A very interesting article in Zooflits a few days ago:
Nieuwe panters in populairste dierentuin van de Benelux komen van dubieuze fokker
I translated it into English, because it is a very interesting and important article, peak journalism right here!
New panthers in most popular animal park of the Benelux are from controversial breeder
The most popular park of the Benelux has obtained its three black panthers from a controversial Italian breeder. Normally modern zoos only obtain big exotic species from other zoos or through an accredited breeding program. But Pairi Daiza in Belgium, that calls itself the "best zoo in Europe", has chosen a different, remarkable, route. This was revealed after an investigation by Zooflits.
The panthers already arrived last year in the Belgian zoo and were given the names Rohan, Juma and Tamani. Since february they are visible for visitors. The arrival of the animal was presented as a big novelty after the yearly closure of Pairi Daiza, that is with more than 2 million visitors the most visited animal park in the Benelux.
But even though Pairi Daiza is in communication often open about the origin of new species, here with the arrival of the panthers it kept it mouth shut. It appears from registrations that Zooflits has looked into, that the three panthers were not obtained in a regular way. The animal come from a private breeder in Italy that owns a breeding centre for big cats: Tiger Experience.
Tiger Experience is right next to Venice. On the site are simplistic square cages built for different felids. Visitors can get a paid tour to see the animals. During these tours, the employees enter the enclosures of the tigers and lions and cuddle them dearly.
In the past zoos imported animals from the wild or bought them from traders. Nowadays strict rules are in place for zoos that are a member of EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria). Pairi Daiza is also a member of this organisation. EAZA-accredited zoos must follow the guidelines for acquiring animals.
For hundreds of species, also four leopard subspecies, there are coordinated breeding programmes. That way trade and unethical keeping of specific animals is avoided as much as possible.
One of the conditions when it comes to the moving of exotic animals is that an EAZA-accredited zoo must give priority to obtaining animals from other EAZA institutions. The acquiring must also follow the "EAZA-standards, guidelines and position papers", as can be read in EAZA-Documents.
But Tiger Experience breaks the rules that modern zoos follow consistently. For example, the EAZA-Guidelines about the keeping of big cats say that walking felids on a leash is not accepted " because this gives a wrong signal about the tameness of wild animals". Tiger Experience does this however, as seen from photo's from visitors on the internet. The Institution is also not a member of EAZA.
Tiger Experience profiles itself sometimes as a sanctuary, but also breeds frequently with the animals present. In june, the birth of a litter of white tigers was proudly presented, including, according to themselves, the first female white tigercub of Italy. But the breeding of white tigers is in renowned zoos been out of the question for many years. Tigers with unnatural mutations, like a golden or white fur, often get health issues due to incest. The Italian company does simply not care about all that.
Tiger Experience came under fire multiple times in the past decades. In 2011 the facility was temporarily closed. According to the police the park did not have the right permit and dead felids were buried on the grounds. A puma, tiger and lion cub were buried this way.
In 2018 the Italian Animal Welfare organisation Eticoscienza criticized Tiger Experience. The organisation complained about the unnatural interaction between people and the big cats, which the institution commonly featured in a TV-program. Tiger Experience started a lawsuit for slander, which the park lost. The past years the park has been in dispute with the authorities to receive the right permits.
Why Pairi Daiza did business with this breeder especially and didn't obtain animals from an accredited European zoo, is unclear. The zoo remains silent in a reaction about the origins of the panthers. "The three young black panthers that recently have arrived in Pairi Daiza, were born in captivity", is the only thing the park says in a reaction. According to them the transport is legitimate. "If all conditions were fullfilled – legally AND in terms of animal welfare – we take in an animal."
The Park notes that the animals weren't taken from the wild. The further origin of animal appears less important. "Whether is comes from a public institution, a private breeder or a rescue context: what counts, is what we can give the animal here and now", said the zoo. It is not known whether they paid for the panthers.
Pairi Daiza also did not give any information about why it didn't join one of four existing breeding programmes for leopards. The park also didn't want to tell if it felt responsible to stop trade in exotic animals. Tiger Experience also hasn't reacted, despite many attempts to contact them.
Pictures of Tiger Experience can be found in the article. I hope I did not make too many translation errors, since I translated it all by myself (f*** AI)
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While I always enjoy a visit to Pairi Daiza, I must note i totally do not approve of this in any way. First of all, the exhibit is already way too small for the three panthers in the first place. Especially the indoors is tiny, to the point where there is no way the panthers do not touch each other when all three are inside. Could the zoo not have obtained any small felid that lived in the region? Fishing cats, clouded leopards and palawan leopard cats come to mind.
And this is not the first time PD obtained its animals from controversial sources. I could at least understand why they worked together with the ACTP, and at least that was to save an animal that would otherwise go extinct. But this situation is different. These are inbred hybrids that have zero conservation value and are only bred for the show. Another blamage on Pairi Daiza's already less than stellar reputation and another sign it cares very little about ethics or conservation. FOUR leopard subspecies are in desperate need of more holders and PD pulls this move... Inexcusable
In de nacht van 9 op 10 augustus maakte een heel klein ei plaats voor nieuw leven. Rose en Wilson, twee koningspinguïns van het Park, zijn de trotse ouders geworden van een schattige kuiken. Om de beurt waken ze over dit piepkleine wezentje, die veilig en warm tussen hun poten zit. De eerste dagen zijn vaak de meest kwetsbare. Maar ons pinguïnkuiken stelt het uitstekend en de ouders tonen een voorbeeldige tederheid en waakzaamheid. ️ Tickets en Membership www.pairidaiza.eu | Pairi Daiza NL
