Wednesday, 15 November 2017

'Hobby zoos' face calls for crackdown after second lynx dies at animal park home of Lillith


News of the accidental strangling of Nilly at Borth Wild Animal Kingdom comes after the shooting of escaped enclosure-mate Lillith the Lynx  


The Independent Online
A Welsh zoo is facing calls to close after it emerged a second lynx was accidentally strangled in  “a terrible handling error” days before Lillith the lynx was shot and killed following her escape from the same attraction.

Borth Wild Animal Kingdom near Aberyswyth was branded a “hobby zoo” after news of the death of the second lynx emerged, throwing a spotlight on fears that at some UK animal attractions well-meaning but underqualified owners are failing to look after creatures properly.

Launching a petition for Borth to close in the light of the two deaths, the Lynx UK Trust, a conservation group working to reintroduce the lynx to Britain, accused the zoo’s management of having “little to no understanding of wild animal behaviour or welfare needs”.

Dr Paul O'Donoghue, Chief scientific adviser to the trust, added: “What if it had been Borth's crocodile that escaped? Or their two lions?  

“How long are we going to let these hobby zoos run by amateurs keep operating? Will it take the death of a human for someone to take action?"

News of the second lynx fatality came amid controversy over how one and a half-year-old Lillith was shot dead by a marksman on Friday, having been on the run since late October.  


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