General Requirements – Prohibitions against Discrimination:
(h) A public entity may impose legitimate safety requirements necessary for the safe operations of its services, programs, or activities. However, the public entity must ensure that its safety requirements are based on actual risks, not on mere speculation, stereotypes, or generalizations about individuals with disabilities.
The ADA allows the zoo to take some action to prevent any danger to the animal collections and our guests. The zoo has the authority to deny access to areas on the basis that we and other zoos have observed and have documented safety concerns that justify restrictions access. The following actions are allowed:
When a service animal enters the zoo, personnel will advise a manager that a service animal is on grounds and inform the guest with the service animal of the restricted areas. The employee will also radio to all zoo staff that there is a service animal in the zoo.
If the function of the animal is NOT readily apparent, staff can ask two questions:
If they owner can reasonably answer these questions, the animal should be admitted. If the owner cannot reasonably establish what work or task the animal performs, or is unwilling to provide the information, the animal may be denied admission to the zoo.