Zoos call for Ireland-UK post-Brexit co-operation on endangered animals

Breeding programmes in Ireland include that of the critically endangered lechwe, coordinated from Fota Wildlife Park.

Zoos and aquariums on both sides of the Irish border have written to both the Taoiseach and the British prime minister, asking them to come to an agreement which would help conservation programmes.

It comes as BIAZA (the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums) say they saw 48 animals transferred between homes in British and EU zoos and aquariums in 2021, down from 1,400 in 2019.

In response to this, they have written to Micheál Martin and Boris Johnson in the hope that their respective governments can come to an agreement called a ‘Sanitary and Phytosanitary’, or SPS, agreement which could enable the transfer of endangered zoo animals to return to levels seen prior to Brexit.

The group, which includes Dublin, Fota, and Belfast zoos, says the conservation work of endangered animals now faces incredible challenges owing to a lack of alignment between the EU and Britain.

CEO of Dublin Zoo, Christoph Schwitzer, said: “It is imperative that the UK and European Commission find a solution so that good zoos and aquariums can continue their work saving species from extinction."

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

Conservation breeding programs are an important part of the conservation work of zoos and aquariums. 

Breeding programs in Ireland include that of the critically endangered citron crested cockatoo and the Geoldi’s monkey in Dublin Zoo, Colobus monkeys and Francois langurs coordinated from Belfast Zoo, and cheetah and lechwe, coordinated from Fota Wildlife Park.

Aside from these programs, the group of zoos across Ireland and the North are continuing with other forms of important conservation work in order to save species from extinction.

Last month, while giving a keynote address at the latest National Biodiversity Conference in Dublin Castle, Mr Martin said that he envisaged cooperation with Britain in a tripartite focus on combating biodiversity loss.

He said that only an all-Ireland approach in sync with the North will work to reverse the harm caused to the natural world, adding that “biodiversity does not recognise borders”.

There are around 16,300 species believed to be endangered across the world, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).