Food is
withheld from falcons, hawks and eagles, and many are also deprived of clean
drinking water, a report says
Saturday
29 June 2019 13:45
The
Independent
Birds of prey are
effectively starved to force them to obey human commands at zoos across the UK,
investigators have found.
To train
them to perform tricks for entertainment, food is withheld from the birds, such
as falcons, hawks and eagles, which are naturally
frightened of people, until their hunger outweighs their fear, a report says.
It’s
claimed the tactic – together with forcing them to perform in displays – makes
such zoos “a circus by any other name”.
The
government is in the process of banning wild animals in circuses, with a bill
currently going through parliament.
Freedom
for Animals, a charity that opposes animal captivity, says avian veterinary
experts believe going without food for three days may cause dehydration and
kidney disease.
Depriving
wild birds of food, known as “manning”, can take several days.
The group
investigated 25 zoos around the UK, filming in 24 of them, finding one in three
enclosures did not have clean drinking water.
Birds of
prey spent an average of just 11 minutes 18 seconds flying during a public
display, the investigation found.
At one
zoo, a staff member told visitors how “naturally wild birds are terrified of
humans” so to get one to sit on his glove, food is withheld and “then it is a
matter of waiting until appetite outweighs fear”.
This
“appears to be an extreme approach to training, especially when keepers have a
legal obligation to provide food for animals ... we see this carried out
widely across UK zoos,” the charity said.
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