Paignton Zoo have responded ‘press speculation’ that they are considering euthanizing some of their animals due to financial difficulties due to the coronavirus outbreak forcing them to close temporarily.
An article on Devon Live stated:
“A spokesman has confirmed that no animals have so far been euthanised, but tough economic decisions will have to be made within the next few weeks.”
In a statement on social media, a spokesperson for Paignton Zoo said: “Paignton Zoo is concerned at recent press speculation that it is considering euthanasing some of its animal collection. Nobody from the zoo has said this. The current crisis would have to be much worse before such a move would even be contemplated. Having said that, nobody should underestimate the financial challenge facing us. Like all zoos we currently have no income at all but our costs are still extremely high, running to hundreds of thousands of pounds per month. This is clearly an unsustainable situation so it would be remiss of the zoo’s owner, the Wild Planet Trust, were it not to be looking very hard at what it can do to mitigate the loss and protect itself, and its zoos, for the future. We suspect that every single charity, business and enterprise in the country is doing exactly the same. We are very grateful for the support that has been offered to us and for the donations that we have received in the last few weeks.”
You can support the zoo by making a donation here; https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/charity-web/charity/displayCharityCampaignPage.action?charityCampaignUrl=helpourzoo
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