Foot and Mouth Crisis: SLAUGHTER OF ZOO INNOCENTS; Every animal may be culled as hell plague sweeps Britain EXCLUSIVE
July 31st, 20100 Comments | People (London, England), The, April 1, 2001
Byline: JAMES MURRAY and NEIL McLEOD
EVERY zoo animal in Britain faces slaughter as foot and mouth rampages disastrously through the countryside.
Elephants, giraffes, rhinos, wallabies – even incredibly rare tigers – could be culled amid the mounting horror sweeping the nation.
Another 64 outbreaks were reported yesterday – the highest leap in one day. That brings the total to 845.
Owners of zoos and safari parks such as DUDLEY and WOBURN are near outbreaks of the disease – and live in daily fear of the Ministry call ordering them to wipe out their entire collections.
Others may have to massacre their animals because they have been forced to close and cannot afford to feed them.
As thousands of nature’s finest creatures face being shot and burned, every animal lover in the country will be appalled at the nightmare scenario.
And the anguish of all zoo owners was summed up by millionaire Damian Aspinall, who said: “I’d lay down my own life if it would stop any of my animals getting killed.”
Mr Aspinall, who inherited two Kent zoos from his father John, told the Sunday People: “We have 23 black rhino – more than in the whole of Uganda and Zambia. Those animals must not die.” Peter Suddock, boss of Dudley Zoo, warned: “We are in a desperate fight for the animals.”
MAFF officials warned last week that ALL his 1,000 animals would have to be slaughtered if the virus spread from a farm four miles away. Staff at the zoo in the West Midlands – one of our oldest and most popular visitor attractions – were in tears of despair.
Mr Suddock won an urgent meeting with zoos minister Bob Ainsworth and now thinks only cloven-hoofed animals – those that catch rather than carry the disease – would face culling.
Safari parks and farms that have lovingly nurtured rare breeds of cattle and sheep for generations also face doom.
Woburn Safari Park has drawn up plans to kill 1,500 animals, including elephants and giraffes, if the unthinkable happens. The Bedfordshire park is in quarantine because of an outbreak 25 miles away. A spokesman said: “Culling is an horrific thought, but we understand we wouldn’t have any choice.”
Woburn won’t open at Easter because it fears the risk is too great.
Leading expert Dr Koen Brouwer, director of the European Association of Zoos, told the Sunday People: “Your zoos face a very threatening, scary and alarming situation.”
He said even lions and tigers, which don’t get foot and mouth, face death.
Amsterdam-based Dr Brouwer has told all British zoos: “The authorities may only kill foot-and- mouth sensitive species such as deer, antelope, Asian elephants, hippos and some rodents.
“But they could say all animals are potential transmitters of the disease, including monkeys, tigers and lions, and order them killed.”
CHESTER ZOO, which has 6,000 animals, is one of those in major financial crisis because the outbreak has forced it to close. It has lost pounds 500,000 so far and will lose pounds 3 million if it has to stay shut until the end of May.
Spokesman Pat Cade said: “The nearest outbreak is 16 miles away. If necessary, the decision on culling would be taken out of our hands. The Government would have to decide. It is an absolutely horrific thought. We have ten elephants. If they had to be shot what would happen to the carcasses?” Carole Petrie, who has 700 animals at SOUTHPORT ZOO, Merseyside, said desperately: “I’d fight tooth an nail before were killed – even that would be the worst-case scenario.”
Britain’s zoos and wildlife parks have lost pounds 4 million as visitors stay away – and will lose pounds 15 million by mid-summer if foot and mouth is still rampant.
Big cats and rare breeds are under threat of a cull at DARTMOOR WILDLIFE PARK, near Princetown, Devon, because a nearby farm is infected. Owner Ellis Daw, said: “We’re petrified
woburn safari park