WE'RE CALLING FOR A ROAR-FREE UK

Dear John,

Beloved and revered the world over, big cats are commonly displayed in zoos and other wild animal exhibits because of our desire to see them in the flesh, despite the toll this takes on the animals themselves. They are clawing at the cages.

Lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, jaguars, pumas and cheetahs are all suffering in zoos, living in cramped enclosures, unable to live natural lives and subject to totally unsuitable conditions – we must make this stop.

We launched the report with a live event in London, with Born Free patrons Kirsty Gallacher, Amanda Holden and Jenny Seagrove locked in a cage, to encourage onlookers to think about what life must be like for captive big cats.

While compiling this report, I was disgusted by what I saw – from the depravation and distress that causes big cats to pace incessantly, to the horrific stories of young healthy cubs killed just because they are surplus to requirements, and the deaths of animals from unsuccessful breeding attempts to satisfy the demand from zoo breeding programmes.

Like so many other animals in zoos, big cats are rarely, if ever, released into the wild; they are simply forced to breed, sometimes with fatal consequences, generation after generation, so paying visitors can observe them in captivity and so zoos can profit. 

That’s why we’re calling on the UK government to phase out the keeping of big cats in zoos for good – a Roar-Free UK is possible, but we need your help to show the government that the British public do not support the cruel captivity of these awe-inspiring animals.

Big cats in captivity face a myriad of issues, including lack of space, with an average enclosure size 40,000 times smaller than their median range in the wild; demonstrating stereotypical behaviours and signs of stress; and being subject to ongoing breeding programmes which contribute almost nothing to conservation, with the vast majority never having any hope of release to the wild.

You can read more about these issues on our Roar-Free UK campaign page.

Thank you for your support, and for joining us in the fight for freedom for all wild animals.

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