London zoo should shut down its late night parties because they are threatening animal welfare, say the RSPCA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and five other animal charities.



In July, the Guardian revealed that drunken visitors poured beer over a tiger, stripped off at the penguin pool and broke the glass on a snake enclosure. Sources at the zoo raised concerns over the impact on animals’ sleep and stress levels at Zoo Lates events, which draw around 6,000 partygoers on Friday nights during summer and raise £800,000 annually for the zoo.

In a letter sent to David Field, the zoological director at the Zoological Society of London, the animal charities warn: “Scientific research shows that during normal opening hours, the presence of zoo visitors can have a detrimental impact on animal welfare. Zoo Lates, which take place outside normal opening hours, while animals would normally be resting, are likely to have an even greater welfare impact, particularly if the visitors behave in a manner that stresses the animals.”

The zoo should immediately cease holding the events, say the signatories, which include Mimi Bekhechi, the director of Peta, and campaigners at the RSPCA, Animal Aid, Born Free Foundation, Captive Animals’ Protection Society, OneKind, and Viva!.

“Zoos should be responsible for the safety of the animals in their care,” they write. “Allowing these late-night events to continue when members of the public have claimed to see butterflies being crushed on the ground and birds in the aviary being “accidentally” punched does not demonstrate adequate consideration for animal welfare.”

The Guardian witnessed crowds shouting in the gorilla enclosure, below signs reading “Respect our home, be thoughtful, be quiet, be kind”, and and overheard a man asking a zookeeper at the penguin beach, “which penguin can I fight?” The nights finish with a loud cabaret metres away from the enclosures of apes and other primates.

Bekhechi said that if the zoo really cared about animals, it would not host another season of Zoo Lates next summer. “Plying thousands of people with alcohol on what is actively promoted by the zoo as a ‘wild night out’ might be a good fundraiser for the London zoo, but it doesn’t put the animals’ needs first,” she said in a statement.

Field said: “While we appreciate organisations like this taking such an active interest in animal welfare, we can only reiterate that animal welfare is our top priority at all times. We go to great lengths to ensure the normal routines and behaviour of our animals are not compromised by Zoo Lates events, and that visitor behaviour is monitored and managed carefully.

“We have not received this letter yet, but when we do we will respond in an appropriate manner, not through the press.”

The welfare of animals and safety of visitors at Zoo Lates is currently being investigated by Westminster council, which issues the zoo’s licenses. A petition calling on the events to end attracted nearly 75,000 signatures.

Next week, the zoo will host a “unique” six-mile morning run, which it describes as “taking in the scenery of the unique pathways of exotic animals.”

