Bringing animals into the UK?

[GaryA]

OK, there will be many, more technically-minded people who understand this more than me. My question is this;

We are often seeing delays/outright denials of animals from Europe following Brexit. Can we be trading with non-EU countries more easily to import species instead?

I mean ideally, you'd send a fully loaded transport back from the US with Grizzlies, Pumas, Wolves, Bison, Moose etc, or from South Africa with all the Big Five, enough to revive/replenish/replace the UK collections.

Could this happen? If not, why not?

Obviously, a somewhat fantastical situation, but I feel we need a distinct bump to increase visitor numbers/monies/maintain diversity/introduce new species.

Thanks for any comments, in advance.

 

[Embu]

Funnily enough I was thinking along these similar lines of recently as well(albeit it'd be wishful thinking as it'll never materialise).

Seen as there's only 4 collections with African Elephants and only 3 collection with Common Hippos Ive been thinking about what collections could import individuals and the best places in the UK that could house them. Botswana appear to be overrun with elephants so it'd be nice if somewhere could house a herd.

Only places I've found that'd be suitable(with already built enclosures that'd need updating) is
Paignton-if they could reconfigure the old elephant enclosure that could house common hippos but maybe a smaller size to allow the Giraffes to still have some space(or swap them around).
Knowsley - the old elephant enclosure again would need reconfiguration(pool and mud wallow) but could be ideal to house a small herd of African Elephants(non breeding females that currently live alone) or Common Hippo.
Would be a huge boost to both sites but obviously this is a pipedream for both places, just a shame that they both have wasted space currently

Common hippos I'm thinking of(again this is just what I'd like to see but it'll never happen) import from Colombia where they are an invasive species. Far too expensive and dangerous for it to ever materialise

A new enclosure would need to be built for the elephants but from what I rember there is more land behind the old enclosure that could be developed if there's no preservation order on it. It would certainly extend the foot safari and bring an awful lot more visitors back as TripAdvisor complaints regularly state this is one of the biggest dissapointments.

 

[GaryA]

I've stated before that the S American hippos could be captured (younger, smaller ones at least) and redistributed rather than killed.

The African countries talking about culling surplus elephants totally proves that to export UK captive animals back to Africa is unnecessary and a vanity folly project. It will waste millions to assuage a poor little rich boy's conscience and nothing else.

I read today that a chimp sanctuary was gutted by locals after an unproven story about a child being killed. If the chimps are dangerous, they also need to be relocated. They are from an endangered subspecies too.

The same applies to the many problem animals that go into human areas in N America. Rather than kill them, why can't at least some of them go into captive populations around the world?

As a species, man has destroyed so much of their habitat, and they are only problematic to us-surely we should help them not hunt them?

Bringing in genetically valuable wild stock to captivity can only be a good thing, surely?

So much of the UK's animal populations seem to rise then fall after a few years of ubiquity-meerkats and giant anteaters being 2 examples that come to mind, and now banteng rapidly expanding in numbers and collections holding them.

Other species like Arabian Oryx, Sable Antelope and Blackbuck have dwindled to tiny populations and will disappear completely soon.

Most medium sized species could be housed in existing unused enclosures rather than having to build new multi million pound exhibits, and I just think as a country with a LOT of zoos, they need to do better. Things have stagnated for too long

 

[Embu]

Who do the the Columbian hippos technically belong to? The country im persuming? Would be amazing to get those imported over here even as non breeding animals