A COUNTER-PETITION to support keeping Dalton zoo open has been launched ahead of tomorrow's crunch meeting debating the renewal of the attraction's licence.
A Charge.org petition - Keep the Safari Zoo in Dalton OPEN - has been created in response to a petition which calls for the closure of South Lakes Safari Zoo, near Dalton.
A shocking post mortem list as revealed that 486 animals had died or been killed at South Lakes Safari Zoo, near Dalton, between December 2013 and September last year. The causes included emaciation, hypothermia and infighting within overstocked pens used to house incompatible species.
Barrow Borough Council's licensing committee is set to hold a meeting tomorrow to decide whether to renew a zoo licence for South Lakes Safari Zoo founder David Gill.
Government appointed inspectors state Mr Gill's application should be rejected after they expressed concerns for the welfare of 170 animals in his care during their inspection of the site in January.
Responsibility for the exhibits, which were part of a private collection kept by Mr Gill, was transferred to Cumbria Zoo Company Ltd - a newly formed firm which now runs Dalton zoo within 24 hours.
The inspectors have recommended the authority prosecutes Mr Gill under section four of the Animal Welfare Act for allowing animals to suffer unnecessarily.
CZCL, led by chief executive Karen Brewer, has made its own, separate application for a zoo licence to the authority. That application is expected to be discussed by licensing regulatory committee members in May.
The Charge.org petition states: "The new company should have our support going forward whilst the zoo team and experts continue to ensure animal welfare is top priority. The licensing committee should grant the license to the new Company (Cumbria Zoo Company Ltd). In an official statement by the new Company, if the license is granted they will buy the zoo from the current owner David Gill".
This petition had 282 signatures tonight. It will be delivered to Barrow Borough Council and Cumbria County Council.
The petition can be accessed at https://www.change.org/p/barrow-borough-council-keep-the-safari-zoo-in-dalton-open
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