Knowsley Safari Park animal culling out-rage

Chlidonias

Chlidonias

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Merseyside zoo killed animals and left them to rot by bins | The Sun |News
ANIMALS shot dead by keepers in culls at a top safari park were dumped to rot beside bins.

The scenes were so gruesome the zoo's official photographer reported bosses to a council.

Cops were alerted after snapper Penny Boyd, 58, revealed how keepers untrained in shooting animals were also handed guns to practise on LIVE exhibits.

Horrified Penny - who compiled a chilling dossier of the carnage at Knowsley Safari Park on Merseyside - described the cack-handed shootings as "the last straw".

She raged last night after quitting her job: "One morning I heard a gunshot and looked out to see a beautiful antelope I'd known for years being downed.

"Another TWO shots were needed before it was dead. That kind of job should only be done by experienced people.

"But culling was being used as a means of training instead of being carried out in the kindest and most humane way."

Penny - who lived at the park for ten years - said: "It was despicable. I couldn't carry on producing cute pictures to get Knowsley positive publicity knowing some of the animals might be culled and dumped to rot the next day."

The culling aimed to slash numbers after there became too many animals for the land to support.

Photos Penny handed to Knowsley council - responsible for licensing the park owned by the Earl of Derby - showed grisly scenes hidden from animal lovers.

Visitors to the 550-acre attraction, which trumpets its "emphasis on animal welfare", include school parties. The park prides itself on its herds of rare deer, which include the critically endangered Pere David's variety.

But they were among the very creatures being hamfistedly shot then carelessly strewn around a secret dump site. While some corpses did make it into bins and crates others were simply left on the ground for more than a week at a time.

Penny's pictures included a bloodied BABOON bursting from a bin liner.

She said: "Culling is part of life on a safari park. If the land can only support so many animals you've no choice but to get rid of the surplus.

"Carcasses should be collected within hours and taken to be destroyed. I saw animals lying for up to ten days. You could see maggots. The smell was horrendous.

"To leave bodies like that is appalling, never mind the health risk. I found it soul-destroying." Penny, of Hawick, Scotland, claimed standards at the park nosedived after her partner - who worked as curator - lost his job last year.

She said: "The atmosphere became uncaring. Businesses need profit to remain open - but I believe zoos and wildlife parks must put animal welfare first.

"I protested about leaving dead animals lying around. Sadly no one seemed to think there was anything wrong."

The council disagreed after seeing Penny's evidence and launching an investigation with Government vets. The park was found to be in breach of strict regulations over animal "by-products" - and was forced to build an enclosed store for carcasses awaiting disposal.

Police were also called in to "advise" the park on the use of firearms.

The Merseyside force said that while it found no offences had been committed "procedural recommendations were made in respect of issuing weapons to keepers".

Edward Parry, the park's director of operations, said: "We were unaware of the animal by-product regulations about keeping dead animals in a covered enclosure. We held our hands up, admitted we were in the wrong and had a suitable pen erected.

"When Merseyside Police visited regarding firearms they recommended a gun diary, recording each time a weapon is touched. Again we were happy to do so."

Knowsley Council said it was "satisfied the standards of animal welfare and good practice met the requirements of the Zoo Licence".

A spokesman added: "Where any breaches were identified, appropriate action has been taken."
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photos on the link (warning: graphic!)
 
I can't see any other sites reporting this at the moment, just The Sun newspaper. Given that this tabloid isn't the most credible source I'd wait to see if anything else comes out of this before getting too worked up. The photographs look damning to be sure, but without a proper source for the story we have what could be a disgruntled ex-employee with some skill in photograph manipulation. Then again it could all be true. Will wait for more details.
 
Secret Squirrel said:
I can't see any other sites reporting this at the moment, just The Sun newspaper. Given that this tabloid isn't the most credible source I'd wait to see if anything else comes out of this before getting too worked up. The photographs look damning to be sure, but without a proper source for the story we have what could be a disgruntled ex-employee with some skill in photograph manipulation. Then again it could all be true. Will wait for more details.
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Peter Dickinson has had this story on his site all afternoon [antipodean time].

His comments are very pertinent.

Certainly the disgruntled ex-employee syndrome may be in play here to some extent.
 
Knowsley's official statement on the website:

Response Statement to Sun news article | Safari Park News | Knowsley Safari Park

In short (from what I understand), there were issues with carcass disposal and the use of firearms that have been swiftly resolved. However, it is believed that many carcasses were moved around for 'maximum photoraphic impact' - and the carcasses are those of either stillborn animals, animals that have died through fighting or been PTS due to illness.
 
Seems to me that Knowsley got sloppy about their euthanasia and disposal policies of dead/unwanted animals and have been exposed by it seems, a disgruntled(? -partner had lost job there))ex Employee.

The Axis and Blackbuck are clearly calves/fawns which were probably 'DNS' but its not an excuse for leaving them lying around in a haphazard manner like that for days at a time- even if away from public view and even if they have been re-arranged a bit for maximum effect in the photos.

I wouldn't judge Knowlsey's overall rights of operation on something like this though.
 
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Yes I got frustrated with the idiotic replies on facebook too - they are the same people who believe Elivis is living on the moon in a 2nd world war bomber and aliens have infiltrated the UK Monarchy (actually......) :D

Back to the story though - hell it looks bad (as I think was intended by Penny - ex employee who's partner lost his job at the zoo recently- kind of Sun source person)

If you read KSP's article they do indeed hold their hands up to some errors that thay say have now been corrected and they will understandably have a rough ride of it in the near future whilst they try to clear their name.

It's worrying on all fronts to be fair but the SUN of all papers and people STILL believe that they are a reputable news source - I despair for this country sometimes! :rolleyes:
 
As anyone else noticed that the shadow from the bins does not cover the animals in the correct way (photoshop I think) also no shadow at all coming from the furthest animal in the photograph.
I don't agree with this situation they got sloppy this should not of happened.
Why have health and safety not been called in as surely this is unsafe practice wehter it be away from the public or not staff still have to incur this area.
This sort of thing will only come to light when someone who was employed at a place of work decides to leave this seems like to pre meditated and some investigative work went into it as a bit of a revenge.
Mind you I can only think of what would have happened if this was a place like Borth, Noahs ark or even Dudley this thread would have been alot longer now with calls for these places to be closed by some members on here
 
adrian1963 said:
As anyone else noticed that the shadow from the bins does not cover the animals in the correct way (photoshop I think) also no shadow at all coming from the furthest animal in the photograph.
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The shadows are all correct, it doesn't look as though that first photograph has been digitally manipulated at all.
 
RTB1987 said:
I find it hard to believe that they would cull a pere davids deer?
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Many years ago I saw several dead Pere David stags hanging up in a private yard on the Woburn estate. I guess they may cull the stags occassionally to keep the sex ratio healthy or the herd within bounds.

Or possibly the Knowsley animal had to be put down due to injury etc rather than culled. But this species is no longer the extreme rarity it once was.
 
Why on earth would Penny Boyd, a long term animal keeper herself (she used to run the animal sanctuary at Burstow), go straight to the Sun and CAPS? Surely if she had serious concerns she would have reported the Park to the council and BIAZA above all others. Her partner, Nick Ellerton, also has a long association with zoos and I can't imagine him fuelling such a charity's campaigns. Besides, he has a reputation for triggerhappiness himself.

I'll maintain that zoos should be completely open about culling animals - then there would be no story.

Appart from not containing the carcasses I don't see what the Park has done wrong. And I would agree that the bodies look nicely arranged (see how the Blackbuck's head is nealy propped up on a bone).
 
I have been lucky enough to do a couple of behind the scenes photo shoots with Penny Boyd and would say that what she has done is for the welfare of the animals and the reputation of animal collections. And not sour grapes. but thats my opinion.
also agree with SMR re shadows on photos
 
It may be my mistake about the shadows but I still can't make out the shadow to the left side of the animal on the far left aas there should be a shadow there as like with the bins (Also noted on other photographic sites) this picture from the sun as gone round many sites now and it's not doing the animal collection world any good at all because other people can't understand the culling mentallity and why it has to be done
 
adrian1963 said:
It may be my mistake about the shadows but I still can't make out the shadow to the left side of the animal on the far left aas there should be a shadow there as like with the bins...
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There is, you can clearly see shadows to the left of the animal's legs. Also remember that as the angle changes (the subject moving to the left of frame) the perception of the length of shadow will also change, the increasing acuteness of the perspective appearing to shorten it. What's more, the shadow will be obscured partly by the angle of the carcass. The shadows from the bins are a lot longer as they're a lot taller.
 
SMR I now understand what you are on about but has I said before other photographic sites are drawing into question the shadows
I am still abit confused as to why the exemployee went to the paper and not health and safety though.
 
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