the Palm Beach Zoo knew WPEC was doing a story, the zoo asked Nozzle Nolen to do a special check of the commissary where animal food is prepared to make sure there were no rats.

Why? Because the same commissary manager who was working with fringe extremist Russ Rector was suddenly complaining that there were rats in the commissiary. No other employee reported seeing any evidence of a rat.

In an abundance of caution, zoo management asked their pest control experts to take a look. Nozzle Nolen places traps and bait in various locations in the commissary. In two reports, Nozzle Nolen reported there was no evidence of rats or other rodents inside the commissary.

These reports were given to WPEC. Apparently rather than believe the experts they were listening to Russ Rector and his cohort.

5 comments:

  1. I'm not at all surprised by this...getting facts straight is certainly not something that Channel 12 is known for. I'll stick to Channels 5 and 25.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've been a volunteer at the Palm Beach Zoo for over half a year and I've worked and passed through the commissary hundreds of times. I have never seen a rat there or any other pest. I also don't have any reason to believe there would be any.
    If something gets dropped on the floor it gets thrown out.
    If we ever have food that goes bad or anything of the sort, we throw it out. Just like we would at home.
    Common sense.
    These sort of allegations make me sick, this zoo does everything it can to keep the animals well and safe, not the other way around.

    ReplyDelete
  3. It sounds like Channel 12 isn't going to let the facts get in the way of a good story.

    I've worked in the commissary and haven't seen any fresh food I wouldn't eat myself. I've seen no evidence of rat or insect infestation.

    The zoo is crawling with low-paid staffers and volunteers who love animals. The idea that they'd allow conditions that are bad for those animals defies logic.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have had personal experience with the same sort of irresponsible reporting by News Channel 12, with words taken out of context, and an entire "live" interview edited to present the picture the reporter wanted to present. There was no balanced reporting at all.

    This has happened again at the zoo. As a docent I have marvelled at how much staff care for these animals, and how they go out of their way to make sure all are cared for in the best possible way. It's a case of "Don't confuse me with the facts - my mind's made up!"

    ReplyDelete
  5. At some point Channel 12s FCC license comes up for renewal. Our thoughts on channel 12s disprespect for our community should be sent to the FCC as well as sponsors of Channel 12 programming. We should all avoid shopping at or using any organization that advertises on channel 12.

    ReplyDelete