"The committee believes that these findings and needs should be considered by the National Zoo at once, since each deficiency presents a threat to the well-being of the animals," committee chairman R. Michael Roberts said at a briefing.

While the committee found no animal to be in immediate danger, they specifically faulted the zoo's programs in preventive medicine and nutrition.

In one case, an African bush elephant's active case of tuberculosis went undiagnosed because the zoo failed to give the animal a routine test for the disease. A long backlog of animals waiting for this kind of routine care should be quickly cleared, the report said.

In another instance, a zebra died of hypothermia and malnutrition after zookeepers, nutritionists and veterinarians failed to communicate properly about the animal. Poor record-keeping and inadequate supervision were also in play in this case, according to the report.

RAT POISON IN PANDAS' PEN

The deaths of two red pandas in January 2003 brought public scrutiny when it was determined the pair ate rat poison buried in their enclosure.

The placement of this poison in the pandas' area was against the zoo's own rules, and the zoo's subsequent decision to limit the use of pesticides has contributed to vermin problems at the park, the committee found.

"Rats and mice can still be seen crossing public walkways in daylight," Roberts said, posing a threat to animals as well as zoo workers and visitors.

Money and staff are not the problem, the committee found, though they noted that the number of veterinary staff dipped in 2000 and may have created a backlog in routine animal care that persists.

"Since 1998, veterinary staff have not been following their own guidelines in terms of providing annual exams, vaccinations and infectious-disease testing," said Roberts, a professor of animal science, biochemistry and veterinary pathology at the University of Missouri, Columbia.

Since 2000, there have been a spate of high-profile animal deaths at the zoo, including:

- A Sumatran orangutan that was destroyed because keepers believed it had cancer when it in fact had treatable salmonella;

- An African lion that died of complications from anesthesia after veterinarians failed to check on the animal to make sure it was recovering;

- A bald eagle that died after being attacked by a fox that entered its enclosure.