Following the death of twelve animals at a zoo in Spain, the Spanish political party Animalist Party with the Environment (PACMA) has announced that it will report the situation to the Environmental Prosecutor’s Office.
PACMA said animals at Vigozoo have died from drowning, fatal blows, stress, and even bleeding. “We will report to the Environmental Prosecutor the death of several animals in strange circumstances in the Vigozoo,” the party announced on Monday.
The deaths over the past three years include two tigers, one lemur, six red-necked wallabies, one scimitar oryx, one Corsican mouflon and one booted eagle, and happened under inadequate circumstances, according to the group.
PACMA is calling for the zoo in the Spanish city of Vigo to be closed and for a recovery center to be created for the animals who are still at the zoo.
However, the Vigo City Council, the authority which is responsible for the zoo, has justified all deaths “by natural causes.” They deny that the deaths occurred “in strange circumstances”.
The Council stresses that the zoo complies with current legislation and is subject to inspections by the Nature Protection Service of the Department of the Environment.
The Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Vigo Eduardo Chao (Favec) has also demanded an investigation into the zoo be carried out. The president of the neighborhood association, María Pérez, considers it “very serious” that the City Council allows animals to be “in poor condition in a space that should have their well-being as its standard.”
The situation has also sparked strong criticism from various political groups, including Podemos, Marea de Vigo and BNG. They have all called for an explanation regarding the deaths of the animals at the zoo in Spain.
The controversy has also shed light on the conditions in which the animals still live in the zoo.