10th June 2020 

Zoos across England are set to reopen on 15th June, following an announcement by Boris Johnson.

Zoos and aquaria have faced dire financial situations, having been forced to close their doors over the lockdown period.

We are currently reassessing what we value within society and what type of society we want to see in the future. Considerable thought must brought to the very concept of zoos and whether they have any place in a greener, more compassionate future. Zoos belong to a bygone era when exploiting the natural world and its inhabitants for public entertainment was universally viewed as acceptable.

The lockdown has made us all accutely aware of the hardships of being confined to one's house for such an extended period of time. Although the past few months of lockdown have been extremely hard, we know that there is a good reason for doing so; to save lives. The same cannot be said, however, for those thousands of animals who find themselves confined to zoo enclosures.