Owners of lynx zoo ‘should lose their licence’

THE former owner of the zoo where a lynx was strangled has said it was her “beloved pet” and called for the new management to be stripped of their licence.

One lynx, Lillith, escaped from Borth Wild Animal Kingdom in Mid Wales and was shot, and a second, Nilly, was strangled in an accident as staff moved it to a new enclosure.

The incidents happened under owners Tracy and Dean Tweedy, who have been running the zoo for six months, but the previous owners Alan and Jean Mumbray, who ran it for 17 years without incident, are calling for them to be stripped of their licence.

“The zoo should not be closed but Mrs Tweedy, the new owner, is not a fit person to have a zoo licence,” Mrs Mumbray said. “We built that zoo up for 17 years, and she has managed to destroy it in six months.

“The new owners have repeatedly claimed the zoo was ‘run down’ and that enclosures were not fit for purpose. This is untrue. Only two years ago we invested £120,000 in extending the zoo area, and built a lion en- closure, a small cat enclosure, an Emu enclosure, and perimeter fence.” The zoo came under scrutiny after an escaped lynx was ordered to be shot dead by Ceredigion county council. The council has said the zoo will be investigated to see “whether there have been any breaches of the operating licence.

The new owners admitted a second lynx had also died. They said the Eurasian lynx was accidentally strangled with a catch-pole while an “under pressure” member of staff was trying to catch it.

Mrs Mumbray said of Nilly: “I retained ownership of her, and only left her at the zoo because I thought she would have a better quality of life than I could give her after I retired.”

The new owners did not comment yesterday, but in a statement said there had been “serious issues” with how animals were housed when they took the zoo over.