at the heart of Britain’s ‘worst zoo’

What happens behind the gates of South Lakes Safari, a popular zoo in Cumbria, in the north of England? The BBC has carried out its investigation and its conclusions are appalling. Three years after its opening, in 1994, a white rhino managed to escape before being shot. In 2008, 30 lemurs died in a fire. In 2013, a 24-year-old caretaker, Sarah McClay, was massacred by a tiger, which entered her dressing room through a door that had been forgotten to close.

The South Lakes Safari was especially at the heart of a major controversy in 2017 after the revelation of the deaths of some 500 animals in “avoidable” circumstances between 2013 and 2016. The director of the zoo, David Gill, was fired and a A new board of directors had been appointed, along with a new operator, Cumbria Zoo Company Limited (CZCL). The promise of a “better future” was then made for this popular establishment in Cumbria. But according to the information (and photos) obtained by the BBC, nothing has really changed.

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Overpopulation and undernourishment

According to the testimony of six former employees who worked at South Lakes Safari between 2017 and 2022, “nothing changed and the animals continued to suffer a lot”. The keepers speak in particular of a zebra euthanized after having stuck its hoof in the bars of its enclosure in a desperate attempt to escape, even though it was never allowed to go out. But also problems of inbreeding, recurring and sometimes fatal fights between animals “housed in inappropriate social groups” and in “overcrowded” enclosures. “A peacock flew into the giant otter enclosure and the two giant otters tore its head off in front of a school group,” says a former employee.

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A keeper also claims that some animals are underfed by the zoo “so that they go hungry and visitors feed them”, leading to an imbalance in their diet (largely based on treats). Comments confirmed by a veterinarian mandated by the landowners of South Lakes Safari (with whom the operators have been in conflict for three years), who affirms that it happens that certain animals have neither water nor food at their disposal. But also that rhinos have become aggressive from being stuck indoors for long periods in “dirty enclosures with very little bedding”. “We wonder why and how it can last so long. I feel helpless,” she testified.

Finally a note of hope?

Cumbria Zoo Company Limited (CZCL) assured the BBC that it “totally denies and disputes” that it “ever participated in any practice that resulted in the death, injury or mistreatment of animals”. “As an approved zoo, animal welfare is our main concern and we dispute these allegations,” the director assured our colleagues. We find these allegations scandalous and completely unfounded. Our veterinary team is internationally recognized and unrivaled in its field. »

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However, an unannounced inspection in March this year raised numerous animal welfare concerns, including that “the rhinos were in overcrowded enclosures, their grazing was insufficient and the animals were often confined.” indoors or outdoors for excessive periods – up to 5 p.m. The report pointed out in black and white “a potential danger to animals, staff and the public”, taking the “extremely worrying” example of a trainee found unsupervised in the dangerous animal enclosure. A new inspection in April also raised “serious concerns” and pointed out that standards had “declined” over the previous three years.

A note of hope, however, arrived in June after a third unannounced inspection which proved much more satisfactory. The report welcomes the fact that 26 of the 28 improvement guidelines had been met. “Inspectors noted that with a significantly reduced number of animals and an excellent veterinary program, there was no evidence of serious systemic health and welfare problems,” said a spokesperson for the advice to the BBC.