Born Free Foundation - Keep Wildlife in the Wild

It is estimated a million or more wild animals languish in Europe’s thousands of zoos and hundreds of circuses. Many are kept in appalling conditions that can never meet even their most basic needs. Despite the European Union’s recognition that all vertebrate animals are sentient beings (Amsterdam Treaty, 1997), politically little has been done to ensure that those animals kept by humans are treated as such.

Despite the implementation of the EU Directive 1999/22/EC (on the keeping of animals in zoos), few EU countries appear to have fully implemented and enforced the law. Furthermore, although there have been steps by some European Member States to ban certain, or all wild animals from circuses, hundreds of wild animals are still performing. There is much that needs to be done on so many issues in Europe: captive cetacea; exotic pets; illegal wildlife trade; and the desperate lack of animal sanctuaries.  

’Working together’ is the only viable way to address this tide of captive animal suffering and neglect, and through ENDCAP it is hoped solutions can be found to address this diversity of problems. All too often organisations with similar objectives choose to follow separate paths while seeking to address similar problems. Efforts are duplicated and scarce resources are often diluted. By sharing knowledge, contacts, expertise and ideas, more can be achieved with greater efficiency. Cooperation between likeminded organisations, through ENDCAP, will not only build individual capabilities within individual countries, but will also address issues at a European level.