Government aid needed for zoos during the pandemic
Government aid needed for zoos during the pandemic
The Issue
The UK government needs to help zoos urgently!
Zoos (including wildlife parks, sanctuaries, aquariums etc), like many other businesses, are forced to close. But they can not reduce many of their bills. They still need to feed the animals (£55,000 per month or more), the still need vet care, they still need keepers to look after the animals and keep exhibits clean.
The main source of income for zoos is visitors, and this time of year is their busy period. The money they raise between now and October is massively important. This money enables the zoo to look after all the animals during the much quieter winter months.
Our zoos mainly look after endangered, and critically endangered animals. Every zoo is doing their upmost to care for these animals in these difficult times. The danger also comes when we hit the winter months and the reserves, these zoos usually have saved, are depleted. If a zoo closes the animals, in theory, could go to another zoo. However, this is not so likely in the current conditions - zoos will not want to take on extra animals if they do not have the resources to care for them. So the only alternate would be to euthanise these animals (they would not survive in the wild), euthanising any healthy animal is bad enough, but do so to endangered animals would just be heartbreaking, not to mention devastating to their species.
Zoos are necessary to help with conservation efforts around the world, and also have a "back up" population of any animals that our actions (as the human race) have made extinct in the wild. With the view of one day being able to repopulate that species. There is at least one zoo in the UK that had a species of animal that was permanently off show to the public, and had very little contact with the keepers - the idea to release them in the wild, without the animal becoming reliant on human intervention.
Zoos support our endangered species, now lets support our zoos before they disappear. Our world and the worlds wildlife needs the help of zoos!
The UK Government needs to help fund the zoos and save wildlife until the zoos are allowed to reopen.
7,318
The Issue
The UK government needs to help zoos urgently!
Zoos (including wildlife parks, sanctuaries, aquariums etc), like many other businesses, are forced to close. But they can not reduce many of their bills. They still need to feed the animals (£55,000 per month or more), the still need vet care, they still need keepers to look after the animals and keep exhibits clean.
The main source of income for zoos is visitors, and this time of year is their busy period. The money they raise between now and October is massively important. This money enables the zoo to look after all the animals during the much quieter winter months.
Our zoos mainly look after endangered, and critically endangered animals. Every zoo is doing their upmost to care for these animals in these difficult times. The danger also comes when we hit the winter months and the reserves, these zoos usually have saved, are depleted. If a zoo closes the animals, in theory, could go to another zoo. However, this is not so likely in the current conditions - zoos will not want to take on extra animals if they do not have the resources to care for them. So the only alternate would be to euthanise these animals (they would not survive in the wild), euthanising any healthy animal is bad enough, but do so to endangered animals would just be heartbreaking, not to mention devastating to their species.
Zoos are necessary to help with conservation efforts around the world, and also have a "back up" population of any animals that our actions (as the human race) have made extinct in the wild. With the view of one day being able to repopulate that species. There is at least one zoo in the UK that had a species of animal that was permanently off show to the public, and had very little contact with the keepers - the idea to release them in the wild, without the animal becoming reliant on human intervention.
Zoos support our endangered species, now lets support our zoos before they disappear. Our world and the worlds wildlife needs the help of zoos!
The UK Government needs to help fund the zoos and save wildlife until the zoos are allowed to reopen.
7,318
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 17 April 2020