The Born Free Foundation is very concerned about the plans - particularly the indications that Wildside World intend to exhibit tropical species such as manatees, a species not currently kept in the UK that requires highly specialised care and complex facilities.

We are also concerned that the zoo may not be financially sustainable in the long term, which might lead to declining standards of animal care and the need to find homes for animals in the event of closure. For many years, there was a zoo in the same region (Glasgow Zoo) which proved to be financially non-viable and closed in 2003; while previous plans to redevelop the site by Edinburgh Zoo have been abandoned. Such a development near Glasgow is likely to need regular income from large numbers of visitors: what is not clear is where these visitors will come from, given that the long-established Edinburgh Zoo has resorted to importing giant pandas to attract 1 million visitors. All of which raises questions as to whether the taxpayer will be left footing the bill if the development in South Lanarkshire fails to bring in enough visitor income.

Will Travers OBE, CEO of the Born Free Foundation, said “Eighty five million pounds might be the going rate to build a visitor attraction these days, but just think what that money could do if it was directed into in situ conservation instead? In my view, a new zoo in this area is simply an unwise investment all round, is repeating the mistakes of the past and is not in the best interests of animals or people"

Concerns regarding the plans have also been raised by the Captive Animals’ Protection Society, OneKind and Scotland for Animals. We hope that the public will express their opposition to these plans and that Wildside World will reconsider their proposal and abandon plans to include captive wild animals and focus instead on regenerating the area in a way that matches public expectations but not at the expense of locking animals up for life.

The Born Free Foundation working with the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) and other NGOs helped to achieve this result.

A Government circular released on 17th May provides the following reasons against the keeping of cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) in captivity in India:

"...cetaceans in general are highly intelligent and sensitive, and various scientists who have researched dolphin behavior have suggested that the unusually high intelligence; as compared to other animals means that dolphin should be seen as “non-human persons” and as such should have their own specific rights and is morally unacceptable to keep them captive for entertainment purpose ...cetaceans in general do not survive well in captivity. Confinement in captivity can seriously compromise the welfare and survival of all types of cetaceans by altering their behaviour and causing extreme distress."

Born Free is very proud to have been involved in this campaign and we congratulate FIAPO for their efforts on the ground to secure this landmark decision in India.

Will Travers OBE, CEO of the Born Free Foundation, remarked "In many ways, India already has very progressive policies relating to wild animals in captivity - for example, a ban on most species of wild animals in circuses and the Government instruction to end the keeping of elephants in zoos. This decision on captive cetaceans confirms the status of India as a leader when it comes to wild animal welfare. We hope other countries will follow India's example and that one day this unacceptable form of wild animals exploitation will end.”

Although long suspected of his role in the disappearance of wildlife from Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Ngondjo Ghislain, aka ‘Pepito’, had evaded capture over the years due to a combination of a lack of concrete evidence and the protection of corrupt officials. But that status quo recently began to unravel for Pepito. 

In criminal networks like Pepito’s, trust is everything. The trust in one’s companions in crime is what oils the illegal supply and demand chain and breaking that bond of trust is therefore critical to disrupting its operation. For Pepito the end began when the arrest of two poachers in the park led to the arrest of another who in turn gave details of Pepito’s illegal activities. More evidence was gathered when a firearm amnesty led to other statements incriminating Pepito as the buyer of ivory and supplier of guns and ammunition. It later emerged that some wildlife rangers had been working in collusion with Pepito, supplying him with information about patrol routes and planned ambushes, thus allowing him to remain at large. 

Pepito was recently finally arrested and taken to the local police station, but that was only half the story over. A riot was started outside the building by Pepito’s collaborators and fearing his escape, park officials moved Pepito to a more secure location 100km south of the park under cover of darkness. 

Born Free is proud to be supporting PALF (Project for the Application of Law for Fauna), who have been working tirelessly to ensure that justice is achieved for Central Africa’s beleaguered forest elephants. In the Pepito case, as in many others, PALF has pushed hard for the full support of the judiciary, so critical for the successful prosecution of such cases. As Naftali Honig, PALF’s co-ordinator explains: 

“All too often in the past, anti-poaching has focused on the poachers, satisfying itself with the little guy. These new cases in court in Congo are an example of a major dealer being arrested as the pinnacle of years of intelligence gathering and around a year of arrests concerning this particular trafficking network.

We have seen a lot of attempts to peddle influence in the courts in Congo, and lost cases because of it, but when a court gets serious about prosecuting all the members of an ivory trafficking network, as we are now seeing in this case, then the tables turn.

Unfortunately, this degree of depth of investigation into an ivory trafficking network is the exception rather than the rule. As Central Africa's elephant populations continue to get hammered, we need to focus on dismantling the big networks and weeding out the corruption that nourishes them in order to properly combat the illegal ivory phenomenon”.

Working directly with the Department of Parks and Wildlife, Lilongwe Wildlife Centre has become Malawi’s first port of call in any wildlife emergency.  Over 400 wild animals, either rescued from illegal trade, injured or orphaned, have been brought to the Centre where they receive expert care and rehabilitation.  Where feasible, they are released back to the wild under carefully managed protocols.

Ms McKenna, Founder of the Born Free Foundation, stated: “Before Lilongwe Wildlife Centre existed, the illegal pet trade and bushmeat poaching in Malawi were widespread. There was nowhere for orphaned and injured wildlife to go. Now, thanks to the hard work of the caring and loyal team at the Centre, hundreds of animals have been rescued and rehabilitated and many have been released back into the wild where they belong. The Centre’s commitment to international standards of welfare is very important, and I am thrilled that it received accreditation as the world’s first ‘People and Wildlife Centre’  from Born Free last year.” 

Five years ago, the Born Free Foundation joined forces with a dedicated team of individuals, led by Mark and Angela Sprong, to help develop the Centre and its philosophy.  Recognising the need to take a holistic approach to animal welfare, habitat protection and community involvement, Lilongwe Wildlife Centre created a raft of community and wildlife support initiatives, all supported by an effective business plan that has led to the Centre becoming self-sustaining in terms of operating costs. This offers the Centre a level of financial security enabling it to carry out its life-changing day-to-day activities with growing confidence in the future.

Jonathan Vaughan, the Centre’s General Manager, summed up the community work: “The Centre reaches out to thousands of children and adults every year by offering community support programmes and educational tours. Over 17,000 local school children visited the Wildlife Centre in 2012, learning about wildlife and the things they can do to look after the environment.  We also run community outreach programmes to help reduce deforestation and loss of habitats resulting from the unsustainable use of firewood. For example, 8,000 trees were planted last year and special groups have been set up making eco-fuel briquettes out of waste materials. 

There are projects that help communities to live in harmony with the environment whilst also generating an income through sustainable livelihoods. Many of the people from our ‘learning through wildlife’ adult literacy programme have gone on to find employment and women from our Malambe Juice Cooperative , supported by Born Free’s Global Friend’s Programme, are now making enough money to support themselves and their families.”

HRH The Duke of Gloucester concluded:  “The achievements of the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre in Malawi over the past 5 years are quite astounding.  In addition to all the wild animals they have saved they have established themselves as the country’s leading environmental education resource, inspiring nearly 100,000 children who have visited the Centre or who have taken part in their outreach programmes. By embracing local community needs and working within the national curriculum, Lilongwe Wildlife Centre is working to forge a harmonious future for both people and wildlife.” 

Malawi is known as the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’ for its beautiful landscapes, lake of stars and friendly, happy people. But it is also the 6th poorest country in the world, with most people surviving on less than $2 per day which often does not meet their minimum food requirements. There’s a high population density which puts huge pressure on natural resources like the forests since most people rely on firewood to cook their food. As a result Malawi has the world’s 5th highest rate of deforestation and this leads to problems such as soil erosion, desertification and localised climate change.  

The good news is that a lot can be done to help people to live in harmony with the environment. As habitats are restored, not only can people earn an income from their new, sustainable living practices but Malawi’s wildlife - from birds, bees and butterflies to monkeys, lions and elephants - will have a better chance of survival in the wild, where they belong.

If you wish to make a donation to Lilongwe Wildlife Centre you can do so here

Here’s the latest news about your wolves from Anne Marie Stewart, Field Director of the EWCP:

“Late last summer EWCP monitors visited the Web Valley’s Tarura pack and excitedly reported that three pups born earlier in 2012 had survived their first rainy season. This is a tough period during which we can lose around half of this age group. By autumn these three pups had graduated to sub-adult status, and are now very efficient at catching their own rodents, putting on weight as they continue to grow.

Tarura pack now has a total of eight adults and three sub-adults. With such large numbers they should be able to protect some of the best territory in the Web Valley from other packs, ensuring a plentiful supply of food. We ear-tagged six of the Tarura adults during the oral vaccine trials of 2011, so can easily identify pack members.

In October, the Tarura alpha female became pregnant, but very sadly the pups didn’t survive before they emerged from the den. We are not sure why this happened, but hope all three of the healthy sub-adults in the pack become adults during this coming year, and that the Tarura’s can successfully raise more pups during 2013’s breeding season. 

In general we’re happy to report good survival rates of wolf pups over the last year, who have now all  graduated to sub-adult status. Every wolf is so  important, especially following the devastating disease outbreaks we saw in 2009 and 2010. Now the new breeding season is underway and other Web Valley wolf packs have had successful litters, as have the Sanetti wolves."

If you would like to adopt the Web Valley Wolf pack and contribute the the conservation of this beautiful endangered species, you can do so here.