TREATMENT of elephants at Blackpool Zoo was back on the agenda once again at Blackpool Borough Council after a councillor claimed "instruments of torture" had been bought for the zoo using taxpayers' money.

Tory leader Peter Callow tabled a question to be asked at the full council yesterday (March 27) about a "mysterious package" from the USA for the zoo which he claimed contained elephant goads and chain anchors.

As The Citizen went to press, Coun Callow was expected to ask the council's regeneration and tourism portfolio holder Coun Roy Lewis if he knew what was in the package flown in from the USA in 1999 for Blackpool Zoo.

According to Coun Callow, the package was flown into East Midlands Airport and transferred to secure storage at Manchester Airport for collection by zoo staff in August, 1999.

But he said documents about the package and its contents could not be found by council workers, and he said he would also be asking Coun Lewis if he was aware that the council's Internal Audit Section was "unable to trace the relevent documentation" about the package.

Before the meeting, Coun Callow claimed the parcel contained elephant goads and chain anchors which had cost the borough council £412.22 for transport and storage.

"It's very emotive, especially if council tax payers have paid for these instrument of torture to be sent across," he said.

Immediately before the meeting Coun Roy Lewis said: "My answer is that the parcel contained four fibre glass handled elephant hooks which are made by an elephant keeper based in San Francisco. These hooks are used by most UK elephant handlers in the UK and are not available as stock items from any manufacturer."

He said the hooks were preferred by Blackpool Zoo elephant keepers because they are more rounded and "less aggressive" than equivalent items.

Regarding the paperwork, he said: "Since that period, responsibility for the zoo has moved to the Tourism Department and the accounting system is much more robust and such problems never arise."

Zoo spokseman Tony Williams confirmed a package had been received from America. But he refuted Coun Callow's claims that it contained "instruments of torture" and said that it contained "nothing sinister."

He refused to comment further except to say: "The package arrived, and his question will be answered in full at the meeting."