diff --git a/c_src/async_nif.h b/c_src/async_nif.h
index 30ad669..979b1b7 100644
--- a/c_src/async_nif.h
+++ b/c_src/async_nif.h
@@ -92,6 +92,7 @@ struct async_nif_worker_info {
       return enif_make_tuple2(env, enif_make_atom(env, "error"),        \
                               enif_make_atom(env, "enomem"));           \
     }                                                                   \
+    bzero(req, sizeof(struct async_nif_req_entry));                     \
     copy_of_args = (struct decl ## _args *)enif_alloc(sizeof(struct decl ## _args)); \
     if (!copy_of_args) {                                                \
       fn_post_ ## decl (args);                                          \
@@ -286,6 +287,7 @@ async_nif_load(void)
   async_nif = enif_alloc(sizeof(struct async_nif_state));
   if (!async_nif)
       return NULL;
+  bzero(async_nif, sizeof(struct async_nif_state));
   STAILQ_INIT(&(async_nif->reqs));
   async_nif->shutdown = 0;
 
@@ -309,6 +311,7 @@ async_nif_load(void)
   for (i = 0; i < num_worker_threads; i++) {
     struct async_nif_worker_info *wi;
     wi = enif_alloc(sizeof(struct async_nif_worker_info)); // TODO: check
+    bzero(wi, sizeof(struct async_nif_worker_info));
     wi->async_nif = async_nif;
     wi->worker = &async_nif->worker_entries[i];
     wi->worker_id = i;
diff --git a/src/riak_kv_wterl_backend.erl b/src/riak_kv_wterl_backend.erl
index 1de076f..8492e7b 100644
--- a/src/riak_kv_wterl_backend.erl
+++ b/src/riak_kv_wterl_backend.erl
@@ -294,21 +294,20 @@ drop(#state{connection=Connection, table=Table}=State) ->
 -spec is_empty(state()) -> boolean().
 is_empty(#state{is_empty_cursor=Cursor}) ->
     wterl:cursor_reset(Cursor),
-    try
-        not_found =:= wterl:cursor_next(Cursor)
-    after
-        ok = wterl:cursor_close(Cursor)
+    case wterl:cursor_next(Cursor) of
+        not_found -> true;
+        _ -> false
     end.
 
 %% @doc Get the status information for this wterl backend
 -spec status(state()) -> [{atom(), term()}].
 status(#state{status_cursor=Cursor}) ->
     wterl:cursor_reset(Cursor),
-    try
-        Stats = fetch_status(Cursor),
-        [{stats, Stats}]
-    after
-        ok = wterl:cursor_close(Cursor)
+    case fetch_status(Cursor) of
+        {ok, Stats} ->
+            Stats;
+        _ ->
+            []
     end.
 
 %% @doc Register an asynchronous callback
@@ -493,7 +492,7 @@ from_index_key(LKey) ->
 %% @private
 %% Return all status from wterl statistics cursor
 fetch_status(Cursor) ->
-    fetch_status(Cursor, wterl:cursor_next_value(Cursor), []).
+    {ok, fetch_status(Cursor, wterl:cursor_next_value(Cursor), [])}.
 fetch_status(_Cursor, not_found, Acc) ->
     lists:reverse(Acc);
 fetch_status(Cursor, {ok, Stat}, Acc) ->