‘Brexit red tape endangering our most-threatened species’

It is now easier to send a gorilla to Australia than Europe due to Brexit bureaucracy, sparking fears among conservationists for our most at-risk animals, as Max Chesson reports...

An animal conservation boss has warned postbrexit red tape delays are putting already endangered species at further risk. Sophia Fagan, animal records and transports manager at Howletts near Canterbury, says it is “easier to send a gorilla to Australia” as animal transfers to and from the EU grind to a halt. Speaking to the Gazette, Ms Fagan shared her frustrations with the changes in the system which have seen zoos around the country report a drop of 86% in the number of animal transfers since Britain left the EU.

She said: “Before Brexit, we would see around 24 transfers both in and out of the country take place every two months.

“Now, we’re struggling to get 24 through a year, there’s now barriers between us and each country in the EU, each with its own different rules and regulations. “There’s an enormous backlog and it’s not a case of ‘when will it start negatively impacting endangered animals?’ “Wildlife already at risk are now being put under further pressure that could prove deadly because of the

issues with getting the correct documentation.

“In the last three years, it has been easier to send a gorilla to Australia or Africa than to Germany or France.”

Ms Fagan, who is also overseas project manager for the

Aspinall Foundation, which runs Howletts and Port Lympne Reserve near Hythe, said before Brexit zoos in the UK had access to systems shared with EU countries designed for the movement of wild and exotic species.

Since the split three years ago, the introduction of health certificates that are “unachievable without risking animal welfare” has led to lengthy delays in the transfer of animals, particularly primates. Nationally, the number of animal transfers by UK zoos, aquariums and conservation centres dropped from 1,500 a year before Brexit to just 200 a year.

Ms Fagan said transferring antelopes is now “almost impossible” due to the requirements for them to be quarantined in complete isolation for 30 days prior to being shipped off over concerns for infectious diseases.

“Health certificates replaced the previous system shared across the EU but they are unachievable from an animal welfare perspective,” Ms Fagan said.

“We’re being asked for some species to be kept in quarantine in isolation for 30 days, in spaces where not even a bug can get in.

“We have to weigh up the options, is it so important that they breed that we compromise their happiness and well-being to get it done?

“To force them inside, away from natural light and natural air, is completely detrimental to animal welfare.”

Across the charity’s two sites,

Ms Fagan estimates they look after more than 1,200 animals. The Aspinall Foundation is also one of the world’s leading breeders of western lowland gorillas, clouded leopards and African hunting dogs. Ms Fagan believes that, without government intervention, the success of these programmes will decrease and has accused authorities of neglecting endangered wildlife in favour of more profitable endeavours.

She said: “The fact is the government haven’t tried to negotiate with the EU to make sure the health certificates needed can be achieved.

“Why was it okay to move animals in this certain manner for three to four decades before Brexit but now in the last three years there’s suddenly an issue? “All they have been interested in is making sure certificates that bring profit to the country, such as those involved in horse racing, are in place.

“We, at the very least, need to see governments liaising to allow zoos to get health certificates that are achievable and reasonable.”

A group of more than 75 zoos, aquariums and conservation centres in the UK have now joined forces to lobby the government in an attempt to drive through changes.

A letter has been sent to Rishi

Sunak by the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) calling on the government to open negotiations with the EU commission. And while the Aspinall Foundation didn’t join forces with BIAZA on this occasion, Ms Fagan says the charity fully supports the group’s letter and its contents.

“This is something I’ve personally been working on for four years,” she said. “Every week, we have to ask for updates for negotiations, updates on health certificates and right now we’re working on 10 different expert certificates. “The zoo industry is struggling to understand why this is now all an issue.

“The UK should be allowed access to the European trade system for wild and exotic animals. However we have to do it, whether it’s through an agreement or even the government paying a fee to be able to access it,ithastobedone.”

Dr Jo Judge, chief executive of BIAZA, said: “The red tape swamp has made it extremely difficult for zoos and aquariums to fully partake in the international conservation programmes that are so important to many species.

“We are facing a biodiversity crisis and need to be coming together more than ever to save species from extinction.”

Sophia Fagan feeds a bear following its arrival from Andorra in 2020