Photo by Rich Renomeron

Animal rights group PETA has accused the National Zoo of using animals as props for a recent fundraising cocktail party, saying that it subjected a cheetah, penguin and wallaby to conditions that they are not used to.

In a letter sent yesterday to the National Zoo’s executive director, PETA criticized the decision to partner with the Columbus Zoo on a fundraising event at the McLean home of Jim Kimsey, a founder and former CEO of AOL. At the event, five animals from the Columbus Zoo—the cheetah, penguin and wallaby and an armadillo and fox—mingled with 50 deep-pocketed guests that the National Zoo hopes to court.

“As you must know, wild animals naturally shun contact with humans. The cheetah and other animals used at Jim Kimsey’s zoo fundraiser do not enjoy being held and handled for photo opportunities. Partnering with the Columbus Zoo in this marketing campaign calls the integrity of both facilities into question,” Delcianna Winders, PETA’s director of captive animal law enforcement, wrote

“It is well acknowledged these days that just because animals can be forced into ‘acclimating’ to public settings doesn’t mean that they should be, and if the National Zoo is to uphold its mission to demonstrate leadership in animal care and to teach and inspire people to protect rather than exploit wildlife, it will not support such gratuitous use of animals.”

Pamela Baker-Masson, the zoo’s associate director of communications, said that the Columbus Zoo is one of the few in the country to run an educational outreach program, and that the animals are well cared for and accustomed to being around people.

“Animals in the Columbus Zoo are cared for and trained in a way to be ambassadors and educational outreach animals to the public,” she said, noting that the National Zoo doesn’t have any such program and would not have used any of its own animals for such a purpose.

“It’s all very above-board,” she added, saying that the animals travel with expert animals keepers. “In no way were they in any jeopardy.”