From: Joe@smokefree.org
Date: Thu, 11/23/06
DC National Zoo Goes Smokefree
Growing trend finds 1/3 of U.S. zoos smokefree
Washington Post, November 23, 2006
Citing safety concerns, officials with the National Zoo have decided to ban
smoking at the tourist attraction beginning Dec. 1.
Smoking was already prohibited in zoo buildings, and keepers were not allowed to
smoke in animal areas. The new policy bans smoking outdoors as well, including
on public walkways. Smoking also will be prohibited in zoo golf carts and other
vehicles, spokeswoman Peper Long said, and at the Conservation and Research
Center in Front Royal, Va.
The policy change was prompted in part by a couple of small fires on zoo grounds
during the past year that "were probably connected to smoking," Long said. No
one was injured in the fires, which were limited to mulch areas.
"This is the kind of thing, if you're looking at policies to review, you ask
yourself, if those can start, what else can happen?" Long said yesterday.
The smoking ban at the National Zoo reflects a trend toward nonsmoking zoos
around the country, said Steve Feldman, spokesman for the Association of Zoos
and Aquariums.
About a third of the association's 214 member sites are smoke-free, he said, and
a third allow limited smoking in designated areas. Last week, the Topeka Zoo in
Topeka, Kan., went smoke-free; at the beginning of the year, the Hogle Zoo in
Salt Lake City also plans to ban all smoking, he said.
"We're certainly seeing our members go in that direction," Feldman said. "Our
visitors come from all walks of life, and a large percentage of them are mothers
with young children, so it just makes sense to have a smoke-free environment."
To alert National Zoo visitors about the change, "No Smoking" signs will be
posted across the park, in zoo parking lots and at pedestrian entrances.
Disposal containers for smoking materials will also be installed, Long said, and
staff members and volunteers "will be versed in asking people to comply."
She said she does not expect much negative reaction from the 2 million people
who visit the zoo each year.
"Anytime you make a policy change that affects the visitors, who are so
important to the zoo, there will be an adjustment period," she said. "But the
bottom line is, it's a good, sound decision made with the interest of safety in
mind."
© 2006 The Washington Post Company
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