Cornwall tortoise sanctuary classed as zoo

[ZooLeopard]

A tortoise sanctuary in Cornwall could face closure after council officials reclassified it as a zoo.

BBC News - Cornwall tortoise sanctuary classed as zoo

 

[zoogiraffe]

This just shows the total stupity that governs our wonderfull country when a Rescue centre for a species that you don`t need a DWAL to keep has to become a zoo to stay open,the Council needs to get real and use some common sense!!

 

[Jacobea]

So, if a tortoise isn't classified as domestic animal anymore, does that also mean other tortoise owners have to apply for a zoo/exotic licence? Or is it because she's rescued a lot?

 

[Kifaru Bwana]

This just shows the total stupity that governs our wonderfull country when a Rescue centre for a species that you don`t need a DWAL to keep has to become a zoo to stay open,the Council needs to get real and use some common sense!!

Indeed, zoogiraffe. The volume of this stupidity is such that these tortoises ended up at the sanctuary thanks to a failure on the part of UK CITES authorities to stem illegal trade. Furthermore, by dumping them on the Sanctuary without recompense it lets the Sanctuary foot the bill ..., whereas Government and Council seem washed of their financial and welfare obligations vs. the individuals confiscated concerned.

 

[zoogiraffe]

So, if a tortoise isn't classified as domestic animal anymore, does that also mean other tortoise owners have to apply for a zoo/exotic licence? Or is it because she's rescued a lot?

Tortoise`s have never been classified as a Domestic animal in the UK.Most of these have been given up by their previous owners when they grew to big for them to look after or when the rules were changed on the ownership of CITES listed species within the UK,as a result alot of people that couldn`t prove that their animals were legally imported in to the country either donated them to places like this or zoo`s or just dumped them in the wild to fend for themselves,some of these were found and hand into places like the RSPCA,who in turn passed them on to places like this.
Personnaly I think the main problem is that the place is open to the public and they charge an admission for people to go and look at the Tortoise,as a result of this I believe the local council believe they need a Zoo Licence to remain open,if the local council had just used abit of common sense and made them exempt of the regulations none of this would have happened.