By Eileen Buckley
Buffalo, NY – The Erie County District Attorney's office is reviewing a fraternity prank that took place at the Buffalo Zoo and aired nationally on a cable music station this week. Zoo officials are asking that charges be pursued against three UB students.
"Fraternity Life" is the MTV reality show that is featuring UB students pledging to become members of Sigma Chi Omega. But in an episode that aired Wednesday night, the students were videotaped this past Fall discussing the possibility of stealing an animal. Later in the show, cameras showed students were climbing what appeared to be a Zoo wall and entering.
District Attorney Frank Clark say his office will review the matter to see if there is sufficient evidence to file trespass charges. Clark says he's not sure at this point if MTV would faces potential charges.
"Others could be charged as accomplishes if they aiding, abetting or facilitated in some way trespass," Clark said. "But they could not be charged with anything more than the offense itself. Those parties would have to be specifically identified and whatever acts they took would have to be provable in order to charge them."
Clark says the potential charges would be third degree trespass, carrying a maximum of 90 days in jail. The zoo says the prank endangered both the animals and human lives.
UB's vice president of student affairs, Dennis Black, says it was the university that shared the tape with the Zoo before it aired. He says the incident is unfortunate, since the show offered UB and the community a great opportunity to demonstrate the vibrancy of life in Buffalo Niagara.
"Everyone efforts energy and attention is going to be focused on some relatively stupid activities by a few individuals, so it certainly does detract from the experience form those who participated in the program or from watching the program," Black said.
Black says the fraternity is under review for possible hazing that also aired on the same MTV show last month. The fraternity is under suspension.