London Zoo should be shut down because it is not looking after animals properly or releasing enough back into the wild, campaigner Damian Aspinall has claimed.
In an interview with the Evening Standard, Mr Aspinall launched an outspoken attack on city centre zoos, saying they are “outdated 18th century concepts” that have no place in the modern world.
Mr Aspinall runs the Port Lympne Wildlife Park in Kent, set up by his father John, and heads the Aspinall Foundation, a conservation charity dedicated to breeding endangered species in captivity and releasing them back into the wild.
He yesterday announced plans to transport an entire family of 11 western lowland gorillas from the 600-acre Port Lympne park to the Foundation’s Back To The Wild projects in Congo and Gabon.
The release, planned for early next year, is the first time a whole family of animals has been released into the wild together,
Mr Aspinall said: “The fact that we have to keep animals in captivity is a sign of the abject failure of us as a species. The long-term goal should be that we do not need to keep animals in captivity.
“The only reason to have zoological collections should be to protect endangered species and breed with the goal of releasing them into the wild. The idea that zoos should be for the education or entertainment of mankind fills me with horror.
“There is no way that city centre zoos can be looking after animals properly because they simply do not have the space. I think they should all be closed.
“London Zoo has Whipsnade (in rural Bedfordshire) but the city one simply cannot be looking after animals in the right way with the space it has.”
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David Field, zoological director of London Zoo, said: “London Zoo is a world-class zoo with fantastic animal enclosures suited to each species.
“As an active member of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums we uphold all of the standards required by law and go above and beyond those to ensure the best possible conditions for our animals.”
