{"id":135863,"date":"2025-05-27T12:06:21","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T12:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/135863\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T12:06:21","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T12:06:21","slug":"animal-welfare-rules-in-british-zoos-set-for-major-overhaul-department-for-environment-food-and-rural-affairs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/135863\/","title":{"rendered":"Animal welfare rules in British zoos set for major overhaul | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>New Zoo Standards will enhance welfare and protections for animals in Great Britain\u2019s zoos and aquariums.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Major update in rules for keeping animals in zoos as government introduces new standards which will ensure the UK\u2019s famous zoos remain global leaders in the zoo industry.<\/p>\n<p>Larger habitat enclosures for elephants, better training for staff to handle exotic animals, and improved public safety measures will be required as part of the new Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain, published recently\u00a0(Saturday 24th May)\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For the first time in over a decade, the rules protecting Great Britain\u2019s most loved zoo animals such as the majestic snowy owl and golden eagle, iconic elephants, and wonders of the sea like sting rays and octopus will be modernised to reflect the very latest in zoo best practice:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Larger habitats will be introduced for elephants to better replicate the large territories elephants naturally inhabit.<\/li>\n<li>The practice of tethering birds of prey as a method of long term accommodation will be phased out, with a shift to large aviary enclosures.<\/li>\n<li>Aquariums will no longer be allowed to let visitors touch fish and cephalopods &#8211; creatures such as ray and octopus are highly intelligent animals and handling causes them stress.\u202f\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Animal Welfare Minister, Baroness Hayman recently\u00a0\u200bsaid:\u202f\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>We are a nation of animal lovers, and our best zoos and aquariums are truly world leaders in setting the standard for how wild animals should be kept.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Today\u2019s long-overdue reforms lay the foundation for an even stronger, even more compassionate future for all zoos and aquariums \u2014and the animals they protect.\u202f This is the first step as part of our commitment to deliver the most ambitious animal welfare reforms in a generation.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re making sure all sectors have the tools they need thrive, which is vital in our mission to deliver economic growth and make lives better for people across the country under our Plan for Change.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Cam Whitnall, Managing Director of The Big Cat Sanctuary and star of CBBC\u2019s One Zoo Three, recently\u00a0\u200bsaid:\u202f\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>For too long, zoos have been misunderstood as places of entertainment, but these new standards make it unmistakably clear: modern, good zoos put wildlife first. They are hubs for conservation, education, and world-leading animal care. I\u2019m proud to be part of the UK\u2019s zoo, sanctuary and aquarium community, setting the global benchmark for the welfare of endangered species.<\/p>\n<p>This is a huge step forward and also a call to action for other countries to now raise their standards, so animals everywhere benefit from the same level of care, and we can align globally for wildlife.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Dr Jo Judge, CEO of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) which represents over 130 zoos and aquariums recently\u00a0\u200bsaid:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The new standards are a significant step up in legal requirements and cement Britain\u2019s position as a global leader for zoos and aquariums. BIAZA members\u00a0already lead the way in animal care and conservation and we have been working closely with Defra officials to realise these updated standards.<\/p>\n<p>We are delighted to see them published today, demonstrating government\u2019s and the sector\u2019s commitment to the highest levels of animal care, and helping empower zoos and aquariums to keep leading the fight for nature.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Jamie Christon, CEO at Chester Zoo, recently\u00a0said:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>We were delighted to welcome the Zoos Minister, Baroness Hayman, to Chester Zoo for the official launch of the updated\u00a0Secretary of State\u2019s standards of modern zoo practice. These new standards set a clear vision for the future of zoos in the UK and we\u2019re pleased to have worked closely with Defra to help shape them and ensure that they represent world class animal care.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>Kathryn England, Chief Operating Officer for ZSL, the international conservation charity behind London and Whipsnade Zoos recently said:<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>These standards will help bring the whole sector up to a level the public rightly expects \u2013 and that animals everywhere deserve.<\/p>\n<p>London and Whipsnade Zoos are conservation powerhouses, delivering world-leading animal care and driving global efforts to protect wildlife. We welcome these new Standards of Modern Zoo Practice and the clarity they bring &#8211; every animal in every UK zoo deserves the same high standard of care, and every zoo should be contributing meaningfully to conservation.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Other measures in the Standards include:\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Improved conservation \u2013 Clear steps to help enforce conservation standards with new requirements for record keeping \u2013 helping drive up standards across the whole sector. This could include\u202fbreeding programs for endangered species, research into animal behaviour and reproduction, and education to raise awareness about conservation issues. There will also be a curb on the sourcing of animals from the wild.\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Protecting the public \u2013\u00a0All zoos will need to ensure appropriate safety measures are in place if they want to keep dangerous animals, including double-gated entry systems, lone worker procedures, and the appropriate availability of firearms.<\/li>\n<li>Updated business plans \u2013 To ensure zoos are prepared to protect animals in the event of financial hardship, they will now be required to develop clear business continuity plans\u202f\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There is a 2 year timeline on zoos and aquariums to adapt to the changes, with further phased timelines for some species-specific changes. This gives enough time to implement the changes efficiently, while support and guidance will be available -keeping welfare at the heart of zoo operations.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These changes, part of the wider Plan for Change, will modernise the way animals are cared for in zoos and aquariums and reaffirm the UK\u2019s position as a global leader in ethical and responsible wildlife management. The new published standards are available on gov.uk.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Zoo Standards will enhance welfare and protections for animals in Great Britain\u2019s zoos and aquariums. Major update&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135864,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5018,3,4],"tags":[51064,59510,59512,59511,748,1881,11553,5027,758,20688,393,14728,4884,59513,59514,257,5026,52992,1144,5029,712,39252,16,15,1764,11919],"class_list":{"0":"post-135863","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-britain","8":"category-uk","9":"category-united-kingdom","10":"tag-animal","11":"tag-aquariums","12":"tag-baroness","13":"tag-biaza","14":"tag-britain","15":"tag-british","16":"tag-ceo","17":"tag-change","18":"tag-chester","19":"tag-defra","20":"tag-england","21":"tag-great","22":"tag-great-britain","23":"tag-hayman","24":"tag-larger","25":"tag-london","26":"tag-minister","27":"tag-modern","28":"tag-northern-ireland","29":"tag-plan","30":"tag-scotland","31":"tag-standards","32":"tag-uk","33":"tag-united-kingdom","34":"tag-wales","35":"tag-zoos"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114579714595579267","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135863","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135863"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135863\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135863"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135863"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135863"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}