![]() As a result, visitors were witnessed throwing food at animals and cornering animals to try and feed them. The public were also able to purchase animal food at the zoo entrance, however the feeding of animals in the walk-through areas was largely unsupervised. There were several occasions during the visit where no staff appeared to be present in walk-through enclosures in which the public could encounter Category 1 hazardous animals. These observations strongly suggest that the ambient temperature in these enclosures is not suitable for the species housed within them. The lamp was not large enough to enable one individual to fit underneath and bask. In the case of UV, just one lamp was provided for seven tortoises. The provision of heat and UV for the tortoises appeared to be inadequate, since the animals observed could not all fully fit under the lamps provided. It appeared that no heating was provided higher up in the enclosure in order to allow access by arboreal species such as the sloth. A sloth was seen clinging to mesh just inches above the ground to access a heat lamp intended for tortoises, who were also trying to access the lamp. A number of primates were seen clinging to the mesh to get as close to heat lamps as possible. The heat provision in a number of enclosures appeared sub-standard. Old, dead Christmas trees were seen in a number of primate enclosures. The bird was observed clinging to the side of the mesh without moving throughout the observation period. There was a lack of any visible enrichment in enclosures throughout the zoo. The aviary was closed as a precaution against avian influenza so further inspection of the situation was not possible. No attempts to provide food-related enrichment was observed instead, the food was simply placed in a pile.Ī macaw was observed in the aviary with severe feather loss around its neck and a lack of feathers remaining on the top of its head. ![]() This occurred multiple times until a keeper threw some food into the enclosure. It would then go inside before returning to the same spot and repeating the behaviour. The animal was observed sitting swaying in front of the same section of fence and testing the electric fence with its paw. According to the zoo’s formal inspection report from in 2021, the nyala was identified as being solitary for “a considerable period”, however the zoo appears to have failed to address this and continues to fail to maintain animals in their natural social groupings. An Andean bear at the facility was observed showing signs of zoochosis. The zebra are not the only herd species which currently appear to be held solitary. The zebra may then be shut out overnight, including during winter, however no bedding or heating was observed in the outdoor shelter. As a result, despite being a herd species, each zebra appears to be separated into an individual stall and potentially kept inside all day. This also has a knock-on effect for the zoo’s zebra, who are not allowed outdoor access while the rhino are outside for animal safety reasons. In some cases, they are confined to tiny stalls which just allow them to turn around. This has resulted in a situation where some individuals may not be provided outdoor access at all during the day. The zoo currently houses eight rhinos, however a member of staff confirmed that different individuals could not be housed together. The number of other species housed in the same area appears to have created a time share issue in both the shared outdoor paddock and inside the house. Before and after the experience both giraffes were observed orally stereotyping and no browse was available. During one visitor experience session at least 52 guests fed a handful of carrots to two male giraffes. It appeared that this was to increase the likelihood of giraffes participating in experiences where visitors pay to feed them inappropriate quantities of carrots, in contrast to natural dietary items such as leaves and stems. A few branches were provided first thing in the morning but were not replaced throughout the inspection. All giraffes were observed performing various oral stereotypes throughout the day, which is likely due to a lack of sufficient browse provision. This is an issue that appropriate foot care should have prevented. One female giraffe was seen to have extremely overgrown and curved hooves. ![]() ![]() Of particular concern was the living situation of animals within the zoo’s Africa house.
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