Animal rights activists are set to protest the “heartbreaking” conditions at Dublin Zoo in Phoenix Park today.
Members of the National Animal Rights Association (NARA), Stand with Badgers, Animal Rebellion Ireland, Freedom for Animals UK, Sentient Rights Ireland and others will be protesting Dublin Zoo today from 12pm to 2pm.
They are calling for an “independent investigation” into animal welfare concerns revealed by whistleblowers over the past two years.
Protestors suggested the review carried out by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and published last month was biased.
“When they are the authority that inspects and licences the zoo every year, how can they be unbiased in their appraisal of the situation?” NARA spokesperson Laura Broxson said.
Ms Broxson also noted that Dublin Zoo’s HR Company, MSS, was also in charge of running the “notorious” Ashton Pound in Dublin, which has faced allegations of dog cruelty.
“Allegations of dog cruelty and neglect lead to the shutdown of the facility and several managers, including a vet, were investigated by the Gardai and subsequently charged with animal cruelty,” Ms Broxson said.
“It is incredibly worrying that they are involved with Dublin Zoo.
“It's 2024, zoos should be a thing of the past - the money pumped into Dublin Zoo could be channelled into protecting animals in their native countries and preserving habitats.”
NARA activists said they recently visited Dublin Zoo and claimed they were “shocked and appalled at what [Dublin Zoo] deem acceptable”.
“There was a huge amount of stereotypical, repetitive behaviour, inadequate space, no place to hide from onlookers, dirty enclosures, lack of adequate food and water, and dirty bathing areas,” Ms Broxson said.
“The overwhelming sadness and mental stress we witnessed from the animals was absolutely heartbreaking.”
NARA noted several animal welfare concerns about Dublin Zoo in recent years, such as claims from People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy in October 2023 that elephants were “being inappropriately sedated to make the elephants easier to manage for their move to the USA”.
Dublin Zoo welfare concerns
Protestors also noted that in November 2023, half of the elephant herd was sent to Cincinnati Zoo, and two sister elephants who “would never separate in the wild” split up.
NARA also noted zookeepers in Dublin Zoo have “no say in the overall collection plan or animal management”.
“Keepers that choose to speak up are ridiculed and punished for raising and pursuing issues that relate to animal welfare,” they claimed.
In July, The NPWS cleared Dublin Zoo of 17 allegations of welfare breaches.
In a report into the anonymous allegations, the NPWS found 16 of the 17 cases had “no evidence” and were unfounded.
Two allegations had already been addressed by the NPWS in its 2022 Special Zoo Inspection Report.
Of the 15 remaining allegations, 12 were connected to the death of individual animals while three were connected to “compromised welfare”.
Dublin Zoo told Newstalk it is "committed to providing the highest standards of animal welfare".
"The Zoo has cooperated fully with independent statutory and non-statutory investigations into anonymous allegations of animal welfare breaches, and on each occasion the Zoo’s good name and excellent reputation has been upheld," a spokesperson said.
