Idaho Falls resident warns of ongoing safety risks at zoo after near-fatal incident

Bob Nitschke, a longtime Idaho Falls resident, used the council’s public-comment period to urge the city to require engineered safety improvements at the Idaho Falls Zoo following a “near-fatal” incident earlier in the year.

Nitschke said he reviewed the zoo’s final report about the incident and found it “incomplete, inaccurate, and in a couple instances, untrue.” He criticized the zoo for relying on administrative controls rather than engineered safeguards and said, “Ultimately, the zoo still has only administrative controls to prevent a lethal event from happening.”

Nitschke told the council he had two objectives after his encounter with an animal named Kamali: to improve safety at the Idaho Falls Zoo and to share lessons with other zoos so they do not accept administrative controls as the only mitigation for single points of failure. He said he would continue to communicate directly with the mayor and the parks and recreation director and that he created a website, www.zoogonebad.com, to document his concerns and to follow his efforts.

The mayor thanked Nitschke for his vigilance and said the council appreciates public oversight. Nitschke said he did not plan to address the council again on the matter in the near term but that he would continue to pursue changes and to share his findings with relevant oversight agencies.

Ending: The council did not take formal action that evening on the zoo topic; Nitschke said he will continue to correspond with the mayor and Parks and Recreation staff and will share a separate report documenting his concerns.