The facilities are rundown, the cages are small and dirty, without any enrichment or consideration for the wellbeing of the animals and birds. Many of the animals and birds have little or no feed or fresh water or shelter. 

Some of animals seem injured, are malnourished, neglected and show obvious signs of distress. 

The enclosures for the animals and birds need to be radically improved. They should have their dietary requirements met, be housed in safe enclosures and be provided with the enrichment that they need. Enrichment is vital for both physical and psychological health of the animals and is seriously lacking in many of the enclosures. 

My concerns were initially alerted when I saw a group of around 30 guinea pigs and 3 rabbits being kept in the same small run. The guinea pigs were mixed sex, some were pregnant, some had babies and some had obvious skin conditions and recent wounds. 

Rabbits being housed with guinea pigs are of concern as they carry the bacteria, Bordetella bronchiseptica which is a common cause of a respiratory disease that guinea pigs are extremely susceptible to. Rabbits also tend to bully guinea pigs and can easily hurt or kill them without meaning to. They have different dietary requirements and housing them together neglects the specific needs of these species. 

The marmosets outside space is small, does not provide them with access to living plants, has no enrichment and people can easily put their fingers through the bars of their cage, which could cause unnecessary stress. 

The same can be said for the bird enclosures which lack any enrichment. Some of the birds are visibly distressed and have been plucking their own feathers out. 

The Emu’s and Rhea’s were in poor condition. The fencing was obviously inappropriate as the animals were sticking their heads through the wire and getting caught leaving them with sores on their backs and missing feathers on their neck. 

I demand that immediate steps are taken to upgrade the facilities at the Black Isle Wildlife Park with a complete focus on animal needs, enrichment, dietary requirements and safe and appropriate enclosures. The many issues of animal neglect that occur there have to be addressed. If they are not, the park should be shutdown and the animals and birds relocated to places where they can be looked after correctly.