Plans launched for UK's first SeaWorld park

Panthera1981 said:
To be fair, there’s probably one or two UK collections that could do a manatee exhibit very well.

It’s a shame manatee aren’t more widely represented
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I wonder if there is a fear of backlash to it. Edinburgh and Bristol reportedly wanted them in their late 00s masterplan, same for the never to be realised Biota. There is no reason we couldn't keep them as well as they do on the continent. One day, perhaps..
 
Panthera1981 said:
To be fair, there’s probably one or two UK collections that could do a manatee exhibit very well.

It’s a shame manatee aren’t more widely represented
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I would say realistically it has to be Chester. Which other collection did you have in mind?
 
Cat-Man said:
I would say realistically it has to be Chester. Which other collection did you have in mind?
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Chester’s the obvious candidate but, at a push, Longleat? I’d have also thrown Whipsnade into the mix if they’d retained the sealion house, but costs and zoo geographic theming scuppered that.
 
Panthera1981 said:
Chester’s the obvious candidate but, at a push, Longleat? I’d have also thrown Whipsnade into the mix if they’d retained the sealion house, but costs and zoo geographic theming scuppered that.
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I can’t see ZSL ever being that ambitious sadly but Longlete is a good shout. They have the money and aren’t afraid to go for unusual species.
 
i thought dolphin keeping in the uk was banned and illegal i no this is was a feak post but wonder if it is still banned in the uk dont think it would ever be over turned can just see more species added
 
adamntitch said:
i thought dolphin keeping in the uk was banned and illegal i no this is was a feak post but wonder if it is still banned in the uk dont think it would ever be over turned can just see more species added
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It's not illegal to keep whales and dolphins in the UK, there's no banning law. The keeping and welfare regulations were just made so stringent that it became uneconomic to try and meet them. I doubt anyone would have the investment to be able to meet the conditions in future so while not impossible, it's unlikely.
 
Lafone said:
It's not illegal to keep whales and dolphins in the UK, there's no banning law. The keeping and welfare regulations were just made so stringent that it became uneconomic to try and meet them. I doubt anyone would have the investment to be able to meet the conditions in future so while not impossible, it's unlikely.
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What are the regulations compared to our European neighbours?

Even if somebody did decide they could afford it, I can just see the public backlash now.
 
Cat-Man said:
What are the regulations compared to our European neighbours?

Even if somebody did decide they could afford it, I can just see the public backlash now.
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I believe the regulations are aligned; there have been calls from animal rights groups to bring in a formal and legal ban since the UK split from the EU in case of any 'loopholes', but it seems wholly unnecessary to legislate any further.
 
Lafone said:
I believe the regulations are aligned; there have been calls from animal rights groups to bring in a formal and legal ban since the UK split from the EU in case of any 'loopholes', but it seems wholly unnecessary to legislate any further.
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Interesting. I understand that the first legislation came into place in the early 1990s which is what lead to the sudden departure of our remaining dolphins. I wonder how that differs from the EU standard.
 
I believe Belgium, Finland, Italy and Poland have specific legislation (along with UK) and everyone else looks to just fall under the EU zoo directive vs adding to it for dolphins etc. The UK's specific legislation is stricter as with the other specific holders, but in general welfare terms the legal frameworks are consistent though whether they are all enforced is another matter I suppose. I think the UK approach started work in the mid 1980's and grew until the last exhibits went in 1993 mostly as a result of the requirement on pool sizes.

Edited to add that even if someone had the funds to meet the regulations I think there would be a PR problem and campaigning etc would put any project in jeopardy which would be a nightmare due to the funding involved so investors in new captive settings for dolphins and killer whales would likely choose almost anywhere but the UK. Of course that's only opinion, but it would be quite the risk to take and a surer bet would be to build almost anything else.
 
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Lafone said:
I believe Belgium, Finland, Italy and Poland have specific legislation (along with UK) and everyone else looks to just fall under the EU zoo directive vs adding to it for dolphins etc. The UK's specific legislation is stricter as with the other specific holders, but in general welfare terms the legal frameworks are consistent though whether they are all enforced is another matter I suppose. I think the UK approach started work in the mid 1980's and grew until the last exhibits went in 1993 mostly as a result of the requirement on pool sizes..
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Thanks for adding the specifics. I believe that France will also have specific legislation which is resulting in them being phased out of captivity there.

Lafone said:
Edited to add that even if someone had the funds to meet the regulations I think there would be a PR problem and campaigning etc would put any project in jeopardy which would be a nightmare due to the funding involved so investors in new captive settings for dolphins and killer whales would likely choose almost anywhere but the UK. Of course that's only opinion, but it would be quite the risk to take and a surer bet would be to build almost anything else.
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I agree with this. I don't think we'll ever see them in captivity in Britain again.
 
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