Shivering by a heat lamp, a monkey at UK’s ‘worst zoo’
Grim conditions shown by snaps taken in undercover inspection
A ZOO which narrowly avoided being closed down after being branded ‘Britain’s worst’ was yesterday accused of continuing to keep animals in cramped, cold and unsuitable enclosures.
In 2017 the deaths of almost 500 animals in less than three years at South Lakes Safari Zoo in Cumbria sparked outrage aimed at its colourful millionaire owner at the time, David Gill.
But the attraction – which in 2013 was fined £255,000 after a keeper was mauled to death by a tiger – was granted a new licence after he agreed to cut ties.
However an undercover visit by experts from wildlife charity Born Free this month has led to allegations that animals’ welfare
‘It should have its licence revoked’
is still at risk under the new ownership – with the safety of visitors also called into question. According to a dossier of disturbing photographs it released yesterday, concerns include:
■ Monkeys clinging to the edge of their enclosures to get close to heat lamps.
■ rhinos confined to tiny stalls which just about allow them to turn around.
■ unsupervised zoo-goers cornering animals to try and feed them.
■ A giraffe with overgrown hooves. n An Andean bear seen swaying and testing an electric fence with its paw.
The conservation and welfare charity is calling for ‘urgent improvements’ in the animals’ living conditions under new management, or their relocation to more suitable accommodation.
In a statement to the Daily Mail, Samantha Brewer, from the zoo, said the allegations were ‘of the utmost seriousness’ but insisted the zoo ‘refuted’ them all. It also highlighted Born Free’s ethos of opposition to keeping animals in captivity. A spokesman declined to address specific claims, but said the giraffe mentioned enjoyed a weekly ‘hoofcare regime’.
Chris Lewis, Born Free’s captivity research officer, who visited the zoo on October 17, said there had been ‘more than enough time for the zoo’s management to make corrective measures’ since taking over from Mr Gill. He said it was ‘our strong contention the zoo should have its licence revoked’.
Ferrari-driving former owner Mr Gill – who appointed his Peruvian beauty queen third wife as head vet – had been slammed for ‘deplorable’ welfare standards, with animals run over by the miniature train or electrocuted by fencing. The death toll included a jaguar that chewed off its own paw, a rhino crushed to death by its partner and a giraffe shot after collapsing. It sparked a Daily Mail investigation which revealed serious failings in 170 zoo inspection reports across england and Wales, only one of which resulted in a park being refused a licence.
Finally in 2017 the local council lost patience with the Lake District’s most visited attraction and refused to renew its licence. It was reprieved after Mr Gill – now known as David rivera – agreed to pass the attraction on to new management, finally selling the land on which it stands last year. The new management’s struggles were later shown in BBC2 documentary Trouble At The Zoo. Subsequent inspections found a ‘ marked improvement’ but stressed there was ‘still much to do’.
But Mr Lewis’s recent report and pictures document how giraffes were given just ‘a few branches’ to browse on in the morning, to allegedly ‘increase the likelihood of giraffes participating in experiences where visitors pay to feed them inappropriate quantities of carrots’ later on. It also says they share an outdoor space with zebras, meaning they have to take turns for safety reasons – with a risk zebras are ‘shut out overnight, including during winter’. Meanwhile, visitors’ safety may also be at risk, with zoo-goers separated from giraffes by just a slack fire hose at one point.
A spokesman for Barrow Borough Council – which oversees the zoo’s licence – told local media: ‘We take allegations of this nature seriously and will work with the zoo to address them.’