COVID-19: Zoo's Conservation Work at Risk of Closure Due to Funding Crisis

Zoo's Conservation work, such as breeding programs for rare species, is now threatened to closure due to the COVID-19 lockdown related funding crisis.

The lockdown and reduced number of visitors meant substantial income loss for zoos, mostly relying on the entrance to support its operations. This impacts the facility's ability to care for rare species. Some species are the last of its kind on Earth and are only found in the zoo.

Despite this, the government rescue package for British zoos is still inaccessible. BBC reports that only one zoo was able to claim support.

Conservation Work at Risk in the UK

The COVID-19 lockdown has placed zoos around the world in a challenging situation. Although many zoos have opened, the visitors are still in a reduced capacity due to the social distancing requirements.

Huge bills are needed to take care of the animals. For instance, ZSL requires at least £2.3 million for a month to operate, and the zoo might be losing £20 million this year.

Some small zoos have either closed down or are reducing its conservation work.

Moreover, most conservation work in the wild globally targeted to save species near extinction or are threatened primarily funded by mostly large, successful zoos in Europe, North America, and Australia. Losing the support due to the effects of COVID-19 has a detrimental impact on conservation efforts everywhere, Dr. Alexandra Zimmermann of Oxford University and former head of conservation of Chester Zoo said.

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In some cases, zoo and botanical gardens species are "the last safeguards of irreplaceable parts of our worlds," Dr. Matyas Liptovszky of an assistant professor of zoo animal medicine at the University of Nottingham said.

England has a recovery fund for these cases such that zoos can avail of a £100m government recovery fund, but BBC News reported that only one in300 zoos in England have successfully claimed to support it.

According to Biaza, the bailout fund is a structure that makes it difficult for zoos to access the funds.

The zoos need to be 12 weeks from bankruptcy to qualify, but the zoo owners association thinks that zoos are already trying to find new homes for the animals by that time. The government says that the rescue package is designed to give the funds if the zoo is into serious financial difficulties.

International breeding and conservation programs may have to be canceled for lack of funds. Prominent UK zoos may come even close.

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Conservation Work in the US Also at Risk

In the National Aquarium in Baltimore, a gray seal pup named Pippi Longstocking was rescued on February 8 with several complications: the pup was dehydrated, malnourished, and appeared to have infected its front flipper. The pup is still recovering at National Aquarium and will be released when it is healthy enough to be sent back to the oceans. Pippi may be the facility's last patient.

Due to COVID-19, ticket sales decreased dramatically. The aquarium lost $8 million and cut down one-third of its staff since closing in March because of the pandemic. Whether the zoo closes or not, animal residents estimated to be around a million all over the US still need food, water, heating, cooling, and veterinary care, which is a substantial amount.

With a bleak future, the zoo's first cut will have to be the zoo's conservation work, and as the COVID-19 lockdown continues, these efforts will be at risk of closure anytime.

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