A Eurasian Lynx was shot and killed by authorities in Wales on Friday November 10, nearly 3 weeks after she escaped from her enclosure. Lilith, who was 18 months old, is thought to have climbed a tree and fled her enclosure at Borth Wild Animal Kingdom near the city of Aberystwyth at the end of October. She spent nearly 3 weeks roaming the local area and was nearly safely recaptured several times by the zoo's team, but was sadly shot dead after the authorities learnt that she'd strayed into a caravan park.
Source: Borth Wild Animal Kingdom
The order from the local council to destroy the animal came despite the zoo having refused requests to hunt down Lilith with live ammunition.Borth spoke of their dismay in a statement on Facebook:
We had been pressured from the start to allow marksmen to hunt her with live ammo, but we categorically refused that option [...] After a fruitless search we were informed that due to her being in a heavily populated area they would be issuing a shoot to kill order [...] In just 24 hours they had called in marksmen who had used state-of-the-art night scopes and thermal imaging cameras to hunt her down and shoot her dead. To say we were devastated was an understatement.
Source: Borth Wild Animal Kingdom
Ceredigion council responded that since Lilith had wondered into a heavily populated area, that the risk to people living there was 'severe', and that darting was both difficult in the dark and impractical, as they would have to be within 15 feet of her to do it properly and it would then take up to 15 minutes to work:
The safety of the public was paramount and therefore once the lynx had strayed over to a populated area of the community it was necessary to act decisively.
However, many people have taken to social media to voice their anger at the decision, pointing out that there have been no recorded incidents of lynx attacking humans.https://twitter.com/JackDAshby/status/929255061397671937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.buzzfeed.com%2Fhannahalothman%2Fa-zoo-says-it-is-truly-devastated-and-outraged-an-escapedBorth Wild Animal Kingdom has also come under fire after reports that another lynx died last week while being moved to another enclosure. Aberystwyth council is launching an investigation into both tragedies to determine what happened.The zoo, which cares mainly for animals rescued fro the exotic pet trade, came under new management 6 months ago after the old owners could no longer afford to run it. The zoo is closed until further notice so that enclosures can be updated, according to the co-owner, Dean Tweedy.
Source: Wales News Service
Dr Paul O’Donoghue, chief scientific adviser to Lynx UK Trust, a group which campaigns for lynx to be reintroduced to the wild in the U.K., is critical of both the zoo and the council, claiming that Borth is not equipped to deal with the creatures in its care:
What if it had been Borth’s crocodile that escaped? Or their two lions? UK hobby zoos are a disaster waiting to happen, if they aren’t closed down I am in no doubt that eventually someone will be killed by an escaped and unpredictable captive-bred animal.
The group offered to take the remaining lynx living at the zoo, who include Lilith's mother and siblings, to live at their sanctuary. The RSPCA added:
This is a very tragic incident. Keeping wild animals in captivity is a highly emotive subject and we are concerned about all animals in zoo collections.
Source: Borth Wild Animal Kingdom
While many sanctuaries and even some zoos look after their animals very well, many do not have the space or the funds to care for them properly. Animals kept in bad enclosures often show signs of boredom and psychological distress, such as repetitive pacing and over-grooming.You can check to see if a zoo, sanctuary or aquarium is meeting standards by visiting accrediting boards, such as the AZA, BIAZA, or EAZA.
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