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Colchester Zoo shock

Maltilda&twinks

Warren Scout
Well went to Colchester zoo and had to pay a visit to the family area and found 4-5 giant rabbits in a tiny enclosure not only that but the food they were feeding them looked liked the cheap museli with peas and stuff. I was really shocked :shock: and thought if a zoo can't get it right then what are they teaching their visitors. I am thinking of writing to them am I being too reactive??
 
:shock::shock::shock::shock:
That is a shock! i would speak to them about it... :roll:
Thats terrable!
 
Well went to Colchester zoo and had to pay a visit to the family area and found 4-5 giant rabbits in a tiny enclosure not only that but the food they were feeding them looked liked the cheap museli with peas and stuff. I was really shocked :shock: and thought if a zoo can't get it right then what are they teaching their visitors. I am thinking of writing to them am I being too reactive??

Doesn't surprise me. I am not a massive fan of zoos at all.
 
Haha i have this argument with my housemates all the time as they study Zoo Biology and i study Animal Biology - basically they study zoo animals. Personally i think its the most pointless course in the world but hey ho. I think zoos are entertaining and i won't deny i *sometimes* enjoy going (if its a good one like chester or bristol) but i don't think they do enough to justify their existnence and more often than not now i am seeing and hearing of (just like this thread) animals being kept in inappropriate conditions. At dudley zoo they have FIVE, yes FIVE 6-8ft boas in an enclosure hardly big enough for one! (Note: Snakes are solitary animals and do not benefit from the company of others, if anything it is competition)

You could write to them but to be honest i doubt much will be done. Zoos tend to focus their attention on the ambassador species - the ones that draw in the visitors and so the money so Lions, Elephants, tigets etc may have great enclosures but others, like rabbits, can get neglected in this process cause not as many people want to see them. It's sad really :(
 
I used to go to Colchester Zoo all the time when I was a kid.
I'd deffinitely complain, and find some info about Giant Rabbits to send them.
 
I think safari parks are better than zoos as they usually have larger enclosures. And they should only have endangered animals in zoos/safari parks, not common animals.
 
What would you expect from a zoo? They exist to make a profit not as a welfare organisation. I hate them all and if I had my way would close them all down.

You should definitely write in with your concerns. No individual should keep rabbits like that so why should it be acceptable at a zoo and set a bad example to boot.
 
I went to a Butterfly park last week ,it had some other animals as well including 4 Flemish giant rabbits......huge enclosure,huge hutch/shed and aviary type set up for night time and I was quite impressed until it came to the 'meet the bunnies ' session.

This consisted of chasing the buns out of their aviary where they were chilling out.....letting in as many kids and parents as were interested into the enclosure.....then the bunnies were chased around,fussed,mauled by toddlers and generally persecuted while the 'keeper' sat on a log and watched.

I was horrified and so upset by it that I had to move away before I shouted at the kids.:(
 
The only place i go to is Monkey World but never complain about anything they do i support them 100%

I would def write and complain
 
What would you expect from a zoo? They exist to make a profit not as a welfare organisation. I hate them all and if I had my way would close them all down.
That's not correct for the vast majority of zoos and a very unfair comment! They struggle to make ends meet and rely primarily on charitable donations, I have yet to work with a zoo that is making a profit. All the zoo staff from the keepers and vet staff up to the curators and management that I have ever worked with are 100% dedicated to the conservation and care of the animals within the zoos to the detriment of their own financial security and family/social life.
Perhaps you have seen only some of the lower standard zoos that are struggling to keep afloat and can't keep updating the enclosures and employ enough staff. Actually what zoos need is more money to make sure they can provide the best care for the animals they are trying to protect.
 
I took my daughter to Dudley zoo last week and was dismayed to find an enclosure with 2 contis, 2 frenchies and 2 piggies:(
They also had a tortoise that was being fed on iceberg lettuce and white cabbage - he was in the "Education Area" so ~I tackled one of the workers who said "he's used to it". After I could see I was getting nowhere I retorted that I could feed my dog on doughnuts, which I'm sure he'd get used to, but it still wouldn't be the right diet:evil:
I've sent them a letter and am awaiting a response.
 
That's not correct for the vast majority of zoos and a very unfair comment! They struggle to make ends meet and rely primarily on charitable donations, I have yet to work with a zoo that is making a profit. All the zoo staff from the keepers and vet staff up to the curators and management that I have ever worked with are 100% dedicated to the conservation and care of the animals within the zoos to the detriment of their own financial security and family/social life.
Perhaps you have seen only some of the lower standard zoos that are struggling to keep afloat and can't keep updating the enclosures and employ enough staff. Actually what zoos need is more money to make sure they can provide the best care for the animals they are trying to protect.

If a zoo cannot afford to keep an animal in the conditions it requires then they should be transferred to a zoo/other establishment that is able to. Much the same for pet owners.

I don't think they should be shut down but i do think that they could put their money to better use. For instance, why spend thousands on an African elephant breeding programme? Zoos are apparently 'conservation parks' and therefore breed with the intention of reintroduction so why breed a huge animal that requires an extremely complex environment if they do not need reintroducing? If anything African elephants are overpopulated!
 
I took my daughter to Dudley zoo last week and was dismayed to find an enclosure with 2 contis, 2 frenchies and 2 piggies:(
They also had a tortoise that was being fed on iceberg lettuce and white cabbage - he was in the "Education Area" so ~I tackled one of the workers who said "he's used to it". After I could see I was getting nowhere I retorted that I could feed my dog on doughnuts, which I'm sure he'd get used to, but it still wouldn't be the right diet:evil:
I've sent them a letter and am awaiting a response.

Dudley is one of the worst zoos i have ever had the misfortune of setting foot in.
 
If a zoo cannot afford to keep an animal in the conditions it requires then they should be transferred to a zoo/other establishment that is able to. Much the same for pet owners.

I don't think they should be shut down but i do think that they could put their money to better use. For instance, why spend thousands on an African elephant breeding programme? Zoos are apparently 'conservation parks' and therefore breed with the intention of reintroduction so why breed a huge animal that requires an extremely complex environment if they do not need reintroducing? If anything African elephants are overpopulated!

Ideally, yes all animals in substandard conditions should be moved to better facilities. However, there are few zoos that will have space to take in extra animals (particularly the large species) or that can risk compromising existing groups by altering the hierarchy or health status with new introductions. As a said before, the best way is to make sure funds are available to improve zoos that need improving. Zoo should be well designed, well funded and run by people who know what they are doing and are doing it for the care of the animals. Those that don't meet the standards and cannot be improved should be closed. I'm not a fan of small hobby/childrens zoos as these are usually run on a shoestring with few experienced staff and welfare here is far worse than most 'professional' zoos.
With regards to the elephants - the Africal elephant is certainly not overpopulated - it is classed by CITES as 'near threatened'. There is also controversy over whether the Loxodonta genus that makes up the African elephant single species actually consists of two species. If this is confirmed then the species will be divided into two separate species and obviously then the numbers of each species will be greatly reduced (compared to the combined total before), reclassified as 'threatened' or worse, and breeding programs will be essential to make sure that populations of each species can be maintained sustainably.
 
I'm afraid I disagree with zoo's in priciple, morally and ethically and any other 'cally I can think of. I don't think my comments are unfair, I think keeping animals in zoo's is unfair. Nothing on earth will ever convince me otherwise to think differently.

And if zoo's are run as a business, then they have to be profitable or there would be no point in the business running. They are businesses not chairties. if their sole cause was consevation, then they would be a charity would they not.

How many animals do zoo's release into the wild in the name of conservation? Answer, a teeny weeny percentage of any zoo's. If not releasing to the wild, what point is there in creating captive animals that they don't put into the wild.

Many zoo's will sell animals to circuses across the world when they are overstocked. Hardly conservation is it.
 
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