The death of an animal at a zoo is a big deal. In the U.K, at the Cumbria Zoo, which used to be called South Lakes Safari Zoo, 486 animals have died over the past four years. That number is just staggering, and it caught the attention of animal welfare advocates. Many of the deaths were preventable – emaciation and hypothermia are things that a zoo needs to be prepared to handle.
A hungry animal at a zoo is unacceptable. Madeline Taylor, a campaign officer for Captive Animals’ Protection Society (CAPS) said investigators to the zoo last year found many animals in terrible shape.
One lemur had a sore on its side, a mongoose had a terrible skin condition, and then there was the emaciated kangaroo.
During their visit, CAPS investigators also found penguins with no water to swim in and that the visitors were touching the animals (which could transfer diseases to the animals).
