Roar-Free UK

After many decades of breeding, only a tiny handful of the thousands of big cats born in UK and European zoos have ever been successfully released into the wild. The probability of big cats from threatened species that are bred in zoos being released to the wild is almost zero. They are not suited to release – often inbred, habituated to people, prematurely removed from their mothers, and unable to develop the natural behaviours they need to survive on their own. At best, the future of the thousands of big cats in UK and European zoos is bleak and pointless. Real conservation takes place in the wild, where big cats should be.  

The conservation claims of many zoos are exaggerated, ambiguous and in some cases entirely unjustified. Few people realise how little of their entrance fee may actually go to help conserve threatened species in the wild. Even members of the Consortium of Charitable Zoos, which represents some of the largest zoos in the UK, only contribute on average 4.2% of their revenue to in situ conservation. Maintaining animals on display in zoos is an inefficient way to generate funds for conservation and zoos may be a distraction from the real need to focus on genuine conservation activities in the wild.

While zoos claim to maintain back-up populations of threatened species, our 2021 report found that 73% of species and sub-species housed by zoos belonging to the UK Consortium of Charitable Zoos were not classified as being of conservation concern. A very limited number of successful wildlife reintroductions can be linked directly to a very limited number of zoos. Real conservation takes place in the wild, where big cats should be. 

Some zoos provide better conditions for their animals than others, with standards varying considerably between facilities across the world. However, Born Free’s investigations, and the ‘Red Flag’ eyewitness visitor reports we receive, reveal that many zoos in the UK do not provide their animals with the best possible living conditions or standards of care.

The space provided, social interactions, diet, climate, and proximity of humans are a far cry from the lives big cats have evolved to lead in the wild. The damaging effects on individual captive big cats can be huge with many bored and frustrated animals developing stereotypical behaviours, such as repetitive pacing and route-tracing, among other health-related problems. These behaviours, which are never seen in free-living wild animals, have been observed in all species of big cat in zoos throughout the UK and around the world. 

The biological needs and instinctive behaviours of big cats cannot be fully catered for in a zoo. Many big cat natural behaviours and complex social interactions can never be expressed in a captive environment; their lives are compromised at every turn. The small enclosures in zoos compared to their expansive natural home ranges, and the lack of enrichment in enclosures, is a significant cause for concern.

Big cats often spend a lot of time sleeping in the wild, as do those in captivity, but their waking hours are filled with hunting prey, defending territories, socialising with families (in naturally social species), or finding a mate (of their own choosing). Take this away and they literally have nothing to do.

In big cats, the frustration from a lack of opportunity to express normal behaviours often leads to stereotypical behaviours such as pacing, which are never seen in free-living wild big cats. There is a difference between meeting an animal’s basic needs to keep them alive and meeting an animal’s complex behavioural, social and psychological needs to keep them happy. 

While it’s true that big cats, like all animals, face many challenges in the wild, life in a zoo comes with many different but no less severe challenges. Socially complex, specialised and wide-roaming species fare particularly poorly within the constraints imposed by even the most advanced zoos.

Behavioural, reproductive, nutritional, physical and psychological health issues are very common. The risk of death in the wild is replaced by a lifetime of restriction, compromise and suffering in captivity. The focus of big cat conservation should be in the wild, tackling the issues that these animals face, rather than breeding cats in zoos that can never be released.  

A genuine sanctuary, where their top priority is the welfare of their animals with limited human disturbance, can usually provide the best specialist lifetime care for captive big cats that need a home. A lack of available sanctuary space has seen a few zoos take in big cats in need. However, these are usually animals whose sad situations have been created by the captivity industry in the first place.

The gradual phasing out of the keeping of big cats in zoos would not simply be a case of opening the cages and freeing all the animals. It would require an end to captive breeding and animal imports, as part of a strategic and humane wind-down. As the numbers of animals in zoos gradually reduce, those remaining should be kept in the best conditions possible and continue to receive lifetime care until their passing. 

The gradual phasing out of the keeping of big cats in zoos would require an end to captive breeding and animal imports, as part of a strategic and humane wind-down. As the numbers of animals in zoos gradually reduce, those remaining should be kept in the best conditions possible and continue to receive lifetime care until their passing. 

A genuine sanctuary, where their top priority is the welfare of their animals with limited human disturbance, can usually provide the best specialist lifetime care for captive big cats that need a home. However, there is sadly not enough suitable sanctuary space to rehome all the big cats from UK zoos.  

In terms of space, some animals in so-called ‘safari parks’, which are subject to the same regulations as other zoos in the UK and Europe, may have more room than in zoos, but this greater space often doesn’t mean greater environmental complexity.

Animals have evolved to survive and thrive across habitats that can, for some species, be measured in tens or hundreds of kilometres, and their complex behavioural and social needs cannot be met by life in a safari park. As in zoos, many animals in safari parks are shut up in small night accommodation when the visitors go home and in inclement weather during the day.  
 
In addition, safari parks share with zoos many of the management practices associated with breeding animals in captivity, such as dealing with ‘surplus’ animals. Individuals or whole groups of animals are frequently killed to control numbers. 

We believe that zoos present a distorted view of the lives and behaviour of wild animals. It is not necessary to subject an animal to life in captivity to teach children and adults about wildlife.

It is clear from the behaviour of zoo visitors that most do not linger long enough at the enclosure, if the animal is not active, to gain any insight or understanding of the animals on show. We don’t believe it is necessary to see an animal in the flesh, as many zoos claim, to stimulate a passion for wildlife and conservation.

There are a number of factors which influence whether a child will acquire and retain an interest in something, not just seeing it in person. Many children are knowledgeable about and fascinated by dinosaurs and yet most have never even seen skeletons in museums; the fascination has instead been inspired by books, films, and online resources.  

When people love animals, we understand that they want to experience them up close. However, it’s important to remember that experiencing wildlife that is native to another country is a privilege, not a right. Evidence also doesn’t indicate that zoos have a positive educational impact on children or adults, and viewing wild animals in small zoo enclosures can present an extremely distorted impression of the nature and behaviour of animals and their place in the natural world.

Instead, we encourage people to experience native UK wildlife at nature reserves, greenspaces and in their gardens and backyards.  Watching TV programmes like Planet Earth are also a great way to learn about wildlife and nature around the world.  We can all enjoy wild animals in a way that doesn’t harm or exploit them. 

We’re calling on the relevant authorities across Europe and the zoo industry to:

• Stop the breeding of big cats in zoos in order to gradually and humanely phase out their keeping

In the interim:

• Ban visitor experiences with big cats, which compromise the welfare of the animals and the safety of the people involved
• Introduce tougher mandatory measures relating to enclosure size and the environment in which big cats are held
• End the housing of big cats next to prey species