British zoos are among dozens in Europe that have been accused of “gross neglect” after an 18-month investigation outlined thousands of apparent breaches of animal welfare standards.
Some of the problems that the researchers, who visited 29 zoos and aquariums, allegedly found included elephants locked outside in cold temperatures, bears shut in concrete-walled enclosures and wild dogs stuck outside without bedding.
The research, by the Kent-based animal conservation charity the Aspinall Foundation, focused on zoos that are accredited by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA).
The EAZA acts as a gold standard to reassure visitors that the animals they see are well cared for. But the Aspinall Foundation, which employs the former prime minister’s wife, Carrie Johnson, claimed its findings showed that the
