South Lakes Safari Zoo 5th March 2017 (c) Born Free Foundation
Born Free Calls For Transparent, Tough Measures To Raise Zoo Standards As South Lakes Safari Licence Application Is Rejected
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- Born Free welcomes decision by Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council to deny new licence
- Born Free calls for more rigorous inspections and tighter controls, and an overhaul of the implementation of the Zoo Licensing Act and the zoo inspection process
- Born Free has offered assistance to the Council in the event that animals need to be rehomed.
International wildlife charity, Born Free, for more than 30 years the UK’s sternest critic of zoos, welcomes the decision by Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council to refuse a new licence for South Lakes Safari Zoo, in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria. The charity also calls for an immediate overhaul of the implementation of the Zoo Licensing Act, the zoo inspection and licensing process and associated animal welfare, public safety and operational standards, which have so woefully failed the animals of South Lakes.
The news follows a damning report by zoo inspectors released by the Council which revealed that a devastating 486 animals had died at South Lakes Safari Zoo in four years, and exposed a catalogue of welfare concerns including two snow leopards found partially eaten, seven healthy lion cubs euthanized, and a rhino that was crushed to death.
Born Free stands ready to work with Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council to assist in finding humane lifetime care solutions for the animals.
Born Free Foundation President, Will Travers OBE, said: “The revelations about South Lakes are simply shocking – all the more so because we have had modern zoo legislation and zoo inspections in this country going back to the mid 1980’s. It raises questions as to whether our zoo regulation process is fit for purpose. It also begs the question, is South Lakes a unique situation or symptomatic of a licensing and inspection regime that neither safeguards the welfare of the animals, nor adequately protects the public?”
Zoos are currently licensed by Local Authorities and formally inspected by Government-appointed zoo inspectors every three to four years. Born Free remains seriously concerned that there is no up-to-date central government database of UK zoos and believes that the current process of zoo licensing and inspection is inconsistent and out of touch with reality.
Chris Draper, Born Free’s Associate Director for Animal Welfare, added: ”There seems to be a belief that British zoos are the best in the world and that no harm could possibly come to the animals within, or their visitors. Yet time and again we have seen examples of failings in the very system designed to ensure the welfare and safety of animals and people. While the problems at South Lakes Safari Zoo are shocking, it is highly likely that they are not unique to this zoo. We need a radical rethink of how and why zoos should be licensed and how assessment of these zoos is undertaken.”
Barrow-in-Furness Borough Council’s decision comes as Born Free heads to Westminster later this month to host a high-profile event with concerned MPs, conservationists, veterinarians, wildlife NGOs and special guests to launch Born Free’s priorities for captive wild animals. Beyond the Bars: The Welfare of Captive Animals in 2017, will review measures aimed at addressing the impact of captivity on millions of wild animals in the UK – in zoos, circuses and those kept as exotic pets.
Born Free is running Beyond the Bars throughout 2017 to highlight the plight of captive wild animals worldwide. The campaign aims to expose suffering and neglect, recommend improvements to animal welfare and the enforcement of legislation, to increase public awareness, support the training of more vets inspectors, and close substandard zoos. For more information, see http://www.bornfree.org.uk/give/beyond-the-bars-appeal/.
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