Keep up to date with our work for animals

SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES

Are zoos bad for animals?  

Zoos in the UK hold tens of thousands of animals captive. Many are suffering, their misery unseen despite the thousands of people who peer in at them everyday. No zoo can be considered ethical while animals are bred, confined and controlled for human benefit. 

Read on to find out why animals should not be kept in zoos.

Artificial environments

Zoos cannot begin to provide the space that wild animals would have in their natural habitats. Tigers and lions have around 18,000 times less space in zoos than they would in the wild, while polar bears may have up to one million times less space.

To compensate for this lack of freedom, zoos often create artificial environments designed to look natural to visitors. Painted backdrops, artificial rockwork, themed habitats and carefully designed viewing areas may try to create the illusion of the wilderness, but they can never replicate the complexity, choice and stimulation of that natural environment.

14 gentoo penguins are currently held captive at SEA LIFE London in an underground enclosure.

Freedom for Animals has long highlighted the impact captivity has on animals ranging from penguins, elephants and great apes to big cats and polar bears. In the wild, these animals would travel vast distances, make their own choices, form complex social relationships and engage in a wide range of natural behaviours. In captivity, every aspect of their lives is controlled by humans.

No matter how modern an enclosure appears, it remains a cage. For animals confined within zoos, artificial habitats can never replace the freedom of the wild.

Animal suffering

In our investigation work into zoos across the UK, we have documented animal suffering time and time again. Animals living in cramped conditions, sick or dead animals on display, animals living in dirty enclosures with nothing to do.

It is not uncommon to see tigers and lions pacing up and down, over and over again at the window or bars of their enclosure. Or elephants swaying their heads from side to side as they stand rooted to the spot. These ‘stereotypic behaviours’ are a sign of mental distress, brought on by captivity.

Over the years we have documented how many animals even die as a result of their forced captivity. The most notable zoo we have campaigned against, which finally closed its doors in 2024, was Cumbria Safari Zoo - also known as South Lakes Zoo - where over 500 animals died due to neglect and human error in just three years. 

This emaciated kangaroo was filmed on location during an investigation into Cumbria Safari Zoo in 2016.

This case study was a devastatingly perfect example of just how failed the licensing system, supposedly in place to protect animals, truly is. Animals had died from exposure, emaciation, hypothermia and had even been run over by cars at this zoo - yet it was allowed to remain open by local authorities.

Yet although this zoo presented an example of extreme suffering, our investigations have found animals in distress across every single zoo we have visited, even those with the highest welfare standards supposedly in place.

Zoos kill healthy animals

Healthy animals in zoos are intentionally killed when they are no longer wanted. 

Lion cubs at Longleat Safari Park were killed after the zoo let inbreeding get out of control. The zoo admitted they bred too many to make sure there were always cute babies on display. One of the most widely publicised examples was Marius the giraffe, who was killed by Copenhagen Zoo in 2014 after being deemed genetically unsuitable for breeding. His body was publicly dissected before being fed to lions. 

More recently, in 2025, Nuremberg Zoo in Germany killed 12 healthy Guinea baboons because the zoo said it no longer had sufficient space to house its growing population. The decision sparked international condemnation from animal protection organisations, which argued that poor breeding management had created the problem in the first place. 

Zoos refuse to inform the public how many animals are killed in zoos - yet estimates suggest ten thousand large mammals are killed each year in European Zoos alone, never mind other animals.

Our most recent research into more than 200 British zoos revealed that over 191,000 animals died in UK zoos in a single year alone, highlighting the vast number of animals whose lives begin and end in captivity. 

The bottom line is, whilst we keep animals in captivity they risk being killed by the very people who put them there.

Zoos mutilate animals

Imagine being a bird and not being able to fly. Tragically, birds in zoos are prevented from flight, one of the most natural behaviours.

Hawk witnessed being tethered and held on display during our Tether and Torment investigation in 2025.

Not only are they kept in tethers and cages that restrict them, they are also physically mutilated by zoo staff. Some bird species - such as geese or flamingos held captive at zoos and wetland centres - also have up to 50% of their wings chopped off with a blade - often without any anaesthetic - and they will never grow back. This mutilation is known as pinioning.

A pinioned flamingo witnessed during an investigation into a UK wetland centre in 2022.

Circus-Style shows

Although wild-animal circuses have been banned across the UK, many zoos continue to train animals to perform in public displays and demonstrations.

Freedom for Animals has long challenged the use of animals in zoo shows. Our investigations have exposed how animals can be trained to perform unnatural behaviours for entertainment, blurring the line between education and performance. 

In 1998, we infiltrated an elephant training session at Blackpool Zoo and filmed elephants being trained to lift their feet and heads and hold sticks in their mouths, whilst being jabbed with elephant hooks during training sessions.

Today, sea lion shows remain a feature at several UK zoos and safari parks, where animals are trained to perform tricks for paying audiences during scheduled shows. In 2025, Freedom for Animals highlighted that at least ten zoos across England, Scotland and Wales were still staging these shows, despite growing public recognition that wild animals should not be used for entertainment.

Sea lions are regularly trained to perform tricks for food rewards in front of crowds of visitors at zoos across the UK.

Many also hold up-close human encounters with the animals they hold captive, such as feeding shows or “zookeeper for a day” experiences, to raise more profit.

The continued use of animal performances raises an important question - if society has rejected the use of wild animals in circuses, why are similar displays still considered acceptable when they take place in zoos?

Captivity for entertainment

Zoos are increasingly looking for more ways to make money. Many now hold festivals and ‘after-hours’ events which often feature live music, alcohol and even fireworks. Freedom for Animals exposed a festival at Port Lympne Zoo where party goers threw objects at the animals. And at Bristol Zoo we caught staff stating animals were stressed by the loud noise caused by the event they were holding.

More recently in 2024, we investigated London Zoo’s ‘Late Zoo Nights’, which found animals being subjected to live music and large crowds after-hours; with many exhibiting a range of stereotypic behaviours as a result of the stress. 

Conservation con

Zoos often justify keeping animals in captivity by claiming they play a vital role in conservation. Yet in reality, the vast majority of animals held captive are not threatened in the wild. So why are they held captive?

Freedom for Animals' analysis of stock records from more than 200 British zoos revealed that the majority of animals held in them are not endangered, and only a tiny proportion of zoo animals are ever released into the wild.

For example, many zoos house species such as meerkats, ring-tailed lemurs and other popular crowd-pleasers that currently face little or no threat of extinction in the wild. Yet zoos often breed these animals and offer visitor experiences centred around them, helping to attract paying visitors rather than contributing to conservation.

As mentioned above, even when zoos breed endangered animals, very few are ever reintroduced to their natural habitats. Instead, many animals are bred to maintain captive populations, exchanged between zoos, and spend their entire lives in enclosures. Those animals that are released may face significant challenges surviving in the wild after generations in captivity.

Zoos frequently point to conservation projects overseas to justify keeping animals captive. While some zoos do contribute financially to field conservation programmes, these donations typically represent only a small fraction of their overall income, with the majority of resources dedicated to maintaining captive collections and visitor attractions.

As former Zoo Director David Hancocks said:

 There is a commonly held misconception that zoos are not only saving wild animals from extinction but also reintroducing them to their wild habitats. The confusion stems from many sources, all of them zoo-based… In reality, most zoos have had no contact of any kind with any reintroduction program. 

So it must be raised, that if conservation is the primary purpose of zoos, why are so few animals ever returned to the wild, and why are so many of the animals on display species that face no immediate threat of extinction?

We believe that true conservation means protecting animals in their natural habitats - addressing threats such as habitat loss, poaching and climate change, and supporting coexistence between people and wildlife. Not breeding generations of animals to live and die behind bars.

A licence to suffer

All public zoos in the UK must hold a licence to operate. Many people assume that this licensing system protects animals from suffering, but Freedom for Animals has repeatedly exposed serious shortcomings in the way zoos are monitored and regulated.

Many of the rhinos held captive at Cumbria Safari Zoo were unable to go outside each day, as there was a rotation system in place due to overcrowding. Image taken on an investigation in 2024.   

Through investigations, analysis of zoo inspection reports and campaigning, we have revealed cases where welfare concerns persisted despite repeated inspections and official oversight. Problems such as inadequate enclosures, poor animal welfare, safety concerns and unsuitable living conditions have often been allowed to continue for months – or even years – before meaningful action was taken, if it was taken at all.

Our research has raised serious questions about whether the current zoo licensing system is fit for purpose. When inspectors identify welfare concerns, animals should not be left waiting for action while zoos are given repeated opportunities to improve. That is why we are calling for a more transparent and accountable licensing system.

This giraffe was witnessed on an investigation into London Zoo’s ‘Late Zoo Nights’ events, where they were forced to endure crowds of people after hours.

Zoos should be required to publicly report accurate information about the animals they keep, including births, deaths, medical procedures and transfers, so that regulators, animal protection organisations and the public can properly scrutinise their welfare standards. Where serious welfare failings or unexplained deaths are identified, this should trigger an immediate inspection and the suspension of the zoo's licence until those concerns have been resolved.

What is Freedom for Animals doing?

We carry out undercover investigations exposing animal cruelty and exploitation.

We support protests at zoos raising awareness with the public.

We educate the public about the realities of zoos through research, media work and outreach, while campaigning for stronger laws and lobbying governments to better protect animals in captivity.

We help the people speak up for animals held in zoos in the media, online and in person. Read our 10 facts about zoos.

Want more ways to help animals?
Get updates, actions and campaign news straight to your inbox.

SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES