VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Art Gallery says it has made changes to its controversial exhibit featuring live reptiles, insects and spiders after a local veterinarian complained about an insufficient amount of heat and humidity for the animals.
But the B.C. SPCA says it’s still not good enough.
“There were some issues that definitely were apparent on examining the exhibit,” said Dr. Adrian Walton, who treats exotic animals from his practice at Dewdney Animal Hospital in Maple Ridge. “The major concerns were around heat, humidity and stress.”
The exhibit, titled Theater of the World, by Chinese avant-garde artist Huang Yong Ping, drew fire from both the B.C. SPCA and the Vancouver Humane Society for placing animals in an unnatural environment designed to foster conflict for the entertainment of onlookers.
Walton, who was appointed by the SPCA to examine the exhibit, said the animals were too cold and dry, and were under stress because of a lack of material for them to hide behind.
He also said he received advice from the American Zoological Association that any zoo that exhibited the same animals on view in Theater of the World in one display area would risk losing its accreditation because such animals are incompatible and should not be housed together.
But VAG chief curator Daina Augaitis brushed off that criticism Wednesday saying “I can’t speak to zoos and how they operate.” She also said that modifications have been made to the exhibit as a result of Walton’s concerns.
She said extra bowls of water have been put out for the animals, that more substrate has been added for the animals to hide behind, and that the light has been changed to full-spectrum UV light.
But SPCA senior animal protection officer Eileen Drever said the improvements aren’t enough, and that the society is concerned that some of the animals may starve and die.
That’s because there is only one lamp warming the exhibit, Drever said, and the dominant animal, a lizard, is sitting under it. So the other animals are too afraid to come out and eat.
As a consequence, she said the SPCA has scheduled another meeting with the VAG to discuss the situation further.
“I don’t think all the concerns were addressed,” Drever said. ” There are other issues with respect to heating. They say one lamp will suffice, but we’re not happy with that.”
Regardless, Augaitis continued to defend the exhibit as art, and said the gallery has no plans to remove it.
Walton said if the same animals were on view in a zoo, they would not be displayed together and that each tank would have its own individual humidifier and light source because each of the animals on display requires different degrees of heat and humidity.
He also said that in a proper zoological display, you often wouldn’t be able to see the animals because they would be hiding.
“That’s how you can tell if an exhibit is good or not.”
Vancouver Humane Society spokesman Peter Fricker said while the society appreciated any gallery attempts to improve the exhibit, it remains opposed to using live animals in entertainment. “Exhibits like this send out a poor educational message — that animals are just commodities to be exploited,” he said.
nread@png.canwest.com
© (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.
Recent Comments