1st January 2025

2024 has been a long but amazing year for Freedom for Animals. We have worked very hard to achieve numerous goals on our road towards a world without cages. Read below to see what we’ve done in our main campaign areas, and what we’re going to do next…

We stood in the way of several new zoos!

And we’re not done yet…

At Freedom for Animals our vision is a zoo-free world, where no animal has to suffer a lifetime of captivity to provide entertainment for visitors. To achieve this goal, we have spent 2024 not only campaigning for zoo closures, but actively standing in the way of the construction of new zoos. 

In 2024 we asked supporters to get involved in objecting to planning applications for new animal exploitation enterprises in Nottinghamshire, Cheshire, Flintshire, Wrexham and Berkshire! And what’s better, we won in 4 out of 5 of these cases! This means that most businesses that planned to breed and display animals for entertainment won’t be able to start or expand as they wanted! These four victories were huge for us, and though there was one zoo among them that was granted permission, there is a silver lining in that story... 

The application for mobile zoo Zoo 2 U’s permanent zoo site was approved against the recommendations of the planning officers on the case. With the help of Advocates for Animals, we appealed this, our appeal was upheld and the case was referred to a senior board. Unfortunately, the plans were approved there, however, in both hearings we heard councillors taking animal welfare into account while making their deliberations. This doesn’t normally happen and could represent a useful precedent for opposing future developments!

We exposed the truth of the zoo industry to the public!

And we’re using our findings to fight for animal freedom…

As well as opposing new zoos, we have actively opposed existing zoos in the UK, and the zoo industry at large. In March we launched the results of a long-term investigation into a zoo dubbed by the media as “Britain’s Worst Zoo”. Cumbria Safari Zoo, formerly known as South Lakes Zoo, has long been the subject of scrutiny due to hundreds of animal deaths, one keeper death, and repeated inspections reporting dangerous and even deadly conditions. Our investigation showed evidence of animals escaping and never being recovered, avoidable injuries and deaths, and squalid and cramped conditions. We also produced an open letter signed by 33 animal protection organisations, veterinarians, scholars and public figures. Our work on this campaign made numerous national headlines, and we felt like Christmas had come early in December when we found out that the zoo was closing! But, the owners have other plans and have submitted an application to open a new zoo in Tebay. We are, of course, opposing this, and you can too using our form!

In February we launched our campaign demanding the release of Sea Life’s gentoo penguins to accredited sanctuaries. Their London Aquarium has a subterranean level, with no daylight or fresh air, and fifteen gentoo penguins held captive. These animals are being bred in captivity as exhibits, which is mis-sold as a conservation enterprise, despite the fact that this species is actually doing well in the wild! Our campaign has been taken up by the Daily Express newspaper, who have published many articles on the subject and were even threatened with legal action when they described the penguins as ‘captive’! They published our joint letter signed by numerous organisations and celebrities, and promoted the Early Day Motion raised in Parliament to advocate for the release of the penguins to accredited sanctuaries. There will be more to come on this campaign very soon!

We published detailed research on mobile animal exhibits!

And we will be using our findings to demand the end of these industries…

Although the Wild Animals in Circuses Act 2019 ended wild animals being used in circus performances, the issue of animals being taken on the road for entertainment is far from solved. In June we published our analysis of the successes and failures of the Act five years after it received Royal Assent, in a report entitled Lives Left Behind. In this report we revealed that wild animals are still permitted to travel with circuses as long as they don’t perform, which does not protect them from the gruelling travel schedule the Act was intended to! We also found multiple breaches of animal licensing regulations, and evidence of poor care and neglect.

We also published research into other travelling animal exhibits that still force wild animals to perform, but get away with it because they don’t market themselves as a circus. Our report, Mobile Zoos, Mobile Misery, looked at mobile zoos, animal parties, and festive displays such as reindeer parades. Both this report and Lives Left Behind demonstrated multiple welfare breaches, as well as a clear problem of the licensing regime for using animals in exhibits being fundamentally unfit for purpose. We sent our reports to local authorities, launched a petition and a direct action to DEFRA, to have the animal exhibition licensing system overhauled to provide real protections for animals.

We enjoyed meeting you - our supporters and activists!

And we can’t wait to see more of you this year…

2024 was a busy year for being out and about, standing side by side with activists and speaking about our work at vegan fairs, the Vegan Animal Rights Conference, and other fantastic events. We loved having engaging, productive conversations with so many inspiring people. Look out for us at more events in the coming year!

We have so much more to do in 2025!

And you can help…

We will not give up until every cage is empty. If you would like to get involved in building a better future for animals, you can do that by taking any of the actions below:

• Object to the planning application for a new zoo in Tebay.

• Sign our petition to free the Sea Life Penguins.

• Sign our petition to free ALL animals from circuses.

• Join our action calling for an outright ban on the use of animals in mobile exhibitions.

Thank you to everyone who supports us and works with us for a fantastic 2025. Looking forward to an even better 2025 for animals!