Zoos and aquariums call for post-Brexit accord on transferring animals

A joint letter from the head of zoos and animal sanctuaries in Northern Ireland and the Republic has been sent to Boris Johnson and Taoiseach Micheal Martin calling for better co-operation aimed at saving endangered animals.

They point out that since Brexit the number of zoo and aquatic animals being transferred between UK and EU zoos has fallen dramatically. In 2019, around 1,400 animals were transferred between UK and EU zoos and aquariums. Last year just 48 animal transfers were carried out, the letter states.

Dublin and Belfast zoos, Fota Wildlife Park along with colleagues from Exploris Aquarium in Portaferry, which all belong to the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), are calling for a new international Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement between the EU and the UK.

Christoph Schwitzer,, the CEO of Dublin Zoo, said: “It is imperative that the UK and European Commission find a solution so that good zoos and aquariums can continue their work saving species from extinction.”

Senior member at BIAZA, Nicky Needham, said the lack of a post-Brexit deal on the transfer of animals to zoos and aquariums was impeding the breeding and conservation of some species.

“It is hugely frustrating that the transfer of animals, from langur monkeys to cheetahs has been made so much more difficult following Brexit. Our zoos now face impossible hurdles and delays to partaking in international breeding programs. We urge the Irish and UK governments to move to protect the world-leading conservation efforts of our zoos and aquariums,” she said.

Breeding programmes on the island include ones from Colobus monkeys and Francois Langurs which are co-ordinated at Belfast Zoo. Similar programmes are run for orangutans and cheetahs.