SAN DIEGO COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : Clear Up the Tatum Suspension

Few people outside the narrow circle of zoo curators and animal haulers had heard of Earl Tatum before his name was broadcast coast-to-coast on CBS’s “60 Minutes” in January. It was not an auspicious coming out for Tatum, a hauler of rare animals considered the best in the business by no less an authority than the San Diego Zoo.

The broadcast alleged that the 59-year-old Arkansas resident used middlemen to sell exotic animals at wildlife auctions. Subsequently, The Times reported that federal officials may revoke Tatum’s permit to haul endangered wildlife. Among the problems in Tatum’s past is the government’s accusation that he sold a rare snow leopard cub to an exotic animal farm and attempted to cover it up.

Now the American Assn. of Zoological Parks and Aquariums--a trade group--has suspended Tatum for the final four months of this year, though it simultaneously cleared him of the allegations raised by “60 Minutes.”

But no one will explain the suspension. The AAZPA considers the matter confidential. The San Diego Zoo--which continues to use Tatum to haul its animals--knows the reason but won’t say. Tatum cannot be reached for comment.

Beyond the larger question of why the local zoo continues to do business with Tatum when some zoos have cut him off, we are left to guess why the AAZPA acted. That’s not good enough.

The San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park, both run by the Zoological Society of San Diego, are publicly supported institutions that lease a combined 1,900 acres of city land for a nominal sum. Moreover, these famous tourist attractions depend on the goodwill of a public that has a right to know whether they are conducting business with someone who is guilty of a serious ethics violation.

AAZPA, Tatum or the zoo could clear this up with a simple statement that might restore public confidence in both the hauler and the zoo, at least until the government’s investigation of him is concluded.