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Nearly 500 animal deaths at zoo in four years


Still Waters

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Councillors have been told they should refuse a new licence for a zoo where almost 500 animals have died in four years.

The deaths at South Lakes Safari Zoo in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, from 2013 to 2016 were revealed in a report prepared by officers at Barrow Borough Council.

The council's licensing regulatory committee will decide the zoo's fate at a meeting next Monday.

http://news.sky.com/story/nearly-500-animal-deaths-at-south-lakes-safari-zoo-in-four-years-10785967

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I hope they close it down, but then I wonder what would happen to all the animals ...... some would probably end up in zoos abroad and goodness knows what their fate would be there.

I watched a programme about Chester zoo yesterday evening. One of their rhinos was shipped off to Turkey in a tiny crate because she was surplus to requirements ...... although the zoo was about to put her parents back together again so that they could reproduce again. :hmm: I don't know ....... . Time to phase out zoos, I think. I worry about animals in zoos in foreign countries/war zones.

Edited by ouija ouija
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I've got mixed feelings about zoos. Some do help to conserve species who might otherwise die out, so in that respect they're not all bad.

 

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1 hour ago, Still Waters said:

I've got mixed feelings about zoos. Some do help to conserve species who might otherwise die out, so in that respect they're not all bad.

I understand your mixed feelings on this, and agree with the conservation part. At the same time, however there is a creepy factor to zoos that I find really disconcerting. Taking an animal out of its natural habitat so that people can gawk at it is wrong. With all the visual technology now available, there are numerous other ways to experience wild animals and learn about them

There are zoos, however, that are situated on sprawling acres where animals are 'free' to roam about. They also have safe enclosures for endangered species. They at least, make an effort to protect the animals and give them a relatively good quality of life. But rinky-dink cage zoos (and marine aquariums) need to go, as do any such places that do not take proper care of the animals, or where the living conditions are deemed cruel and/or 'unnatural.'

In the case of this particular zoo, not only does it need to be shut down, charges also need to be filed.

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I agree with you both. Zoo's have a place/role in conservation aspect, but one needs to take into account the animals that came from the wild and then have to deal with captivity.  I always wonder what they are thinking while we (as humans) are looking at them, I always imagine their conversation to be 'dont these animals have lives? What are doing here at this time of day...or

'what are they pointing at? How rude'

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1 hour ago, Claire. said:

There are zoos, however, that are situated on sprawling acres where animals are 'free' to roam about. They also have safe enclosures for endangered species. They at least, make an effort to protect the animals and give them a relatively good quality of life.

Wildlife parks are better than zoos, at least they give animals more space and freedom to move around in. They also give off the feeling that the animals are observing you rather than you observing them.

47 minutes ago, DebDandelion said:

I agree with you both. Zoo's have a place/role in conservation aspect, but one needs to take into account the animals that came from the wild and then have to deal with captivity.

Yet sometimes it's for their own good in order to save the species. That's what I meant when I said I have mixed feelings about zoos. In an ideal world wildlife should be left free to live in the wild, but without human intervention trying to keep them safe, captive breeding etc., seems to be the best or only option for some species to help prevent them from going extinct.

Edited by Still Waters
Fixed spacing at end of post
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2 minutes ago, Still Waters said:

Wildlife parks are better than zoos, at least they give animals more space and freedom to move around in. They also give off the feeling that the animals are observing you rather than you observing them.

Yes exactly. The habitats can also be designed to mimic their natural environments, so there's less stress on the animal.

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We have to see the catch 22 in this, we create the environment for animals.to get extinct quicker and we set up wild life reserve/zoo's to prevent extinction. We might be the trigger to the whole situation. 

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This zoo is a nightmare and should probably be closed and the animals shipped elsewhere but most zoos in modern countries are pretty nice as compared to the zoo when I was growing up.  That said, I understand the ambivalence about whether we should have zoos or not.  Personally I enjoy going to the zoo and wandering around but my wife won't go as she is totally against the idea of caging wild animals even though the majority of these animals were bred in captivity.   I think zoos make people aware of wildlife and the dangers they face with habitat loss etc. and for the most part the animals live a very good life with regular medical care, good diets and are free of predators. 

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Update -

Quote

The owner of a zoo criticised over animal welfare concerns and where a keeper was killed by a tiger has lost his bid to renew his licence.

David Gill's claim for a licence to run South Lakes Safari Zoo in Dalton-in-Furness was unanimously refused by Barrow councillors.

He now has 28 days to appeal.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-39177313

 

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On 3/1/2017 at 9:08 AM, Claire. said:

There are zoos, however, that are situated on sprawling acres where animals are 'free' to roam about. They also have safe enclosures for endangered species. They at least, make an effort to protect the animals and give them a relatively good quality of life.

 

I have visited several in my life but only one that I recall matching this description.  It was in Memphis, TN of all places.  Beautifully designed and maintained and it was difficult in some cases to even see the enclosures.  On the other extreme, I'd say the zoo in Beijing in 2000, was the saddest I've ever visited.  I can't even bear to recount it here.  All these years later, I still get sad or angry when I think of it.

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We live not far from a wildlife park.  They take in injured animals or ones not suitable for the wild (accustomed to humans and a danger to both).  The last time we were there we saw a three legged bobcat.  It had been hit by a car and saved.  No doubt it would not survive in the wild the way it was moving.  Places like this I support, they give life to animals that otherwise would have had no chance.  

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I'm spending most of my free time at the moment researching Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart which closed in 1937. That was a cesspit too. Just like 1930's Tasmania, sadly not all the animals at this zoo will be rehoused either, some will be shot. 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

An unexpected twist -

Quote

The owner of a Cumbrian zoo, where a keeper was mauled by a tiger and hundreds of animals have died, has appealed against its impending closure.

David Gill was refused a licence to run South Lakes Safari Zoo in Dalton-in-Furness by Barrow Council earlier this month amid animal welfare concerns.

His decision means the zoo can remain open until a new company, formed by staff, can apply for its own licence.

Had Mr Gill not appealed, the zoo would have been forced to close next month.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-39449889

 

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  • 1 month later...

My goodness -

Quote

Cumbrian zoo where 500 animals died controversially granted new licence.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/cumbrian-zoo-500-animals-died-controversially-granted-new-licence-101526979.html

Well that was unexpected! I hope they keep a very close eye on what goes on there.

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Thanks for posting this update. The article is interesting. It states that the original owner no longer has anything to do with the zoo, 'great!' I say to myself 'this is why they've been granted a licence', but further on we're told that four of the original directors are running the new company, which doesn't sound so good. I suppose the original owner could have had the final say in all decisions in the past. I hope for the animals' sake that things vastly improve from now on. 

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Why on earth would they grant a license to former directors and staff members? In all that time, whilst animals were suffering and dying, they did nothing to effect a drastic improvement in conditions, nor did they report the issues to the proper authorities. They're the ones who should be behind bars, not the animals.
 

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