Born Free Foundation - Keep Wildlife in the Wild

The European Commission has agreed to include a session on 'wild animals in captivity' as part of the planned regional workshops across Europe for veterinarians.  This resulted from the key findings of The EU Zoo Inquiry, Born Free’s review of the implementation and enforcement of the EU Zoo Directive, which identified a lack of knowledge of animal welfare and expertise of State Veterinarians in the majority of EU countries.

The EU Zoo Inquiry conclusions are consistent with those of the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), concerning the limited animal welfare knowledge amongst practitioners, which led the FVE and the Commission to organise a series of training workshops aimed at benefiting both practitioners and State Vets from the relevant countries.

Daniel Turner, spokesperson for the Born Free Foundation welcomes the support from the European Commission, “Born Free first approached the European Commission to help assist in the delivery of animal welfare training when it became clear that poor standards identified in European zoos were a result of ineffective zoo inspection. This opportunity, made possible by DG SANCO of the European Commission, has been welcomed by State Veterinarians across the EU, who recognise the need to improve their knowledge and expertise in relation to the welfare of wild animals in captivity.”

The second regional veterinary workshop will take place in Barcelona on 1st and 2nd December 2011. For more information http://www.onetec.be/animalwelfare/practical.html

The EU Zoo Inquiry 2011 is a study initiated and fully-funded by the Born Free Foundation, in association with ENDCAP.