The People’s Vote: No More Large Animals in Zoos

EXCLUSIVE OPINION POLL REVEALS MORE THAN 75% OF THE BRITISH PUBLIC BELIEVE THE NEXT UK GOVERNMENT SHOULD END THE KEEPING OF LARGE ANIMALS IN ZOOS.

That’s simply one of many pressing and inescapable messages despatched by UK residents to UK politicians of all persuasions as highlighted in analysis commissioned by worldwide wildlife charity Born Free. Nearly 90% of these polled by Opinion Matters consider it to be very or fairly necessary for the following authorities to incorporate commitments to enhancing wild animal welfare (88%), tackling wildlife crime (88%), and enhancing wildlife safety (89%) of their manifestos.

“The British public has persistently referred to as on parliamentarians to enhance animal welfare and to take the measures mandatory to revive our depleted fauna and flora and defend the various habitats on which they rely. Yet the conservation and welfare of our native wildlife stays an afterthought. This has to alter.”

Will Travers OBE, Born Free Co-Founder & Executive President

• Born Free and the British public urge politicians to get up and make wild animals and nature a political precedence.
• Polling, performed by Opinion Matters, throughout all UK nations and areas reveals wild animal welfare and wildlife safety are key voter points.
• Born Free’s UK Wildlife Conservation and Animal Welfare Manifesto identifies the transformative actions wanted to assist finish the disaster going through our nation and the world’s wildlife.

February 2023: With the UK now lower than two years from a General Election, unique polling by Opinion Matters, commissioned by worldwide wildlife charity Born Free, reveals a stark message to politicians from the British public: there can be no winners with out wildlife.

Released at this time, the analysis serves as a a lot wanted ‘wake-up name’ to all political events, suggesting that not solely do the voters care deeply about animal points however that they’re completely disillusioned with present legislative and coverage failings.

Key among the many findings is that 76% of these surveyed* consider it is extremely or fairly necessary the following UK authorities phase-out the conserving of huge animals, reminiscent of elephants, lions, tigers, giraffe and rhino, in zoos, wildlife parks and different captive amenities. This compelling statistic reveals there may be now a tide of public assist for Born Free’s founding precept on which the charity has campaigned for almost 4 a long time. Clearly, politicians and decision-makers can not afford to disregard these looking for to finish the archaic, unethical, and damaging follow of conserving giant animals in zoos.

Poll outcomes additionally recommend respondents need clear and strong assurances that their cash is spent in ways in which replicate their values and an enduring dedication to the preservation of the pure world. A convincing 88% of these requested declared it very or fairly necessary that the following UK authorities stops utilizing public cash for actions which injury nature and wildlife or trigger wild animal welfare harms as a part of its manifesto.

Other important findings additional spotlight the energy of feeling amongst UK voters on a variety of animal welfare and wildlife points, by considerably or completely agreeing with:

• 85% agreed the following UK authorities ought to introduce a ban on British hunters bringing ‘trophies’ of endangered or susceptible animals into Britain
• 83% agreed the following UK authorities ought to tighten the foundations on the commerce in and conserving of unique pets
• 82% agreed the following UK authorities ought to use its affect, through commerce offers and so forth., to deliver an finish to abroad actions that contain animal cruelty, such because the slaughter of dolphins within the Faroes

The message is obvious. From trophy looking to using traps and snares, from the destruction of native natural world to the conserving of untamed animals in zoos and personal properties, the welfare of untamed animals and the safety of our pure surroundings have been continuously pushed down the political agenda, and the British public have had sufficient.

The polling information reveals there may be widespread public assist for the raft of transformative modifications to wildlife coverage and laws outlined in Born Free’s UK Wildlife Conservation and Animal Welfare Manifesto, which can be launched at this time.

This daring, compassionate and bold manifesto calls on all UK political events and decision-makers to prioritise wildlife safety and wild animal welfare. It highlights the catastrophic world disaster going through wildlife and biodiversity, and the truth that, regardless of quite a few high-profile authorities commitments in recent times, the UK stays one of many world’s most nature-depleted international locations.

Born Free is urging these throughout the political spectrum to respect the desire of the British individuals and make agency, clear, accountable and costed manifesto pledges to guard and restore our pure habitats, sort out wildlife crime, enhance and assure the welfare of untamed animals each free-living and in captivity, and finish perverse funding initiatives which might be dangerous to animals and the environments on which all of us rely.

Specifically, however under no circumstances exhaustively, Born Free is looking on political events to:

• Improve the regulation of zoos, and phase-out the conserving of untamed animals unsuited to captivity  
• Ban the import of looking trophies  
• Ban the promoting of low welfare animal tourism actions overseas  
• Strengthen the Hunting Act  
• Protect wild animals from the unique pet commerce  
• Eliminate using merciless snares and traps  
• End the import and sale of animal fur within the UK, together with for army use  
• End the merciless and ineffective badger cull  
• Use the UK’s buying and selling affect to assist finish the Faroe Island’s grind  

The full listing of the charity’s priorities is printed in Born Free’s UK Wildlife Conservation and Animal Welfare Manifesto. By adopting these priorities, events can be acknowledging the groundswell of public assist for a ‘nature and animal welfare first’ strategy to authorities and policy-making. It would present British voters that their potential leaders aren’t solely listening however are prepared to behave.

Wailing Travers OBE, Born Free’s Co-Founder and Executive President mentioned, “A wholesome pure world is essential for our well being and well-being. Healthy wildlife and wholesome ecosystems additionally play an enormous half in limiting the consequences of local weather change and defending us from future pandemics. We name on all political events to recognise the significance of defending and restoring wildlife and wild habitats, and eliminating the detrimental impacts we’ve got on the welfare of particular person animals, by putting nature safety and animal welfare enhancements on the coronary heart of their manifesto commitments, and delivering on these commitments within the parliamentary periods that can comply with. Nothing much less will do.” 

Dr Mark Jones, Born Free’s Head of Policy added, “Practices within the UK reminiscent of path looking, the appropriation of big tracts of land for the capturing of recreation birds and hares for sport, and the culling of badgers, end in animal destruction and struggling on a large scale. Wild animals are traded and stored in zoos and personal properties in ever-increasing numbers. Wildlife crime continues to have devastating impacts on particular person animals, wildlife habitats, and wider society. Far too little is being performed to successfully defend and restore our pure fauna and flora or safeguard the welfare of untamed animals.”

Dominic Dyer, Born Free’s British Wildlife Advocate & Policy Advisor, concluded, “As Britain negotiates new commerce agreements with international locations world wide it’s critically necessary that wildlife safety and animal welfare are key parts of any negotiation course of. In the case of the Faroe Islands, the general public count on the Government to droop the present free commerce settlement till the brutal, cruel killing of huge numbers of whales and dolphins lastly ends.”