ZooLeopard
Well-Known Member
Zoo at risk over animal welfare concerns - Scotsman.com
SCOTLAND'S flagship zoo has been threatened with the removal of its operating licence after inspectors found it had failed to address a series of animal welfare and safety failings that date back at least five years.
In a major publicity coup, Edinburgh Zoo announced last month that it is to become the new home of two giant pandas from China as part of an international breeding programme.
But a highly critical inspectors' report from September- released under Freedom of Information legislation - reveals concerns that zoo managers had not acted upon previous advice on four key areas. They include the big cat enclosure, which was found to be in a state of disrepair; the sea lion enclosure where animals were reported to be suffering from eye infections; a main food store infested by vermin; and problems with the zoo's veterinary hospital.
The report notes that a potentially dangerous defect picked up during a previous inspection - after a small child had wriggled through a gap in the fence surrounding the rhino enclosure - had now been fixed by plugging the gap with potted plants.
But it adds that some of the problems raised after an earlier inspection by the Scottish Government in 2006 had still not been attended to during a follow up inspection by Edinburgh City Council last year.
Animal welfare campaigners yesterday insisted the zoo should not be spending millions of pounds on bringing pandas to Scotland while it was failing to meet some of its basic licence requirements.
In their report, sent to zoo bosses last September, the inspectors from Edinburgh City Council's community safety department express "disappointment" that there had been "very limited progress" on their concerns despite them being highlighted five years ago and with managers given a deadline of next year, when its licence is due for renewal, to complete the necessary work.
The report warns: "Unless some of this work is started soon it is difficult to see how the zoo will meet the 2012 deadline and therefore avoid the substantive risk of having restrictions imposed or the licence removed."
Following the 2006 report, the zoo was allowed to keep its licence as it explained it had plans to develop the zoo, which would lead to improvements.
Yet when it was inspected midway through the six-year licence period in 2009, inspectors again raised concerns that most of the issues had not been addressed.
The latest report, of last year, tells managers that improvements need to be made to the sea lion enclosure, which houses three Patagonian sea lions from Norway - Sofus, Miranda and Mona - as they needed frequent treatment for eye infections. The inspectors said: "The accommodation and water management for the sea lions must be brought up to modern standards, so as to include facilities for separation, isolation and restraint of the animals, and a high standard of water treatment and hygiene. An alternative strategy would be to cease to keep sea lions. Either way, this must be resolved within the lifetime of the current licence (which expires in 2012)"
The zoo was also told that parts of its big cat enclosures had not been repaired to "a satisfactory standard" and must be upgraded to ensure the safety of staff and the welfare of the cats. The veterinary area "remain unchanged from last year" except for the addition of more equipment and increased use, which had made problems identified earlier worse. The central food store also remained unchanged, allowing "ingress of rainwater and vermin". Stock and equipment was being stored on top of chill-cupboards "presenting hazards to staff in gaining access to, and working on, these storage areas".
Liz Tyson, director of the Captive Animals' Protection Society, which applied or the reports, said: "We would argue that the agreement to bring the pandas to the UK when a report from less than six months ago raised the same concerns as in 2006 is extremely worrying. This is particularly true when considering that the inspectors explicitly warn that it is difficult to see how the conditions of the licence will be met in time for the renewal in 2012."
Edinburgh Zoo's chief operating officer, Gary Wilson, said that managers were working with inspectors to complete the measures required. He added that many of the points noted in the 2009 report fell within an area due to be demolished as part of the zoo's masterplan, delayed due to planning issues and the dip in property values. The zoo was now implementing a £150,000 investment plan, agreed with by the inspectors. He said: "This investment is over and above the capital investment proposed for the giant panda project and we are 100 per cent confident that all conditions of the licence will be met before the current licence renewal."
The pandas, Tian Tian and Yangguang, are coming to Edinburgh as part of a breeding programme to safeguard the endangered animal, of which only 1,500 exist in the wild in China. The bears will be the first of their species to live in the UK for 17 years and the zoo is seeking commercial sponsors to help offset the potential multi-million-pound cost.
, i don't think so, yes the sea lions are still in their pool at the bottom of the zoo, but if push comes to shove and most importantly for the animals themselves, i am sure they will be moved if need be.
