Zoologists say harm is being done to animals kept in zoos in Poland. 

Robert Maslak and Agnieszka Sergiel, who have taken a close look at the situation in zoological gardens, are considering putting Poland before the European Commission for failing to comply with the EU zoo directives.

Interviewed by Gazeta Wyborcza, they say the zoos in Poland do not ensure minimum standards for housing and caring for animals. Big predators, like lions, tigers and wolves, are often suffering from lack of space in their enclosures. Monkeys are forced to live in small cages on concrete surfaces. Some animals are deprived of basic comfort because of the ignorance of zoo staff.

In one garden, Bengali tigers, which like to be warm,  were treated like Siberian ones and had to live outdoors all the year round. Only recently, wooden flooring was provided so that they don’t have to lie on concrete floors. Zoo authorities prefer to meet the needs of visitors rather than the needs of the animals and this often means torturing animals for display purposes.  

The two experts describe as not bad only three out of 10 Polish big zoos that belong to the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. (kk)