Individual Stories
- Pressing his face against the rusty wire, the young bear pleads for help
I wanted to share with you some of the images that haunt me in the night. Forgotten lions, deprived bears, neglected chimps. I’m sorry if I cause you distress. But knowing how dearly and sincerely you value the well-being of individual creatures, I know you will forgive me for lifting the cloak that keeps some of Europe’s forgotten animals hidden from view.
Captivity and the welfare of zoo animals lies at the very heart of everything we do at Born Free. We never forget that every animal, like Elsa the lioness, is an individual.
Addressing the plight of individual animals held in zoos is our core mission and in the interests of animal welfare we remain determined to phase-out zoos. With your help Born Free wants to do more to raise public awareness and bring about change.
Dirty and unkempt, the scrawny lion (below) in Sofia Zoo, Bulgaria, half crouches on the brick floor, obviously in pain. Ravaged, hollow-eyed and uncomprehending, his fur is patchy, his skin looks diseased. Yet the lion, of all creatures, ought to embody power and beauty, the spirit of freedom.
- A bedraggled lion gazes ahead bleakly, obviously in pain
Only a baby, the tiny chimp (below) hugs herself for comfort, rocking back and forth. Her face is wizened, old beyond her years, she seems to clutch her head in despair. In the wild she would be nestled in her mother’s arms or playing with her friends. In Maia Zoo in Portugal, she is alone, behind glass.
Dejected and defeated, a tiger (below) lies slumped in his squalid cage in Bitola Zoo, Macedonia. How shameful that this magnificent creature should be brought so low. Covered in filth, surrounded by concrete, bricks and rusty metal. For endless day after day, stretching into year, upon year, upon year…
- Covered in filth, slumped in his squalid cage
With your help Born Free has pledged to speak out for the voiceless. We want to expose needless exploitation and cruelty. We are determined to challenge the multi-million Euro zoo industry in Europe. But Born Free isn’t trying to do it all on our own. We know there is strength in numbers, power in local knowledge. Born Free works with other animal groups throughout Europe to co-ordinate collaborative campaigns and target local issues.
We are ambitious. Together with our friends and colleagues in ENDCAP¹, a pan-European initiative is beginning to take shape. We just need the funds.
For example, in Spain Born Free has joined forces with Spanish organisations² to investigate some appalling zoos and take action. This has already had an impact.
Thanks to our initial exposé four zoos have closed and the European Commission has given Spain 2 years to clean up their act and improve zoos.
This year, following investigations, we will expose zoo deprivation in the Canary Islands. None of the 13 zoos meet minimum standards. These pathetic animals are just a few of many animals in need of help. So much more needs to be done in Spain.
But after April 2008 we have no funds to proceed. Romania has some of the worst zoos in Europe. Almost all of the 41 known zoos fail to meet even minimum requirements in animal care. Working with APAR³ Born Free is identifying specific problems and seeking solutions. Encouragingly the authorities are keen to work with us.
“Your help, your compassion, is needed now more than ever before. So many animals… I cannot, I WILL NOT forget their faces, their stories, their anguish. But with your help I WILL do something to help them. Join with me. Pledge your support. Look deep in your heart. Then dig deep into your pocket. Send me what you can.
I personally guarantee that we will spend your gift wisely. Here at Born Free we want the world to be a better place. Here, in Europe, these slum zoos seem a very appropriate place to start.”
Will Travers, Born Free Foundation
¹The European network to END the keeping of wild animals in CAPtivity, founded by Born Free, a coalition of over 30 organisations representing 23 countries.
²ANDA: Associaccion National para la Defensa de los Animals and DEPANA: Lliga per a la Defensa del Patrimoni Natura
³Association for the Protection of Animals in Romania
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