Longing for Freedom Paid for with Life
Today, a bear, two lions, a jaguar, and two tigers escaped from their enclosures at the Eifel Zoo in Lünebach. The bear was shot; a large deployment of police and fire services was able to locate the other wild animals on the zoo grounds using a drone and recapture them. Residents were urged to exercise caution and advised not to leave their homes. PETA has sharply criticized those responsible at the zoo. Due to the species-inappropriate keeping in far too
Today, a bear, two lions, a jaguar, and two tigers escaped from their enclosures at the Eifel Zoo in Lünebach. The bear was shot; a large deployment of police and fire services was able to locate the other wild animals on the zoo grounds using a drone and recapture them. Residents were urged to exercise caution and advised not to leave their homes. PETA has sharply criticized those responsible at the zoo. Due to the species-inappropriate keeping in far too small enclosures, wild animals seize every opportunity available to them to escape their prison. Since they are kept solely for entertainment purposes, the animal rights organization is calling for an end to the keeping of exotic animals in zoos and wildlife parks.
Longing for Freedom Paid for with Life
«The animals wanted to be free, and one of them has now paid for that with its life. Further escapes or fatal accidents can only be prevented in the future if the animals are no longer kept captive for the viewing pleasure of visitors,» said Dr. Yvonne Würz, biologist and specialist adviser on animals in the entertainment industry at PETA.
Repeated Escapes and Fatal Consequences
Accidents and escapes of dangerous animals in zoos occur time and again, sometimes with fatal consequences. Since the beginning of 2012 alone, big cats have escaped from their enclosures at various facilities at least seven times, most recently in 2017 when a lynx escaped from the Zoom Erlebniswelt in Gelsenkirchen. In 2016, two lions broke out at both Leipzig Zoo and Wildpark Johannismühle. At Leipzig, one of the animals was shot during its escape attempt.
Big cats born in captivity cannot be rewilded, so keeping them in zoos does not contribute to species conservation. While tigers and lions in the wild inhabit territories spanning many square kilometres, animals held in zoos are condemned to a wretched existence in just a few square metres. Species-inappropriate keeping conditions and severe behavioural disorders are more the rule than the exception there. More on animal rights and wildlife.
