Tag: Captive Animals

Twycross Zoo Demo 31/03

On Saturday 31st of March we will join other local groups to peacefully demonstrate outside Twycross Zoo. This is for Freedom for Animals’ ‘zoo awareness weekend’.

We will be there to highlight many concerning and upsetting aspects that come with keeping wild animals captive.

Every year zoos across the UK, Europe and worldwide cull excess animals, especially males and unwanted offspring. Each year many animals are bred and have offspring yet the zoo’s populations don’t grow at the same rate. This is due to compensatory culling. Animals with characteristics which are undesired or simply surplus animals are killed. Why would they do this? Babies bring in customers. More customers means more money.

For example, Longleat Safari Park have a famous pride of lions which they let breed out of control causing much of the group to be shot: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-26115468

A large proportion of animals in zoos are not endangered so are simply kept there as an attraction, just like animals in circuses. The spaces zoos provide is minuscule compared to that of their natural territories. Enclosures are usually thousands and thousands times smaller than their natural ranges. Cheap and easy diets are often a problem for the captive animals too leading to many unnecessary illnesses, not seen in their wild members of the same species.

Keeping animals in cages comes at a cost. Seen when Woburn safari park was responsible for 13 Patas Monkeys dying in a fire when their enclosure caught fire: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/woburn-safari-park-fire-latest-patas-monkeys-die-killed-bedfordshire-animals-dead-a8137456.html

Are zoos there for conservation? It is a rare sight when any zoo around the world releases a single animal back into the wild. Ask them for yourself and some specific examples.

Here’s some information on this from the Born Free Foundation: http://www.bornfree.org.uk/campaigns/zoo-check/uk-zoos/zoo-conservation/do-zoos-help-conservation/

If you want to know more information on this cruelty, Freedom for Animals have a great section on their website:
https://www.freedomforanimals.org.uk/zoos

Join us for a 3 hour demonstration. Bring signs or we can provide them.

See you there!

Zoo Awareness Weekend at Chester Zoo

Captive Animals’ Protection Society – CAPS’s annual Zoo Awareness Weekend brings awareness to the plight of captive animals held in zoos.

If anyone would like to attend but can’t get the transport, please post in the facebook event as someone may be able to offer you a lift.

Zoo Awareness Weekend

Every year our annual event to raise awareness of the plight of animals held captive in zoos takes place over Easter weekend 30th March to 2nd April. Will you join us?

What is wrong with zoos?

Animals are routinely culled in zoos, many of them healthy individuals who are no longer wanted by the zoo
Stereotypic behaviours are abnormal behaviours often exhibited by animals in zoos – pacing, rocking, swaying and even self-harming are all signs of stress commonly seen in captive animals
Even the best enclosures in zoos cannot replicate wild animals’ natural habitat – animals are forced to live in a different climate, habitat, unable to exhibit natural behaviours such as raising a family and foraging for food. Many animals would roam miles everyday in the wild which is simply impossible in zoos.
Our investigations into zoos have exposed neglect, ill animals left untreated, links with the animal circus industry, exposed festivals held in zoos causing animals stress, junk food fed to animals and much more.

Please join us in speaking up for the voiceless, the often forgotten animals who live a life so far from what they would live naturally in the wild.

Take action over Zoo Awareness Weekend!

Hold a demonstration at your local zoo! Contact campaigns@captiveanimals.org if you can organise one!
Distribute leaflets in your local area. Just contact us and we will send them out to you.
Hold a fundraising event to support our zoo campaigns
Take part in online actions over Easter weekend – we will be releasing details of these on our Facebook page
Write to your local paper about zoos
Hold an information stall in your town centre, local library or school
Volunteer on a street collection to raise funds. Contact Nicola@captiveanimals.org if you can hold one and we will help you organise it.
Keep an eye out for Easter petting zoo events and tell us if you see one advertised. Click here to report a mobile zoo and for more ideas on opposing mobile zoos see here
Oppose mobile zoo events on their event pages

These events can be held in your school, workplace, at home, with friends or on the streets in your town! If you want to get involved email campaigns@captiveanimals.org We will supply materials and support to make your event a meaningful one for the animals!

To get involved, organise an event and let us know or contact us to be put in touch with local campaign groups.