[NAGDU] Cleveland Zoo's service animal policy. Please advise.

[Deanna Lewis]

Hi all,
This list has been eerily quiet lately...
I'm going to be in Cleveland, OH this weekend and my friend and I may be visiting the Cleveland Zoo while there. I looked at their website and pasted below their "policies" for service animal users. Please read over them. Now, there is one part that I feel isn't congruent with the ADA, and that is, number 1. You must agree to be accompanied by a Zoo employee for your entire visit. I know that Nagdu was once concerned by this policy. So, I'd like others thoughts on this. Should I try to argue about this policy if I do visit the Zoo? I know that many guide dog users do not have the desire to visit zoos, or do not want to take their dogs, and that is perfectly fine. I, however, have wanted to take my dog to a Zoo for quite some time, but I don't like the idea of having a Zoo employee follow us around all day.
Please read the rest of the policies and let me know your thoughts. Thanks so much

Guests with service animals will:

  1.  Agree to be accompanied by a Guest Services Associate for the duration of visit and agree to remain out of restricted areas. The type of service animal may determine which areas may be restricted. For example, service dogs (canines) are restricted from entering the following areas:
     *   Wallaby Walkabout
     *   Contact Yard
     *   Lorikeet Landing
  2.  Under the ADA all service animals must be under the control of it's owner/handler. Service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service animal's work or the individual's disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective means.  The care and supervision of the service animal is the sole responsibility of his or her owner.
  3.  In the event that a Zoo animal should respond adversely to the presence of the service animal the owner/handler will move promptly away from the immediate area to avoid injury to the Zoo animal due to fright or panic.
  4.  Service animals may not cross over barriers or otherwise come in close proximity to the Zoo's animal collection.
  5.  Owners will be responsible for all actions of the service animal including the clean-up of all defecation from the service animal.
  6.  Owners will be held responsible for any damages or injury caused by their service animal.
Service animals may be excluded from the Zoo grounds or a portion of the Zoo grounds for the following reasons:

  *   Aggressive behavior by a service animal toward any other person, including guests.
  *   An animal that is not being controlled by its owner.
  *   An animal that elicits extreme fear or aggression from a Zoo animal, creating a direct threat to the health or safety to itself or others that cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodation.
  *   An animal that is not housebroken.
  *   An animal whose behavior (e.g., barking) fundamentally alters/disrupts shows or presentations.
  *   An animal who is showing signs of severe illness creating health issues or direct threat issues to the health and safety of others that cannot be eliminated by reasonable accommodation (e.g., severe diarrhea, vomiting, bleeding).
If a service animal is excluded from the Zoo grounds or a portion of the Zoo grounds, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo will make reasonable accommodations to permit the guest to continue their visit. These accommodations will not include kenneling or stabling the service animal.
For additional information about our Service Animal Policy, please contact us at 216-661-6500.

Deanna and Mambo

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