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British organisation slates 3 Spanish zoos for mistreating animals
In Valencia Bioparc, a chimpanzee has been filmed cradling her dead baby for three months
More than 30 zoos and animal parks in Europe have been singled out for poor practices relating to animal welfare and protection by the British Aspinall Foundation, and three Spanish facilities have been slated over having some of the worst violations of the lot.
The Aspinall Foundation is an animal conservation charity dedicated to "protecting animals around the world".
The association has found more than 3,000 violations of animal protection rules in the centres that it discreetly inspected over the last 18 months.
"Elephants are the victims of the greatest number of anomalous situations, ahead of rhinos, lions, tigers and giraffes," Aspinall points out in its report.
In Spain, the offenders were Madrid Zoo, Loro Parque in Tenerife and the Valencia Bioparc. This last facility made headlines last week when heartbreaking photos emerged of a chimpanzee refusing to be parted from her dead baby, even though the infant passed away of natural causes three months ago. Despite several complaints from distressed zoo-goers, staff insisted on the importance of allowing the mourning process to run its natural course, stating that the bereaved mother requires space to accept her loss.
All three Spanish zoos accused of mistreating their animals are linked to EAZA, the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which should closely monitor these facilities.
On its website, EAZA writes that "zoos and aquariums have an important role to play in the protection of nature and wildlife , both in our institutions and in the field. By ensuring that our member zoos and aquariums achieve and maintain the highest standards of care and welfare for the species they host, EAZA empowers European citizens to learn and contribute to global biodiversity conservation goals."
Some of the most serious complaints lodged by the British Aspinall Foundation accuse the zoos of having "insufficient and inadequate spaces, dangerous enclosures, absence of swimming facilities" and even, in some cases, "inadequate food".
In other news: Spain to recognise state of Palestine on May 28
Image: Valencia Bioparc
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