Animals should not spend their entire lives in captivity merely to fulfil our desire to see them. Here are our summit ten facts about zoos that you demand to know...

1. Zoos are miserable places for animals

This expressionless wallaby was left to rot by staff at Tweddle Farm Zoo for 2 weeks and
the zoo refused to carry out a postal service-mortem to establish why the animal died

In 2010, a Freedom for Animals underground investigator filmed sick animals left untreated and dead animals to rot on floors atTweddle Farm Zoo. Freedom for Animalshad to take rabbits to a vet to have infections treated and afterward our betrayal local constabulary confiscated a monkey who had been kept lone and given cake and other junk food to consume.

Call back safari parks are improve than 'traditional' zoos? Woburn Safari Park was keeping its lions locked into small enclosures for xviii hours a day . A government zoo inspection report in 2010 said: "The animals were very crowded and there was no provision for individual feeding or sleeping areas. In that location was no visible ecology enrichment. Some of the lions exhibited skin wounds and multiple scars of various age, some fresh, some healed."

In late 2012, another safari park was shamed as Due west Midland Safari Park was exposed for providing white lion cubs to a notorious circus creature trainer , who sent them to a traveling circus in Japan. The Lions remain in the circus today.

A authorities-funded study of elephants in UK zoos found "at that place was a welfare business for every elephant in the UK." 75% of elephants were overweight and only 16% could walk unremarkably, the remainder having various degrees of lameness. Less than 20% were totally free of foot problems[1].

ii. Zoos can't provide sufficient space

Zoos cannot provide the amount of infinite animals have in the wild. This is specially the case for those species who roam larger distances in their natural habitat. Tigers and lions have around 18,000 times less space in zoos than they would in the wild. Polar bears have one million times less infinite[2].

3. Animals endure in zoos

A government-funded study of elephants in United kingdom zoos found that 54% of the elephants showed stereotypies (behavioural  bug) during the daytime. Ane elephant observed during day and night stereotyped for 61% of a 24-hour menstruum[iii].

Lions in zoos spend 48% of their time pacing, a recognised sign of behavioural problems[four].

4. Animals die prematurely in zoos

African elephants in the wild live more than than 3 times as long equally those kept in zoos. Even Asian elephants working in timber camps alive longer than those born in zoos[5].

xl% of lion cubs dice earlier one month of historic period. In the wild, only 30% of cubs are thought to die before they are six months former and at least a third of those deaths are due to factors which are absent in zoos, like predation[six].

5. Surplus an imals are killed

A Freedom for Animalsstudy constitute that at least vii,500 animals – and possibly as many as 200,000 – in European zoos are 'surplus' at whatever 1 time.

Animals are regularly 'culled' in U.k. zoos. In 2006 the whole pack of wolves at Highland Wildlife Park were killed later the social structure of the pack had broken down. In 2005 two wolf cubs and an adult female person were shot dead at Dartmoor Wildlife Park. The vet reported: "Selective choose due to overcrowding and fighting in the pack" and "Further cull of cubs needed". In 2001 a DEFRA zoo inspection of Dartmoor Wild animals Park in October 2001 institute that "several pregnant dead animals" were stored in a food freezer "for taxidermy in the future".

The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) said in 2007 that member zoos were being actively encouraged to impale unwanted animals, including tigers, if other zoos did not want them and if they were hybrids. It said that such animals take up space and keeper time[7].

In 2010, zoo trade bodies rallied to the defence of a German language zoo which was prosecuted for breaching brute welfare laws subsequently it killed three tiger cubs considering they were not pure-blooded (hybrid)[8].

In 2011, an exposé of Knowsley Safari Park led by Liberty for Animalsfollowing data provided by a whistleblower showed the safari park to be in contravention of legislation on disposal of carcasses equally well as raising queries over handling of firearms. A one-time employee of the safari park alleged: "culling was being used equally a means of traininginstead of being carried out in the kindest and most humane way."

In early 2014, in that location was global outrage when Copenhagen Zoo killed a healthy young giraffe chosenMarius. The result triggered a worldwide debate on culling in zoos and information technology was admitted by zoo spokespeople that thousands of good for you animals are deliberately killed in European zoos alone each year.

vi. Uk zoos are connected to brute circuses

These lions were sent as cubs from W Midland Safari Park to a circus trainer

Freedom for Animalsexposed a Uk zoo in 2009 that was a member of the trade torso BIAZA (which supposedly upholds the highest standards) as having abreeding connection with a controversial animate being circus. Noah's Ark Zoo Farm had been breeding camels from the Great British Circus for several years and in 2009 obtained three tigers from the circus.

A female tiger at the zoo had 3 stillborn cubs and some other who died at three weeks old. The mother as well died.

The aforementioned zoo was found to doing business withsome other circus animal trainerin 2013. This was the same trainer who had been sold lion cubs pastWest Midland Safari Parkand sent them to a traveling circus in Japan.

7. Animals are trained to perform tricks

Many zoos railroad train animals to perform tricks as if they were in a circus. Performing sea lions, birds and elephants tin be seen at many United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland zoos.

Some training of elephants has been washed using electric goads. Freedom for Animals infiltrated a preparation session held at Blackpool Zoo in 1998 and filmed elephants beingness trained to lift their feet and caput, hold sticks in their mouths and jabbed with elephant hooks in the shoulder and head.

In 2010 information technology was revealed that an elephant at Woburn Safari Park had previously been trained using an electric goad [9].

Blackpool Zoo proudly publicised its training of a babe sea lion for shows in mid 2013 [10]. This is in spite of the fact that the Uk Authorities has agreed to ban similar shows in circuses on the basis that: "we should feel dut y-spring to recognise that wild animals have intrinsic value, and respect their inherent wildness and its implications for their treatment".

eight. Animals are still taken from the wild

In 2003 the Britain authorities gave permission for the capture of 146 penguins from a British territory in the S Atlantic (Tristan da Cunha). Those who survived the seven-day boat journey from Tristan to a wildlife dealer in South Africa were sold to zoos in Asia [eleven].

In 2010, Republic of zimbabwe planned to capture two of every mammal species establish in Hwange National Park and transport them to North Korean zoos. This included rhinos, lions, cheetahs, zebras and giraffes also as two 18-month-one-time elephants. The plan was only stopped after international pressure level by a coalition of organisations including Freedom for Animals.

seventy% of elephants in European zoos were taken from the wild [12].

A Freedom for Animals study found that 79% of all animals in U.k. aquariums were defenseless in the wild. Sea Life aquariumsadmitted to taking animals from the wild equally recently as 2013, but refused to provide data on how many of the animals held by them were wild-caught.

9. Zoos don't serve conservation

Zoos merits to breed animals for eventual release to the wild merely breeding programmes are primarily to ensure a captive population, not for reintroduction.

Lions are pop in zoos, just the vast majority "are 'generic' animals of hybrid or unknown subspecific status, and therefore of trivial or no value in conservation terms [13].

Keeping an intelligent, complex and social beast similar a chimp in a UK zoo
does nothing to protect his relatives threatened in the wild

Zoo director David Hancocks said: "At that place is a commonly held misconception that zoos are not only saving wild animals from extinction simply also reintroducing them to their wild habitats. The confusion stems from many sources, all of them zoo-based… In reality, most zoos have had no contact of whatever kind with whatsoever reintroduction plan."[14]

Captive convenance is considered by some conservation scientists to be a diversion from the reasons for a species' decline, giving "a faux impression that a species is rubber so that destruction of habitat and wild populations can proceed"[15].

Zoos spend millions on keeping animals confined, while natural habitats are destroyed and animals killed as there is bereft funding for protection. When London Zoo spent £v.3 meg on a new gorilla enclosure, the chief consultant to the Un Great Ape Survival Project said he was uneasy at the mismatch between lavish spending at zoos and the scarcity of resources available for conserving threatened species in the wild.

"Five million pounds for three gorillas when national parks are seeing that number killed every day for want of some State Rovers and trained men and anti-poaching patrols. It must exist very frustrating for the warden of a national park to meet".

Measures to protect giant pandas' habitat also supports hundreds of species of mammals, at to the lowest degree 200 birds, dozens of reptiles and over half of the plants known to exist in Prc [sixteen].

In 2013, Freedom for Animals revealed that the UK'southward largest aquarium operator, Ocean Life, could traceless than 3 pence per visitor to in situ conservation projects.

10. Zoos neglect education

A Liberty for Animals study of Great britain aquariums found that 41% of the animals on display had no signs identifying their species – the almost bones of data.

A Us study found no compelling evidence for the claim that zoos and aquariums promote attitude alter, education, or interest in conservation in visitors. The study authors urged zoos to stop citing a zoo-funded written report which claimed an educational benefit from visits "as this decision is unwarranted and potentially misleading to consumers."[17]

In 2010, a Government-commissionedstudyplant that "Concerns remain, however, with regard to the lack of bachelor evidence almost the effectiveness" of conservation and education projects in zoos.

Animals in zoos are suffering. You can help cease that by joining u.s. equally a Freedom Champion today!

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[1]1000 Harris et al. The welfare, housing and husbandry of elephants in UK zoos. University of Bristol, 2008

[ii]Wide roaming animals fare worst in zoo enclosures. Guardian, 2.10.03

[3]M Harris et al. The welfare, housing and husbandry of elephants in UK zoos. University of Bristol, 2008

[4]G Mason & R Clubb. Guest Editorial, International Zoo News, Vol 51, No one (2004))

[v]R Clubb et al. Compromised survivorship in zoo elephants. Science, Vol 322, 12.12.08

[vi]One thousand Mason & R Clubb. Guest Editorial. International Zoo News, Vol 51, No 1 (2004))

[7]Zoos kill good for you tigers for the skin trade. Sunday Times, 22.7.07l

[8]Code of Ethics & Animal Welfare. World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, June 2010

[9]Woburn admits information technology gave bull elephant electric shocks. Sunday Times, 27.half dozen.10

[10]http://www.lep.co.uk/news/local/blackpool-zoo-south-babe-sealion-follows-in-her-mother-s-footsteps-1-5750458

[eleven]Taken by force. BBC Wildlife, February 2004

[12]R Clubb and G Stonemason. 'A Review of the Welfare of Zoo Elephants in Europe', RSPCA, 2002

[13]Nicholas Gould, Editorial, International Zoo News, Vol 49, No 5 (2002)).

[14]Quoted in 'Who Cares for Planet Globe?' B Jordan, 2001

[fifteen]Snyder et al. Limitations of Captive Breeding in Endangered Species Recovery. Conservation Biology, Pages 338-348. Volume ten, No. 2, April 1996

[16]Panda mating frenzy hits zoo. BBC News, iv May 2007 )

[17]L Morino et al. Practice Zoos and Aquariums Promote Mental attitude Change in Visitors? A Disquisitional Evaluation of the American Zoo and Aquarium Report. Club and Animals 18 (2010) 126-138