Rejected petition Financially support Welsh zoos, aquariums & rescue centres during the coronavirus restrictions.
Many zoos and aquariums rely on revenue generated by visitors and tourists in order to survive financially throughout the year and to continue their conservation work. Wales' two most well-known zoos - Folly Farm and the Welsh Mountain Zoo - currently have reduced outgoings of £58k and £118k respectively. These costs are unsustainable in the longer term without financial assistance. We are therefore calling on the Senedd Cymru to ensure funds are available to them while tourism is not.
More details
During the coronavirus crisis zoos and aquariums have been forced to close indefinitely to stop the spread of coronavirus.
During this time our two biggest zoos - Folly Farm and the Welsh Mountain Zoo - have furloughed all but essential staff and reduced their running costs to an absolute minimum. Despite this, they both continue to run at a cost of £58,000 per month (Folly Farm) and £118,000 per month (Welsh Mountain Zoo). Both zoos are highly committed to ensuring that animal welfare is maintained at all times despite crippling costs and ever-increasing debts, but both have also highlighted their worry about spiralling debts and increasing loans in order to carry on providing exemplary care to their animals.
With the likelihood that zoos will need to remain closed over the summer - even if only in part - this will leave a financial deficit. We are asking the Welsh Parliament to provide urgent and ongoing financial help to Welsh zoos and aquariums.
Why was this petition rejected?
There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue, or if the Petitions Committee has considered one in the last year.
Another petition about emergency funding for zoos is already collecting signatures: https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/200016
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