Undercover footage: Orana zookeepers fear death in 'unsafe' vehicles

Undercover footage has revealed the state of vehicles some zookeepers are required to use at Orana Wildlife Park, as whistleblowers say they’re scared of being injured on the job.

The video – taken by 1News in June – shows a truck with a large crack in the windscreen.

The zoo vehicles are supposed to provide safety to employees if a dangerous animal escapes and gets on the loose in the park.

But, in an interview with 1News, one of Orana’s keepers – who wished to remain anonymous – claimed the trucks had issues like faulty foot brakes, no handbrakes, and windows that will not wind up.

That left them feeling "terrified", they said.

"If you can't get in the truck, or you can't wind the windows up, that's not going to stop a lion," they added.

Their comments were made as part of a major 1News investigation into Orana Wildlife Park, which includes interviews with 20 current and former members of the zoo’s staff.

As well as those safety claims, the zoo’s staff revealed new details about several animal deaths on site including incidents involving gorillas, giraffes, and cheetah.

READ MORE: Buried trauma: zookeepers expose animal deaths at Orana Wildlife Park

Orana argues many of the allegations are inaccurate, out of context, or missing vital pieces of information.

In May, its chief executive Lynn Anderson also pushed back against claims made in an anonymous letter sent to the council, including that it had unsafe vehicles at the park.

But in June, 1News also captured undercover footage of the Government’s safety regulator, WorkSafe, carrying out assessments on site.

The agency gave the zoo an improvement notice after finding its systems to ensure vehicles were fit for purpose and maintained were lacking.

Orana says it has immediately started making changes and engaging with all staff on those issues.

Meanwhile, a keeper has said "it can be very scary sometimes".

"There have been situations where I'm not sure that I would have been able to stop in time if a child had run out in front of me."

WorkSafe said any Orana employee can notify it about a health and safety concern online, or by phone, and said they could remain anonymous if they wished.

In their comments to 1News, some of the zoo’s current staff members also expressed concern about the safety of the public walking by while they were driving the vehicles.

The trucks may also be used to ferry the public to safe locations, in the event of an animal escape.

"It's so unsafe, there are so many moments in the day where you wonder 'what's going to happen?'" one zookeeper said.

Orana must address WorkSafe’s concerns with the vehicle issues by July 29.

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