Dear John,

Roberta the lion and her three cubs are being held captive at Edinburgh Zoo right now. The zoo has been shut during the latest lockdown but will reopen to visitors as soon as possible.

But for Roberta and her three cubs, they will never come out of lockdown. These cubs, just over a year old, do not yet know that they will likely spend the 30 years or so of their lives locked up. On display for human entertainment.

John, will you fight to free animals from suffering in captivity by joining us as a special Freedom Champion today?
Your monthly donation will be put to work straight away on campaigns happening now to help animals in zoos and help us plan campaigns for the long term, to fight for animal freedom.

Roberta’s cubs are playful and inquisitive now, still being so young and new to the world. But horrifically, as the months and years pass, it is likely that their mental health will deteriorate.

Unable to escape the walls that restrain them, they could develop strange behaviours, (like many lions in zoos) pacing up and down as their natural urge to roam is frustrated. Deprived of their freedoms and unable to make all their own choices, they will suffer, just like us humans would in such an unnatural situation.

This is the tragic reality for all animals in zoos. Their daily suffering might not be graphic or gory, but it is still painful and cruel.

That is why with your help, we campaign tirelessly to free them.

I know that closing down zoos won’t happen overnight, but I also know that if we keep piling on the pressure, making it harder for people to exploit animals and open people’s eyes to animal suffering, we can do this!

We want to help animals like Roberta and her cubs, to prevent more animals being born into a lifetime of captivity, and to stop animals being taken from the wild. By joining us and our other special Freedom Champions, YOU can help us do this. 

Our Champions make a regular gift, usually of £3 or more a month, to make sure our campaigns for animals can fight on strong into the future. Monthly donations mean we can plan ahead and know exactly what campaigns we can deliver for animals.

No matter how much you choose to give, it will be put to work straight away to fight for animals. You will always have control over how much you give and for how long you wish to donate.

For human children growing up during the pandemic, they will be able to look back one day when they are older and say to each other “do you remember when we were in lockdown?” But for the young animals born into captivity, their lives will never change. Because, as long as zoos exist to entertain the public, they will never leave lockdown. 

That is… unless people like you and me do something about it! So please set up a monthly gift today, and help end a life of lockdown for animals.

For the animals,


Sam Threadgill
Campaigns Director
Freedom for Animals

P.S. Lockdown restrictions may be easing for us soon, but animals in zoos face a lifetime of lockdown. You can fight with us to change that and give them a future of freedom by setting up a monthly donation today. Thank you!

P.P.S. Freedom for Animals is a small charity but with the backing of supporters like you, we stand up to big businesses and industries that exploit animals. As a charity that campaigns for animal rights, we receive no funding from the Government. We also often can't access Grant funding due to our strong ethical position. So we must rely almost completely on the kindness of animal advocates like you to make sure we can do what we do for animals.