To report this zoo

[belimoo]

I went to an animal experience today (in the U.K.). It was a birthday present which I thought I'd love and was very much looking forward to.

However, on arrival it immediately felt sad and I felt bad for every animal I saw. The enclosures seemed small and cold and the animals were listless, This was the case throughout the medium sized park.

As part of the experience I saw three types of animals and fed them. Two of these seemed quite happy and engaged but the rest of the animals were buried in wet straw and I couldn't see anything in their lives which might give them any joy or freedom.

I know I was naive and stupid to go there in the first place. The keepers were knowledgeable and genuinely seemed to care about the animals but I don't know how they could ignore the bleak desperation of it all. There was a giant tortoise who kept bashing his shell against the walls in an attempt to get out.

What can/should do I do in this situation? Am I overreacting? Should I try to talk to the RSPCA? I feel I have to do something and can't just leave them there but don't know what is possible or realistic.

Here is a link to the Born Free Foundation page on UK captive animals with lots of things you can do and who to contact

www.bornfree.org.uk/take-action-uk

Thank you @Newuname199987

Good for you @belimoo.
Let us know how you get on. Sounds grim

possibly worth an rspca report. But also more info would be helpful. What specifically was ‘grim’? did the animals have outdoor paddock access, social groups, enclosure furnishings?

not sure what the weather was like in your location but if cold and rainy then animals will often hunker down and be pretty inactive.
it sounds like they had plenty of bedding and caring keeping staff.

no one can do anything without understanding the specific concerns what was it that you felt they didn’t have?

Should add that the local authority are the licensing authority so any concerns that might be a breach of the legislation of zoo licence conditions should be reported to them

Let’s be honest no animal can be happy in a zoo. I wouldn’t visit one . What’s good about seeing a depressed animal in a cage. I hate all this crap about conservation as an excuse to keep animals in cages. They are man made artificial environments that effect an animals mental health and behaviour. I hate how humans think they have the right to cage these beautiful animals to make money it’s disgusting.

I completely agree @Ilovemycatalot

If any of the animals you are concerned about were primates then contact Monkey World. They will make every effort to intervene.

+44 (0) 1929 462537 or +44 (0) 1929 401012 at weekends.

@notnowB thank you, I will do. I know I must sound stupid and naive but I didn't expect it to be like this. I went to another farm a few months ago and paid to walk alpacas and it felt so different. I expected a similar experience with this and I qwon't be signing up for any more animal 'experiences' in future.

Was it South lakes zoo? That's been grim for a while

I complained to Newquay Zoo a few years ago, they had 1 animal (I actually can't remember if it was a zebra or wildebeest or similar big one) and it was in an enclosure that resembled a car park with a tarmac like floor, it just kept walking around the edge of the enclosure like it was dazed. It was horrible to see, we actually left after an hour and I would back if it was free.

Thanks for your reply.

Perhaps they did have the things that are essential for an inspection, in terms of a certain size of enclosure and a bed of straw/undercover area. What they didn't have is harder to explain but I would say they didn't have enough space or interaction, I know that's subjective but it was the amount a criminal would have in prison. And I guess they didn't have the space to run or fly around. Maybe that's just normal for zoos though and I'm being ridiculous?

It was a cold day but they were all in small enclosures, lying in what looked like small damp beds of straw and it seemed miserable. I appreciate many people will think I'm being silly but I can't get these animals out of my head, especially the poor giant tortoise who was lapping his small indoor room and bashing his shell against the walls in an attempt to get out :(

@Ilovemycatalot you're completely right and I won't do this ever again. I know I'm stupid for doing it this time but I thought the U.K. would be better than the overseas experiences I've always avoided. (I love my cat a lot too)

Thank you. Would marmosets count?

It wasn't, U.K. sorry to hear that though

Longleat by any chance?

I'm so sorry to hear this. We are already upset by the state of the place and then saw a giant tortoise clearly in distress and couldn't get the image out o flit heads, hence this post. I don't know what's normal anymore but felt this was too much to ignore

That’s just zoos, even “good” ones, only interested in making money despite all the ‘conservation’ horseshit. No zoo animal is going to be “happy”, would you like to live in a travelodge the rest of your life?

No it wasn't but the fact there have been these suggestions makes it clear that it's not an isolated problem so thanks for replying.

No I wouldn't, you're absolutely right.

@jetadore I know you must think I'm stupid and I'd understand that but I genuinely thought it'd be a different experience.

What I'd like now is some guidance on how to report this if anybody knows the best routes.

Some zoos are still shit, some zoos are veryuch a place I would even live in.

The shit ones do need to be dealt with.

@belimoo you’re not stupid, zoos are just normalised as entertainment. Many people visit zoos and don’t even think twice about it.

There are only a few zoos in the UK with large tortoises @belimoo is it the one with the small railway running through?
yes very dated enclosures there.

the local authority is your best bet. They can ‘encourage’ active improvements.

The problem is not zoos it is humans overpopulation in most of the world destroying their environments. Where do you want them to live - Africa, where they are killed?