Daily News from New York, New York • 44

12C: 1 Hi Uit 1 0 4 Vi 1 'ar I 1 1 1 'K I l)r IXKWS f.r l- Bi! In Staten Island. Bill Summerville checks vandalized parakeet cage. Ted Moss (right) feeds animals in Prospect Tark where deer was killed. it's Jungle Fmis 2-Legged Tormenf ors Malm Kill Animals By TOM POSTER Ty HILE the city sleeps, teen-age toughs and tipsy thrill-seekei-s are getting their kicks out of tormenting, torturing and even killing defenseless animals in the city's zoos. The brutal and sadistic attacks on the caeeil DAILY.2 NEWS SPECIAL FEATURE creatures in New York City's asphalt unjrle is described by one veteran zoo keep -C 'V- i 1- -1 officials always have been opposed to publicizing such incidents but it has gotten so bad that I think the public should know what's going on.

"We find razor blades, rocks, cans and bottles in the cages almost every morning." The Staten island Zoo is in Barrett Park, a short distance from Clove Road. Watchmen patrol at night but tight security is impossible without extra men or police patrols. "The opening of the Verrazano Bridge has made the zoo more available to the general public but, unfortunately, has made the animals -more subject to abuse," Summerville said. The Staten Island Zoological Society operates the zoo with financial aid from New York City. Police also patrol the zoo and park but Summerville thinks a permanent police post should be established in the zoo area.

Sees Big Role lor Education of Young Like the other zoos, Summerville said, the Staten Inland menagerie personnel are constantly pleadirg with visitors to refrain from feeding the animals. "Besides the peanuts and popcorn, the animals are fed other foods by visitors over the weekend and some of the stuff isn't fit even for 'animal consumption," he said. "In the zoos, Monday is known as "digestive disturbance day' because of the junk people tossed into the cages over the weekend." Summerville had just removed a paper clip from on alligator's eye, fired from a rubber band by a visitor. "Part of the problem is that people don't understand animals," he said. "The reason the animals don't jump around or act like they're in the jungle is because they're caged and their activity is limited.

I wish teachers would instruct their children about these thinf. If they want excitement they should come at feeding time." The zoo has alligators in an outdoor exhibit thnt are fed weekly on Sundays. "The rest of the week they seldom move and I gues that's why at night people throw bottles at them." said. The alligators are so heavy that when they move on the broken glass they gash themselves." The curator moved to another exhibit to show where thieves broke into the cage containing the rare parakeets. "I'm not going to repair it so that visitors can see for themselves some of the problems we face," he said.

Loss of Parakeets Leaves Gap of Beauty The parakeets, valued at $50 each, were imported months ago from England. They were show birds, particularly rare, and one of the Staten Island Zoo's most colorful exhibits. Mrs. Tatiana Gillette Infante, senior menagerie keeper of the Children's Zoo in Central Park said: "I think the people have become so frustrated that they're taking it out on the animals. "Maybe we need some kind of educational process, and it should include the teachers who bring children to the zoo.

as well as the parents. Some of the teachers that come here don't know the difference between a yak and a cow. Sometimes we have more headaches from the teachers and parents who goad the animals with sticks." John Fitzgerald, supervisor of the Central Park Zoo, complains about visitors who toss lighted cigaretes to monkeys. "We're in the middle of Manhattan and we get people coming around at all hours," Fitzgerald said. "A lot of people out on the town can walk into any park any time they want." AH of the zoo keepers are opposed to usinp; police to patrol the area, a drastic security measure taken by the Bronx Zoo.

The Bronx Zoo is completely enclosed so the police dogs are contained in a specific area. "Dogs would endanger the general public," Fitzgerald believes. ''We've got to encourage the people not to torment the animals through an educational program. But through the night we need more watchmen or police to. catch the crashers who throw rocks and bottles" 1 er as the worst in 30 years.

The official records list, am.ing: the atrocities, that: A Earopan fallow detr. about g)ve lirth, Cieii rf a fraeturJ skull after beir. beaten with a leather tIt and heavy buckle. A playful duck was straneil by two youths who leaped over a wall to reach the Children's Zoo in Central FarSc. A pool of all'jrators swam in their own xJ after fahin? themselves cn shards of broken from bottles at them by nighttime marauders.

Animals left out overnight are regularly the target of rocks, beer cans anil bott'es. And in an unprecedented theft, a priceless collection of 10 Eritish parakeets was stolen last week from the Staten Island Zoo. Nesting Swan Stolen from Park William Summerv'lle. srenera! curator cf the zoo, said the collection is irreplaceable. Police are also hunting for the thief who made off with a swan from the Central Park Lake where the bird was nestinjr on her four etrK.

"This summer is the worst I've seen in my "0 years," says Ronald Ellis, superintendant of the Prospect Park Zoo. "The old line about the cages protecting the animals from the people isn't funny. It's true. But even the cages can't protect the animals from the rocks, beer cans, and bottles that are thrown at them. All this happens at r.ijrht after the 200s are closed but some people, I guess, just get a special thrill out of tormenting animals." said the regular daytime visitors to the zoos, particularly this summer, have brought an alarming increase in unreported abuses of animals by some children and the adults accompanying, them.

"We certainly don't make an official renort cf every kid or adult we find taunting an animal. Ellis said. As the veteran zoo keeper sprvke. a 10-year-old boy peked a tcy whip between the bars of a rage containing tiro huge buffaloes. Ellis, rodded to Kenneth Welch, Hippies Hold a Smell In Hippie are alo invading the city's zoos, says Sara AMiite.

Parks Department director of operations and maintenance. "Tney're moving in with bedrolls, sleeping in closed areas White said. "The wther morning we had Be arrested as he was sleeping behind the monkey boe in CeBtral Park." Mrs. Tatiana Gillette-Infante, menagerie keeper of the Children's Zoo, said. "On weekends they walk around here in their hare feet and smell np the place.

We have tprav the animals after they Tatiana Gillette-Infante holds duck like one strangled by youths in Central Park Children's Zoo. senior menagerie keeper, who warned the boy that the buffaloes could lierome dangerous if provoked, and pulled him from the cage. "Get your hands off me, man, or I'll bring r.iy father back and he'll stomp you!" the boy snapped. Ellis said, "There must le a general breakdown in authority or something. The Parks Department uniform means nothing ti some of the kids.

Even the police get abused here." Prospect Park's Zoo is one of the largest in the world but, like Central Park and Staten Inland's menageries, it lies entirely within a public park and anyone can enter the exhibit areas from the street. Because of the increased attacks on animals. Ellis has ordered that all of his wards, except the buffaloes and yaks, be moved indoors overnight. Killing of Deer Moves Him to Tears "The killing of the fallow deer was a senseless, brutal and sadistic act and I'm not giving anyone anotl)- -such oppoitunity," Ellis said. "Nobody will try to attack the buffalo or yak but even the elephant is at the mercy of thee Theodore C.

Moss. 02. menagerie keeper at Prospect Park, is responsible for feeding- the deer anil was near tears as he spoke of the dead deer: "We found her in the morning when we came in and we still can't believe such a thing happened. The other six deer were bleeding from cuts so the gang that did it must have been in the caged area for some time. The deer are very fast but are absolutely harmless.

I'm still sick over it." Ellis added, "Ted's only been with the zoo a short time. Hell get used to these sick people after he is around for a while." At the Staten Island Zoo, Summenrill said, "Zoo.