British zoos are facing their biggest financial crisis in history, with vital conservation work, including breeding programmes for species extinct in the wild, at risk of collapse. The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) warned that without urgent government support, decisions on whether to continue caring for these animals could determine their survival or extinction.
The trade body Biaza, which represents the UK's zoos and aquariums, said that just one of around 300 zoos in England has successfully claimed from a £100m government recovery fund. The fund requires applicants to be within 12 weeks of bankruptcy, a threshold Biaza argues is impractical, as responsible parks would already be rehoming animals. As a result, many international breeding programmes may be cancelled, and some leading zoos could close.
Among the species at risk is the Guam kingfisher, which vanished from the wild in the 1980s after a snake accidentally introduced on military equipment decimated the island's bird population. Around 100 birds now exist in US breeding programmes, with hopes of reintroduction to safe habitats. Dr John Ewen of ZSL said Covid had placed "incredible pressure" on the institutions caring for such animals, while Dr Amanda Trask added, "It's crazy not to take that chance and try and bring them back."
Lockdown has already forced some smaller zoos to shut down, while others are cutting conservation work. ZSL's monthly running costs reached £2.3m at the height of lockdown, and the organisation expects to lose £20m this financial year. Dr Alexandra Zimmermann from Oxford University noted that zoos contribute hundreds of millions globally to conservation, so losing that support would have "detrimental effects on conservation everywhere."
Dr Matyas Liptovszky of the University of Nottingham described zoo and botanical garden populations as "the last safeguards of irreplaceable parts of our worlds." He said it was "bizarre" that the UK spends hundreds of millions on museums to preserve remnants of extinct animals, but not on keeping living species from disappearing. The government has defended its rescue package as a safety net for zoos in serious financial difficulty.
