Protests outside Noah’s Ark

Protests outside Noah’s Ark

20 October 2009

An animal rights group has begun a campaign against Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm after an undercover investigator accused the zoo of breeding tigers and camels for a circus.

The Western Animal Rights Network will begin a series of pickets outside the Wraxall attraction today (Tues) to mark the start of a campaign aimed at closing it down.

The group is a coalition of animal rights activists based in the west of the UK and they intend to hold protests asking people to boycott the zoo and to ask those who advertise the attraction to stop doing so.

They will also contact schools in the area to discourage them from taking pupils to the farm.

The move comes after a joint investigation between the BBC and the Captive Animals’ Protection Society (CAPS) alleged that Noah’s Ark was breeding animals on behalf of Martin Lacey, the owner of Great British Circus – one of six circuses in the UK still using animals.

The investigation also revealed that, following the death of female Bengal tiger Tira in August, her head, skin and feet were cut off and stored in a freezer before the rest of her body was illegally buried in the grounds of the farm.

As a result the environmental protection team at North Somerset Council has agreed to investigate the zoo.

However, a Noah’s Ark spokesman has denied the farm breeds tigers for a circus and said the tigers belong to Linctrek Ltd, a company providing trained animals for use in film, collections and TV.

Martin Lacey is a director of the company.

They also said that Tira’s head, skin and feet were kept for educational purposes at the zoo.

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