After it was recently exposed that nearly 500 animals in Cumbrian Zoo had been lost in less than four years, inspectors have requested for the owner to face prosecution. 486 of them had died between December 2013 and September 2016, including hypothermia and other causes. They had found “significant problems caused by over-crowding of animals, poor hygiene, poor nutrition, lack of suitable animal husbandry and a lack of any sort of developed veterinary care”. The Animal Welfare Act suggested that the local authority should consider prosecuting the zoo for allowing animals to suffer. The Captive Animals Protection Society says; “We urge the council to close the zoo down.”
Terrible examples had been reported of this. A monkey was discovered behind a radiator, one tortoise was electrocuted in electric fencing, and a giraffe died of a gastrointestinal infection. Many more had been listed previously.
Last July, the council rejected this, saying the current manager was “not a fit and suitable person” to own the zoo. Campaigns officer, Maddy Taylor, states that “Recent inspection reports have highlighted animals dying of hypothermia, exposure, emaciation and even being run over, and this is simply not acceptable”.
A spokesman for current owner of the zoo defended this. They said: “The current arrangement sees the entire zoo site leased to Cumbria Zoo Company Ltd under a six-month lease. Mr Gill has stepped away from all trading and management activities connected with the zoo.”
