New Organism incidents

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ERMA New Zealand defines an incident as an event involving a new organism or hazardous substance that may or may not involve non-compliance with regulatory requirements and/or cause adverse effects to human health and safety, or the environment.

Incidents can be identified by ERMA New Zealand through our monitoring of compliance or reported to us by enforcement agencies, identified through media monitoring or otherwise advised to us e.g. by a member of the public.

ERMA New Zealand registers incidents in order to monitor the effectiveness of the regulatory system and the appropriateness of controls.

Incidents 2008 - 2009

Incident	A keeper was bitten on the hand by a siamang gibbon (Symphalangus syndactylus) when feeding the animal through the enclosure mesh.
Date reported	February 2009
Source of report	MAF
Location	Auckland Zoo
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified
Incident management	The keeper received small puncture wounds to the hand. Incident management The keeper was taken to A & E to have the wound dressed.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	A zoo transferred lemurs to a veterinary clinic for treatment on three occasions without MAF approval.
Date reported	February 2009
Source of report	MAF
Location	Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, Christchurch
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified
Incident management	The zoo reviewed their procedures and conducted staff training.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	Two microorganism containment facilities were transferring GM mouse tissue on an expired MAF transfer approval.
Date reported	February 2009
Source of report	MAF
Location	Massey University and AgResearch, Palmerston North
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified
Incident management	Both facilities reviewed their procedures and undertook staff training.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted

Incident	Intruders broke into a circus elephant trailer freeing animals including a llama, goat and miniature horse. Animal rights messages were painted on the side of the trailer.
Date reported	January 2009
Source of report	Stuff.co.nz
Location	Christchurch
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified
Incident management	The intruders could not release Jumbo the elephant because of locks in the trailer.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted

Incident	A new lion den enclosure at a zoo was operational without MAF inspection or approval. The structure did meet zoo standard requirements.
Date reported	December 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	Orana Wildlife Park, Christchurch
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified
Incident management	The zoo’s containment manual was updated to include instructions to notify MAF of any modifications to an enclosure that affects containment.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	Plant and Food Research were in non-compliance with HSNO Act controls by allowing GM brassica to flower at a field test site.
Date reported	December 2008
Source of report	Soil and Health Association
Location	Plant and Food Research GM brassica field test site, Lincoln
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	MAF investigation into the risks of flowering GM brassica concluded that GM material is unlikely to have escaped the field test site. There is a low risk that cross-pollination occurred at the site and a very low risk that seed may have set at the site. MAF has required Plant and Food to carry out a programme of surveillance and soil management confined to the site to detect and remove any volunteer plants which might contain GM heritable material. This programme will continue until September 2013.
Incident management	Plant and Food Research removed and killed all brassica material and undertook an internal review of its management systems.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	An internal inquiry will be conducted by ERMA New Zealand (in progress).
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Incident	A member of the public notified the museum that an exotic butterfly had escaped from the Discovery World exhibit.
Date reported	November 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	Otago Museum Discovery World, Dunedin
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	It is highly unlikely that a tropical butterfly would be able to survive outside the containment facility because of a lack of food sources and the uncontrolled temperature environment.
Incident management	The museum promptly determined that mesh covering an extractor fan on the roof of the enclosure was not secure. The mesh covering was replaced.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	University of Canterbury transferred (incorrectly identified) algal samples to Landcare Research without MAF approval.
Date reported	November 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	University of Canterbury
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified
Incident management	The university retrained staff about the transfer process and updated their organism registers.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No enquiry conducted

Incident	A member of the public notified Auckland Zoo staff that two cotton top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) were outside their enclosure in an adjacent tree.
Date reported	October 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	Auckland Zoo, Auckland
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified
Incident management	The animals were quickly recaptured and staff pruned a flax bush inside the enclosure thought to have been their escape route.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	Hamilton Zoo was broken into and two Madagascar day geckos (Phelsuma madagascariensis) were stolen from their display. The geckos were returned to the zoo by the Wildlife Enforcement Group following a tip-off.
Date reported	October 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	Hamilton Zoo, Hamilton
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified.
Incident management	The Zoo is upgrading security and the Wildlife Enforcement Group investigation is continuing.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	Auckland Zoo was unable to locate one male African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis). It is thought the frog may have been eaten as two separate groups of male frogs were introduced to the enclosure at the same time.
Date reported	October 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	Auckland Zoo, Auckland
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified.
Incident management	The group of frogs were transferred to another enclosure.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	A young girl was petting ‘Foxy’ a female baboon (Papio hamadryas) when the animal put the girl’s hand in her mouth then let go. This is the first occasion that such an incident has occurred with this animal.
Date reported	October 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	Zion Wildlife Gardens
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	Minor adverse effect on the health and safety of people. The skin was not broken on the girl’s hand and antiseptic cream and a plaster were applied.
Incident management	A rope barrier was erected in front of the enclosure. The zoo is reviewing their public encounter procedure for the baboon as she needs social interaction. She is the only individual of her species at the zoo.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	A member of the public entered a restricted area of Auckland Zoo. The woman was observed by staff touching Kashin the elephant (Elephas maximus) in her enclosure. Following a warning from staff she exited the enclosure and was escorted from the area.
Date reported	September 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	Auckland Zoo, Auckland
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified.
Incident management	Auckland Zoo installed a padlocked barrier fence at the end of the dry moat in the elephant enclosure and put a danger signage.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	A member of the public found a Clipper (Parthenos sylvia) tropical butterfly outside the Otago museum. Further investigation identified that the museum was not effectively containing butterflies from the tropical rain forest exhibit. This was due to the museum not following the requirements of the zoo containment standard.
Date reported	August 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	Otago Museum Discovery World, Dunedin
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified. It is highly unlikely that a tropical butterfly would be able to survive outside the containment facility because of a lack of food sources and the uncontrolled temperature environment.
Incident management	The museum promptly undertook a number of structural and procedural improvements to ensure that tropical butterflies remain in the containment facility.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	A group of capuchin monkeys (Cebus paella) were being relocated to their new monkey island enclosure when two monkeys slipped through a gap in their old enclosure. Also one zoo keeper was bitten by another monkey, a large male, when trying to net the animal for the move.
Date reported	August 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	Willowbank Wildlife Reserve, Christchurch
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	The keeper received 6 stitches.
Incident management	One monkey was recaptured the same day within the zoo however the remaining monkey was recovered from a reserve adjacent to the zoo three days later..
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	A siamang gibbon (Symphalangus syndactylus) Iwani bit the hand of a trainee zoo keeper at Auckland Zoo. The trainee was with the primate keeper who was giving the gibbon his morning greet and groom. The keeper considered that the gibbon was calm and allowed the trainee to touch him.
Date reported	July 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	Auckland Zoo, Auckland
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	Minor adverse effect on the health and safety of people. The trainee keeper received 3 stitches and was off work for 5 days.
Incident management	The zoo has reiterated its protocol for handling of the gibbon. The gibbon is not to be touched by anyone who does not know the gibbon or have a history of a positive relationship with him.
Follow-up action by ERMA New Zealand	No inquiry conducted
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Incident	Butterfly Creek advised MAF that a dead female golden bird wing tropical butterfly (Troides rhadamantus) had been found by a member of the public at Mangere in May. The butterfly had been taken to Auckland Museum who then notified Butterfly Creek.
Date reported	July 2008
Source of report	MAF
Location	Butterfly Creek, Auckland
Effects on environment and/or health and safety	None identified. It is highly unlikely that a tropical butterfly would be able to survive outside the containment facility which has a controlled temperature environment.
Incident management	Butterfly Creek searched its environs and found no other specimens. The butterfly house was checked for any structural faults however no issues were identified. They are assessing measures to prevent the successful accidental or purposeful removal of specimens from the facility.
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Environmental Risk Management Authority

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New Organism incidents

Incidents 2008 - 2009

See Also:

New Organisms Compliance and Enforcement