Should zoos be able to reopen to visitors?

THE Government has not indicated when zoos and wildlife parks will be allowed to reopen. They can easily put procedures in place to ensure social distancing, but have not been allowed to open their gates. In the meantime, the public go to beaches and parks in large, uncontrolled groups.

STELLA LEWIS, Wirral, Merseyside. MY DAUGHTER works at Chester Zoo and adores animals. It gets 97 per cent of its income from visitors. Despite receiving some government support, its finances remain on a knife-edge. Remember that zoos are vital for the care of species as well as research centres.

JACK OWEN, Blackpool. KEEPING animals in captivity for the paying public’s amusement is indefensible. Zoos can’t replicate the jungles, savannahs, oceans and forests where they belong. Captive animals have no control over their lives. Lacking autonomy, mental stimulation and sufficient room to exercise, they become despondent and develop neurotic behaviour. The pandemic is an opportunity for these prisons to be phased out. The first step is for zoos to stop breeding animals so this caged generation will be the last. The public should donate to projects that target the causes of extinction — habitat destruction and poaching — as all the cages in the world won’t stop species from dying out.

JENNIFER WHITE, PETA, London N1. IF ZOOS are forced to close, what happens to the animals? We can’t just release them into the wild. GAIL HAYWOOD, Long Eaton, Notts.