Some 240 great apes are being held in zoos across the UK – the second highest in Europe after Germany. A further 75 of the animals are kept in rescue centres or sanctuaries, the Born Free Foundation has revealed.
Fourteen bonobos, 143 chimpanzees, 95 gorillas and 63 orangutans make up the 315 great apes kept in 21 zoos, rescue centres or sanctuaries. Born Free, which has released its report Our Captive Cousins: The Plight of Great Apes in Zoos, told how there is currently no legal licensing distinction between zoos, rescue centres and sanctuaries keeping wild animals in the UK.
Naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham called their report “a distressing catalogue of wrongs wrought upon our closest genetic kin”. He added: “All the evidence to prove radical change is now imperative is here. Great Apes mustn’t be imprisoned for our entertainment any longer.”
Zoo guidelines recommend medicating great apes with antidepressants to alleviate stress, Born Free said.
It is estimated that over 1,500 great apes are kept in at least 140 zoos across 28 European countries.
Germany keeps the highest number in zoos, with 349, followed by the UK and France – which has 196.
Five European countries keep more than 100 great apes in zoos, Born Free’s report said.
Chris Lewis, Born Free’s captivity research and policy manager, said “Many of us are fascinated by great apes due to the similarities we see between themselves and us. When confined in zoos, it also means we are uniquely positioned to empathise with their suffering and their lack of freedom.
“With less than half of Britons recently stating it was acceptable to continue the keeping of great apes in zoos, it is yet another example that modern society is increasingly conscious and concerned by the keeping of such highly intelligent animals in captivity.
“To continue to confine these complex beings for our entertainment can no longer be justified on the basis of science, welfare, or animal and public safety.”
The charity’s report comes months after the long-awaited release of the government’s revised Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain, set to take effect in May 2027.
Born Free said that if this is implemented “stringently and effectively”, then it is “highly questionable” if any UK zoos will be able to meet the new great ape welfare benchmarks in full.
It has called for the keeping of great apes in zoos to be phased out across the UK, Europe and the world.
Dr Jo Judge, CEO of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and aquariums said: “This report fails to recognise that good zoos are working every day to improve the lives of great apes. BIAZA member zoos are at the very forefront of animal welfare. Member zoos have to adhere to the highest standards for animal care, as well as legally adhering to the strictest zoo licensing system in the world, with the new standards including a specific chapter on the care of great apes. All ape species are either endangered or critically endangered – they are at risk of being lost forever, good zoos are a crucial tool in the fightback against extinction.”
“Every single great ape in the care of good zoos is known by name and character, provided with round-the-clock expert care and lives in specially engineered habitats. The fact that the life span of great apes in human care often far exceeds that of wild counterparts is testament to this extraordinary care.”
“The simple fact is that good zoos are not just leaders in great ape welfare, but are also leaders in conservation. Good, modern zoos are guardians of the natural world and conduct and support many, many conservation projects to save great apes in the wild.
“In the wild, apes face enormous threats; hunting, disease, deforestation and habitat loss as well as the impacts of climate change. Imagine the painful death a chimp faces being caught in a snare, or the trauma facing orphan apes as they are ripped away from their mothers for the illegal wildlife trade, that everywhere they go their homes are cleared for mining and logging.
“Zoo conservation is making an essential difference to wild apes. Everyone can be proud to support our brilliant zoos which provide homes where great apes can thrive.”