Für die Untersuchung besuchte ein Team von internationalen Wissenschaftlern im Jahr 2011 Terraristikbörsen in Deutschland, Spanien und Großbritannien. In Deutschland nahmen die Wissenschaftler die, seit Jahren in der öffentlichen Kritik stehende, Terraristikbörse “Terraristika” in Hamm (NRW) in Augenschein.

Gemäß des Reports zeigten viele der angebotenen Tiere Anzeichen von Stress. Zudem wurde nach Auffassung der Wissenschaftler die Mehrheit der Reptilien und Amphibien in einer Weise behandelt, die Tierquälerei gleich kommt. Veterinäre, die für die Kontrolle der Veranstaltungen zuständig gewesen seien, hätten tierschutzrelevante Missstände nicht erkannt.

Die Untersuchung hebt zudem das gesundheitliche Risiko, das von solchen Veranstaltungen für die Besucher ausgeht, hervor. Reptilien und Amphibien sind Träger von Bakterien, wie Salmonellen, die sie auf ihre Umgebung und auch auf Menschen übertragen. Daher ist besonders für Kinder der Besuch einer Terraristikbörse mit einem hohen Infektionsrisiko verbunden.

Des weiteren kommen die Autoren zu dem Schluss, dass von Terraristikbörsen ein erhebliches Risiko hinsichtlich der Einschleppung von sogenannten Neozoen ausgeht. Neben Klimawandel, Umweltverschmutzung und der Zerstörung natürlicher Lebensräume stellen invasive Arten eine der größten Bedrohungen für die natürliche Biodiversität in Europa dar und verursachen Schäden in Milliardenhöhe.

animal public fordert seit Jahren ein gesetzliches Verbot von Wildtierbörsen. Umfangreiche Informationen zu diesem Thema gibt es auf der Internetseite www.stoppt-den-wildtierhandel.de

Der vollständige Report zum Download:  Phillip C Arena, Catrina Steedman, Clifford Warwick: „AMPHIBIAN AND REPTILE PET MARKETS IN THE EU: AN INVESTIGATION AND ASSESSMENT“

*Animal Protection Agency (United Kingdom), Animal Public (Germany), Eurogroup for Animals (Belgium), Eurogroup for Wildlife and Laboratory Animals (Belgium), Fundación para la Adopción, el Apadrinamiento y la Defensa de los Animales (Spain), International Animal Rescue (United Kingdom) and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Germany).

Brussels 24th April 2012: Summary findings of The EU Zoo Inquiry, the most comprehensive investigation into the licensing and performance of zoos across the EU, reveal that, across Europe, zoos are doing little to guarantee the biological and conservation needs of animals. The majority of zoos are failing in their legal obligations to species conservation, public education and animal welfare, as required by national and international legislation.

Today, a new exhibition opens at the European Parliament highlighting the findings of The EU Zoo Inquiry, which confirms that across the European Union there has been a systemic failure by governments, competent authorities and enforcement agencies to ensure that Europe’s zoos are meeting their legal obligations, as required by the EC Zoos Directive. As a result, thousands of animals in hundreds of zoos are being kept in poor to appalling living conditions that fail to meet their welfare needs. The findings indicate that none of the 20 countries surveyed are without fault.

Acclaimed actress and animal advocate, Virginia McKenna OBE, Guest Speaker at today’s launch said, “To date, and despite the European Zoos Directive, wild animals in captivity have been largely marginalised. However, I hope this exhibition and the findings of The EU Zoo Inquiry will ensure animals in European zoos are no longer forgotten.”

Daniel Turner, spokesperson for The EU Zoo Inquiry described the study, “It has taken 3 years, evidence from an assessment of 200 zoos in 20 EU countries, direct communications with numerous national governments and a ground-breaking and comprehensive review of national zoo legislation to come to the incontrovertible conclusion that the zoos across Europe are neither meeting expectations nor the legal standards required of them, and that the EC Zoos Directive is not being adequately applied.”

Turner continued, “We have been very clear that The EU Zoo Inquiry is the first step towards positive change. We hope to secure the support of Member State Governments, together with that of the European Commission, to ensure enforcement agencies have the means to effectively enforce the law. Many animals in European zoos are suffering needlessly, and without assistance from the European Community the shameful problems we have found are likely to continue.”

Since 2005, all zoos in EU Member States have been required to meet the basic requirements of EC Directive 1999/22 and, through a licensing and inspection process, implement a series of measures to conserve biodiversity, educate the public and maintain their animals in conditions that meet their species-specific needs.

Although the Directive has been transposed into law in each Member State, these national laws often lack detailed provisions to sufficiently protect individual animals, conserve species and encourage meaningful public education. The 20 separate investigations that form The EU Zoo Inquiry (published on www.euzooinquiry.eu), and highlighted in the Report Findings and Recommendations, confirm that the majority of European countries rely almost exclusively on the relatively ambiguous requirements of the Directive, which has led to inconsistencies in interpretation, widespread non-compliance and continued sub-standard levels of animal care.

Since the investigations, many Member States are already making necessary changes to their zoo laws and planning further training for their enforcement agencies. Furthermore, the European Commission has, in response to the evidence provided by The EU Zoo Inquiry, decided to develop a Preferred Code of Practice relating to zoo regulation. Animal welfare training for veterinarians is already being delivered with Commission support. These are important first responses to the findings of The EU Zoo Inquiry.

Will Travers, CEO of the Born Free Foundation, the NGO which fully-funded and initiated The EU Zoo Inquiry, welcomed the news, but expressed the need for caution, “We have worked to improve the provisions for animals in zoos for over 20 years, including undertaking the first review of European zoos in the late 1980s. Although there have been some improvements, overall, the widespread neglect, deprivation and suffering I saw then still endure today. The EU Zoo Inquiry provides incontrovertible evidence that the impoverished quality of public education that was so prevalent all those years ago is still widespread. This report also reveals that the promises of a commitment to conservation made by Europe’s many thousands of zoos remains, in far too many cases, just that – a dream.”

Born Free is calling for the European Parliament to support a requirement for EU countries to greatly improve standards. Bill Newton Dunn, ALDE MEP, the host of the Parliamentary exhibition, said; “Born Free have been doing great work to improve the conditions for animals within zoos around the EU and I hope this Exhibition will bring to the attention of other MEP’S and government officials the inherent problems that still remain in many of Europe’s zoos.”

Members of the European Parliament and Members of the Press and Media are invited to attend The EU Zoo Inquiry Exhibition (details below) and to meet Virginia McKenna OBE, Bill Newton Dunn MEP, Will Travers and Daniel Turner and representatives of ENDCAP in person as part of this pan-European initiative to secure a better future for wild animals in zoos.

EC Directive 1999/22, relating to the keeping of wild animals in zoos

Since April 2005 (2007 in the case of Bulgaria and Romania) all EU Member State had to fully implement and enforce the requirements of EC Directive 1999/22. The European Commission has the responsibility to oversee and ensure the effective implementation of the Directive by Member States and to take legal action in the event of non-compliance.

The Directive provided a framework for Member State legislation, through the licensing and inspection of zoos, to strengthen the role of zoos in the conservation of biodiversity and the exchange of information to promote the protection and conservation of wild animal species. This is in accordance with the Community’s obligation to adopt measures for ex situ conservation under Article 9 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992). Member States are also required to adopt further measures that include: the provision of adequate accommodation for zoo animals that aims to satisfy their biological needs; species-specific enrichment of enclosures; a high standard of animal husbandry; a programme of preventative and curative veterinary care and nutrition; and to prevent the escape of animals and the intrusion of outside pests and vermin.

Estimates place the total number of licensed zoos in the EU to be at least 3,500. However, there are thought to be hundreds of unlicensed and unregulated zoological collections that have yet to be identified and licensed by the Competent Authorities. No more than 8% of the total number of zoos in Europe are members of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) which therefore should not be regarded as a representative of zoos in the European Community.

Preliminary investigations revealed that many zoos in the EU are substandard and are failing to comply with the Directive. Furthermore, EU Member States are inconsistent in their application of the Directive, but little effort has been made to identify and address the reasons behind this. The project aims to assess the current situation in the majority of Member States, identify any issues requiring attention and provide recommendations with regards how application can be improved.

www.greatapeproject.de

Mit dem neuen Tierschutzgesetz wurde 2005 der Auftritt von Wildtieren wie etwa Elefanten oder Löwen im Zirkus österreichweit verboten. Der deutsche „Circus Krone“ klagte dagegen, da dies ein unzulässiger Eingriff in das Recht auf Erwerbsfreiheit sei. Der VfGH erkannte zwar tatsächlich einen Eingriff in die Rechte des Betreibers, dieser sei jedoch gerechtfertigt. Der Tierschutz sei heute ein “weithin anerkanntes und bedeutsames öffentliches Interesse”, heißt es in der Entscheidung.
Dem Argument des Zirkusbetreibers, wonach für Zirkusse, nicht jedoch für Zoos ein Verbot von Wildtieren besteht, trat VfGH-Präsident Gerhart Holzinger entgegen. Diese können im Tiergarten an einem Ort bleiben und würden auch nicht dressiert: “Die Haltung von Wildtieren im Zoo unterscheidet sich wesentlich von jener in Zirkussen.”

Bereits mehrfach haben Zirkusunternehmen versucht das österreichische Verbot der Wildtierhaltung im Zirkus zu kippen. Bislang immer ohne Erfolg. Dieser erneute Erfolg für den Tierschutz ist aus Sicht von animal public ein klares Signal an die deutsche Bundesregierung. Ein Verbot der Wildtierhaltung im Zirkus ist nicht nur dringend notwendig, sondern auch rechtlich unbedenklich.

Die Studien enthüllen, dass viele, wenn nicht sogar die Mehrheit, der Zoos in Europa die Standards der EU-Zoorichtlinie nicht erfüllen. Die Untersuchungen zur Genehmigung und zum Betrieb von Zoos in Europa machen deutlich, dass sowohl Regierungen, als auch Vollzugsbehörden nicht die geeigneten Maßnahmen ergreifen um sicher zu stellen, dass Zoos tatsächlich einen Beitrag zum Artenschutz und zur Bildung leisten und ihre Tiere angemessen halten.

An der Präsentation nahmen auch Vertreter der Europäischen Kommission teil, die für die Umsetzung der EU-Zoorichtlinie verantwortlich ist. Diese kündigten an, dass bis 2012 ein code of practice entwickelt werden soll, um die Umsetzung und Einhaltung der EU-Zoorichtlinie in den etwa 3.500 europäischen Zoos gewährleisten.

Bitte unterstützen Sie die Forderung von animal public nach einem Wildtierverbot in Zirkusbetrieben und schicken Sie eine Protestpostkarte an Verbraucherschutzministerin Aigner. Postkarten können Sie hier bestellen.

At a meeting in the European Parliament, Brussels, the Born Free Foundation and ENDCAP, the organisations behind the EU Zoo Inquiry 2011, announced the publication of four more Country Reports, part of a series of 21 which, when complete, will provide perhaps the most accurate and comprehensive ‘health check’ of zoo regulation, enforcement agency competency and Member State compliance to date. All fourteen reports (Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Cyprus, Ireland, France, Austria, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovenia, Portugal, Belgium and Poland) can be viewed at www.euzooinquiry.eu.

The EU Zoo Inquiry 2011 was initiated and executed by the international wildlife NGO, the Born Free Foundation, on behalf of the European coalition ENDCAP. It independently evaluates the degree to which EC Directive 1999/22 (relating to the keeping of wild animals in zoos) has been implemented and enforced, its transposition into national law, how that national law has been applied in each Member State, and the performance of zoos in relation to their legal requirements.

Daniel Turner, spokesperson for The EU Zoo Inquiry 2011 explained; “Our investigations over the last eighteen months have confirmed that many zoos across the European Community are not meeting their obligations as required by European and national law. As a result, zoos are failing to take the necessary measures to help conserve biodiversity and millions of animals are still kept in sub-standard conditions in thousands of zoos.  ENDCAP member organisations and compassionate European citizens rightly regard this as totally unacceptable.”

Turner continued; “In the European Union, regulation of zoos and the protection of wild animals in captivity is the responsibility of Member States and relies upon the will, knowledge, experience and available resources they apply. Far from harmonising operational minimums and welfare standards this has resulted in enormous variations, as many countries do not have the capacity to effectively comply with and enforce these requirements. Without the intervention and assistance of the European Community, these shortcomings are likely to persist.”

Since 2005, all zoos in the majority of EU Member States have been required to implement the EC Directive 1999/22 and, through a process of licensing and inspection, comply with a series of community-wide measures such as the conservation of biodiversity, public education and the application of minimum animal welfare standards.

Although the majority of Member States have attempted to transpose the Directive effectively, resulting national laws often lack detailed provisions relating to educational and scientific activities, guidance on adequate animal care, licensing and inspection procedures, as well as clear strategies for dealing with animals in the event of zoo closure. This is likely to be as a direct consequence of the relatively ambiguous language of the Directive itself which has caused inconsistencies in interpretation.

Speaking today, Will Travers, CEO of the Born Free Foundation recognised the need for action: “In an effort to address these deficiencies at Member State level, the Born Free Foundation and ENDCAP Member NGOs are assisting national governments in the development of work plans and the identification of measures that will lead to significant improvements in key areas such as welfare, inspection, education and conservation.”

The EU Zoo Inquiry 2011 has already prompted a commitment from the European Commission, specifically concerning the provision of veterinary training in animal welfare and the future development of a best practice code for zoo regulation and operation.

Bill Newton Dunn MEP, co-sponsor of the Parliament Briefing to be held this afternoon, said, “A truly civilised society is when animals are treated properly. That is what I want to see throughout Europe. Born Free’s EU Zoo Inquiry and the European Parliament are vital to ensuring this goal is achieved.”