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9th February 2021
09:54am GMT

Only 34 of the 300 licensed zoos in the UK have received the funding so far, which only totals £6 million. The schemes concludes at the end of February, with zoos no longer having access to funding from then. "The Zoo Animals Fund has been set up with completely inappropriate eligibility criteria, which excludes the vast majority (80%) of organisations," said Andy Hall from BIAZA. "Essentially, zoos have to be 12 weeks away from bankruptcy before receiving money from the fund. For most zoos, this is no good, because by 12 weeks, we would already be closing down and trying to rehome our animals. "The money comes in far too late to help and so most zoos won't get down to the 12 weeks and aren't going to receive any financial aid in this time of need."Unfortunately when it comes to the Zoo Animals Fund, 12 weeks of reserves effectively excludes the majority of zoos - rehoming animals as complex as sea turtles or rhinos takes months if not YEARS.
Replace the scheme with a Recovery Fund the sector can use! #YourZoosNeedYou pic.twitter.com/mhRV7RmS9b — BIAZA (@BIAZA) February 8, 2021
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