Mar

Animals abandoned in Spanish zoo

Wild Welfare has been made aware of the news reports concerning a number of animals that have been abandoned at The Parque Zoologico Prudencio Navarro in Spain, following its closure a couple of months ago due to a series of complaints by protesters of the zoo.

If these claims are true, aside from the immediate concern for the abandoned animals’ welfare, it raises the question; who is accountable and what should happen to the animals left behind when a zoo closes?

In a perfect world, only the highest standards of care would be permitted for captive wild animal management, but sadly thousands of so-called zoos remain unregulated and unaccountable. If an unregulated zoo then closes, it is unlikely that a contingency plan is in place to ensure the safety and care of the animals. The result is, of course, that the animals suffer.

Similar to other NGOs and accredited zoo communities, Wild Welfare’s work aims to introduce national, regional, community and facility standards. Only when all zoos are accountable under transparent and evidence-led standards, will situations like this be prevented from happening.

In the case of the animals at The Parque Zoologico Prudencio Navarro, we will continue to investigate the situation and see what help can be provided for these animals.

Update (03/04/2019): The Iberian Association of Zoos and Aquaria have provided a statement on the support they are providing to try and relocate the animals as soon as possible.