Summer Release 2023

A NEWSLETTER FOR SUPPORTERS OF FREEDOM FOR ANIMALS

BECAUSE OF YOU!

More investigations in 2023 Page 2

Zoo Awareness Weekend was a huge success Page 3

Let’s fight for ‘no new zoos’! Page 5

Demonstrations carried out so far this year Page 6

Zoo animals are NOT happy despite new study Page 7

Victory! No new zoo in 2023!

Thankstoyouwehavebeenableto successfullyfighttostopthecreationof a new zoo in Cheshire.

As a direct result of you taking action, Zoo2u in Cheshire has had their application denied. This zoo, currently running as a small-scale mobile zoo, wants to build a larger static site in East Cheshire. Hundreds of you sent in objections to the council and they listened!

The council denied the application and have been quoted in the press with many of your objections. While animal welfare is not a consideration within the planning process, they have listened to your concerns!

This is an incredible step forward for animals, and one which would not have happened without YOU! Animals such as golden tamarin, red squirrels, and turtle doves no longer face a lifetime in a cage. Thank you!

We do need to be vigilant and keep an eye out for Zoo2U putting in an appeal, but we will keep fighting until they realise they have no choice but to stop the appalling plans once and for all.

Summer

Major victory as council deny plans for a new zoo in Cheshire! All thanks to YOU!

Thanks to you we have been able to carry out more investigations in 2023. After the success of our last appeal to help keep investigators in the field, we have been able to send investigators to South Lakes Zoo, London Aquarium and UK circuses.

We investigated South Lakes Zoo after receiving yet more reports of animal cruelty and neglect. We discovered the firework events that were advertised as “bangless” were in fact not silentcausing distress and anxiety to the animals. Our investigator also found evidence of overcrowding, significant zoochosis, insufficient heating and filthy enclosures during their visit.

With you by our side, we will continue to work on the closure of this zoo, and we will not stop fighting until the animals from South Lakes Zoo are finally safe, and away from the suffering. Read on to find out about more actions against this horrendous zoo.

Our recent London Aquarium investigation was in reaction to a number of poor reviews highlighting the small tanks and enclosures animals were suffering in, and that a group of gentoo penguins were shockingly being held there with no access to natural light or fresh air - just a painted wall of what their real home should look like.

The investigator stated “It was a heart-breaking sight to witness these beautiful and intelligent animals staring at a poorly painted mirage of their home, and to be faced with the reality of how far removed their lives are to what they would be in the wild”.

We will be focusing on a campaign to help the penguins being held in this underground box in the near future. Your support is vital to ensure we can continue the fight for them, and all animals used in entertainment!

We also have other ongoing investigations. Whilst we cannot divulge the locations yet - to protect both the projects and the investigatorswe can say that once released, they are going to have a real impact, and help the animal’s held captive within them.

Our investigation work can only be possible because of your support. You are the reason we can keep investigators in the field, to shine a light on the darkness the industry thrives within.

We now have a petition live calling on the council to finally act, and to close down the zoo. You can sign and share the petition here: https://chng.it/D5pNDBCc

Investigations are being carried out at UK zoos and aquariums, because of YOU!

Tamarin monkeys huddled close to their only heat source on a cold January. We will continue to fight for these animals.

London Aquarium where a group of gentoo penguins are kept underground and on display. No animal should be forced to live like this.

Hundreds took action for animals for Zoo Awareness Weekend 2023!

So many of you took action for animals across our annual Zoo Awareness Weekend at Easter. It was a huge success and helped to raise awareness of the plight of animals held captive in zoos for human entertainment.

There were demonstrations outside zoos and aquariums and information stalls in many town centres. The FFA team also joined protests across the UK this year, showing solidarity with grassroots groups and individuals who gave up their free time to support our annual event. Some of those who took action for animals:

• London Zoo - A Better World for All Animals

• Newcastle - North East Animal Rights (NEAR)

• Brighton Sea Life - CLOSE SEALIFE

• South Lakes Zoo - Lancaster and Morecambe Animal Freedom Collective

• Knowsley Safari Park - Merseyside Animal Rights (MAR)

There were also hundreds of you that took action online, signing our many petitions and signing on to our new letter to the government and to DEFRA calling for more transparency within zoos.

It’s also not too late to join our actions online. You can find these at: www.freedomforanimals.org.uk/ take-action

Please also join us on social media and comment, share, and like our posts. If you are already doing this, we thank you, together we are stronger!

Thank you to all who took part across Zoo Awareness Weekend and beyond. We simply couldn’t do these events without your help and support!

What a huge success Zoo Awareness Weekend was, and it’s all thanks to our wonderful supporters who took the time to help spread our message. Animals are not here for our entertainment!

Note from our director

Welcome to this summer edition of Release – we are almost halfway through 2023 and what a busy year it has been so far

Thanks to you, we have been able to carry out more investigations including that at South Lakes Zoo. We have uncovered a litany of problems and are once again calling on the local authority to close this horrendous zoo. The animals must be moved to true sanctuaries where they can be assessed for release or allowed to live out their lives in peace.

Our campaigns team Laura and Isobel, supported by our fantastic volunteers, have also been working across a number of projects on zoos, mobile zoos and aquariums. Amazingly and thanks to your help, we have successfully opposed an application for a new zoo in Cheshire. We are also currently working with local animal rights activists in Nottinghamshire on another, to do the same there.

Laura Tomlinson who was our Office Administrator, Fundraising and Communications Officer for three years has now moved on to the role of Fundraising Manager. Laura is thoroughly enjoying working to ensure we can continue to campaign for an end to keeping animals in captivity.

I am also delighted to welcome Rebecca (Bex) Barlow as our new Office Administrator. Bex is a fantastic addition to our team and has already settled in well, providing support for our campaigns and fundraising work.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our loyal supporters for your continued support and generosity. We are so grateful to all who make our work for animals possible by donating, volunteering, and helping to take action for animals!

Thank you and have a great summer.

More updates on cruel reptile markets

Following the successful campaign to stop reptile markets last year, we are continuing to work with our friends at Animal Protection Agency and World Animal Protection to prevent organisers from securing other venues.

Unfortunately, we have heard that a venue in Milton Keynes has agreed to host future events, so we have written to them informing them of the suffering of animals and illegal selling of reptiles including snakes, lizards, and geckos. We have also informed Milton Keynes City Council and asked them to get behind our campaign to end these cruel markets.

In order to prevent these markets permanently in the future, FFA, APA and WAP presented evidence of illegal sales and poor animal welfare as part of DEFRA’s post-implementation review of the Animal Activities Licence Regulations, 2018. We do not believe that these regulations are sufficient to protect animals and are calling on DEFRA to ban such events and activities.

The exotic pet trade is incredibly cruel, thanks to you we will continue to fight for the animals that are far too often forgotten and ignored!

Cruel reptile markets must end and we will continue to fight for these animals!

Yet another application for a new zoo, this time in Nottinghamshire

Another application for a new zoo was submitted earlier this year. A man named Mr Oliver, who already has a backyard zoo, has submitted plans to Broxtowe Council to build on yet more greenbelt land, this time in the nearby village of Trowell.

His current facility holds captive four lions, a puma, tapir, capybara, otters, and squirrel monkeys (some of whom are pregnant).

Thanks to you we have been able to object to these plans and call for them to stop!

Mr Oliver also has a history of controversial issues surrounding him. In 2018 an employee was attacked by a captive puma due to insufficient health and safety management, and he has bred the lions in breach of his DWA licence.

This new zoo project is being promoted as a sanctuary, yet it will be anything but. It will include a restaurant, spa, and guest cabins, alongside many animal enclosures. The term “sanctuary” is quite simply being used as a marketing tool and animals will be taken from other zoos as his promotional materials explain.

TAKE ACTION!

This action will be ongoing until later in the year and we need as many people as possible to stand up and be counted, so if you haven’t had chance to yet, please sign and share our petition today:

https://chng.it/sVdbVpnn

We must show Mr Oliver that new zoos are not wanted in 2023!

Mr Oliver posing with ‘his’ two lions in his backyard zoo.

You’ve been hitting the streets, for animals!

Many groups have been selflessly carrying out demonstrations this year; taking a stand for animals and calling for the closures of notoriously poor zoos and aquariums. Dedicated and inspirational activists in Cumbria have been visiting South Lakes Zoo to hold regular protests to raise public awareness on the truth behind the zoo’s con-servation lies.

The amazing group ‘Close Sealife’ are also continuing their dedicated fight for animals held at Brighton Sea Life and protesting for the release of incarcerated green sea turtles Lulu and Gulliver. The group regularly attends demonstrations outside this aquarium - and we are so grateful for all they do for animals!

Since our investigation into London Sea Life, a number of brilliant activists are now holding regular demonstrations to raise public awareness of how the animals are suffering there daily.

Without you none of this would be possible. Your help ensures that we can offer groups

Thanks to you, we have been getting out and about with our message too!

This year, thanks to you, we have been able to head out to a number of vegan fairs and new events, to raise awareness of the suffering human entertainment causes animals, and to speak to people about our work.

Brighton VegFest was first on our list, and what a magical event it was! It was absolutely brilliant to talk about our goals for animal freedom, but also

More demonstrations carried out across the UK this year. What an amazing bunch of dedicated people who are all fighting for the same thing… the freedom of all animals! Thank you!

and individuals support and campaign materials for these actions!

We appreciate the work of these grassroots activists so much. Thank you to each and every one of you who are taking time to fight for animal freedom!

TAKE ACTION!

If you are interested in joining any of these protests, please get in touch and we can link you up with your local group. info@freedomforanimals.org.uk

to meet new supporters and to reconnect with ones who have loyally supported us for many years.

We also attended the brilliant Tyneside Music and Vegan Festival in Newcastle, which was an absolute pleasure. We truly value every Freedom Champion, donor, activist, volunteer, and supporter, so to have the chance to meet some of you in person is so important to us.

Thank you to the wonderful volunteers that also made these events (and more) happen!

We will also be attending other events throughout the year, if you are at any please come and say hi!

Elephants

do not enjoy zoo life contrary to new study

Some of you may have seen articles in the media, including the BBC which claimed that elephants in zoos enjoy interacting with visitors. This was in relation to a study carried out by Harper Adams and Nottingham Trent universities and published in the Animals journal. This study looked at various ways visitors impacted the behaviour of over 250 species held in zoos.

The media piece was titled ‘Elephants enjoy zoo visitors, study suggests’. However, the headline was hugely misleading and in fact the results showed that animals in zoos are bored and miserable – out of 302 interactions with the public, only 4% were described as ‘positive’ and even in these cases there were other factors influencing this, including the receiving of food.

We responded to this misleading zoo propaganda, which you can read on the ‘news’ section of our website. Worryingly, both the media and the researchers failed to mention that animals like elephants suffer in zoos and should not be there. This is the kind of misinformation peddled by zoos and their supporters.

I know you share our beliefs - animals do not ‘enjoy’ life in captivity!

With you by our side, we will continue to fight for an end to the keeping of animals in cages and will continue to speak out against places that exploit animals for profit.

Your lasting legacy for the animals

What a comfort to know that, even after we are gone, work to uphold our passions and protect the things we care about so dearly can go on.

That’s the beauty of leaving a gift in your Will. By leaving a gift in your Will, however big or small, you will be making sure that we can continue to be there for vulnerable and suffering animals, for as long as they need us.

Gifts in Wills help to fund some of our most important projects – from going undercover at premises that hold animals’ captive, to putting pressure on governments to end animal exploitation.

If this is something you would like to know more about, please do get in touch with Andrew on 0845 330 3911 or by email andrew@freedomforanimals.org.uk We always recommend that you also speak to a solicitor.

You know, as we do, that elephants suffer terribly in zoos, and we will continue to push government to ban the keeping of elephants in zoos

Gifts in wills make an unimaginable difference to the lives of captive animals! Be there for them when you are no longer here.

APPEAL: Support our campaign to end the use of all animals in circuses

We haven’t forgotten about the animals left behind by the current wild animal circus

Become a Freedom Champion today!

Wanttomakeyourgiftgofurther?You canjoinusasoneofournewFreedom Champions!

Freedom Champions, new and old, now receive a welcome letter, a funky new pin badge, 15% off

ban 2020, and we know you haven’t too. We will keep fighting for these animals until all are free!

Please donate to our ‘free all animals from circuses’ appeal today and help spread awareness of the suffering of these animals and to help end these cruel and degrading shows once and for all.

During our public outreach we found that many people think ALL animals were banned from circuses with the new legislation, but this is sadly not the case. We want everyone to know the truth of the continued suffering and with your help we can achieve this.

With your help, we will also continue to tell those who put profit before lives, that this is no longer acceptable. Animals are not props for human entertainment!

in our shop, and our newsletter Release twice a year. If you haven’t already signed up, please join us today.

Become a Freedom Champion for animals by setting up a monthly donation today and join a growing community of compassionate animal protectors.

Knowing that we have regular donations helps us to plan our campaigns and be much more effective for animals.

You can use the standing order form provided or visit our website to set up a direct debit. www.freedomforanimals. org.uk/Appeal/freedomchampion

If you are already a Freedom Champion, thank you! You are helping to free animals from a life of exploitation, harm, and captivity.

Need to get in touch or order campaign materials? You can contact us by phone 0845 330 3911, email office@freedomforanimals.org.uk or write to us at 83 Ducie Street, Manchester, M1 2JQ.

You can make a donation by phone, post or at www.freedomforanimals.org.uk/donate Thank you

Animals continue to be exploited in the ring. You can help us continue to be there, for the forgotten animals!