As the outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) brings the Association of Zoological Gardens (VdZ) into play with a state fund to support zoos and animal parks in case they need to close temporarily.
According to the association’s managing director, Volker Homes, as told to T-Online, “What we see right now is catastrophic. The economic consequences for farmers are considerable. Yet, zoos and animal parks should not be forgotten.” He emphasized that if a zoo had to close for days or weeks, the costs would quickly reach the hundreds of thousands. The federal government and states should consider an emergency fund to support zoos that are forced to close during this difficult time, he said.
Such a fund could also provide financial support to zoos and animal parks to enable them to close proactively, Homes noted. The FMD can infect wild boar or wild bison herds, as well as elephant and giraffe populations. Unlike farm animals, the zoo’s animals cannot be simply replaced. In the event of an outbreak, all endangered animals would have to be culled, which would be a fatal blow to conservation efforts, Homes stated.
Moreover, the replacement of a specific animal species would be extremely challenging, he added. “We cannot simply buy a particular animal, we exchange it with other zoos. An emergency fund could also help with that.” Due to the outbreak, the Berlin Zoo and the Berlin Animal Park have been closed since January 11.