On November 5, Persian leopard shot dead in Cabárceno Natural Parkin Cantabria, after escaping from the establishment where he was during a period of adaptation.
Apparently, the animal, one of the two brothers of the Madrid Zoo-Aquarium, he had fought with the other leopard and managed to jump over the fence of his space.
From the park, in a note published on his social networks, he declared that that day, “the park staff, in their usual work before opening to the public, detected that a specimen was missing from the Persian leopard enclosure“.
“High security perimeter”
The park says Yala, the escaped leopard, “was located by staff in an area close to its enclosure“, having managed to escape the reinforced high security perimeter of this new species, one of the most aggressive felids.”
According to the Fondation Conseil et Action pour la Défense des Animaux (FAADA), although workers managed to locate him using a GPS collar, they decided to shoot him considering that it was a threat to personal safety and that the use of an anesthetic dart would not be enough to neutralize it.
From the park, they describe that the protocol establishes that “if a dangerous animal escapes from its enclosure, it must be killed.” They claim from Cabárceno that shooting with tranquilizer darts “is not precise and takes between 5 and 7 minutes to take effect, which allows the Persian leopard to escape and/or attack”, once again classified by park officials as “one of the most dangerous felids“.
Another accident
FAADA emphasizes that “this incident reminds us that, despite its vast facilities, Cabarceno remains a zoo which, like all centers of this type, “exchanges animals and favors the exhibition of species rather than their well-being”.
The foundation recalls that “this This is not the first accident in the park. To give just a few examples, in November 2014, several adult wolves were shot and in 2018, three giraffes were burned alive due to the poor condition of the facilities.
Also, in February 2021, park worker dies after being hit by elephant while performing cleaning tasks in the pachyderm area.
Endangered species
From the FAADA, they emphasize that “these facts highlight the challenges inherent to guarantee the protection of workers and animals.
With the data provided by the foundation, we wonder “the center’s commitment to the conservation of endangered species“As is the case in all zoos around the world, only a minority of the 150 species housed here are endangered, while the rest are on display for economic reasons.”
In addition, the entity also recalls that “although its full name Cabárceno Natural Park can be confusing (much like its location and large wilderness facilities), this zoo continues to have a profit motive and significant management problems.
“Lack of control over reproduction”
The foundation specifies that “the park is also one of the centers of its kind with a greater lack of control over reproduction. This causes them to have many problems due to the high density of individuals and animals considered “surplus” end up being sacrificed or distributed (sold or transferred) to other centers.
Among the problems reported by the foundation is the “excessive number of animals”, which leads to “other consequences including the large number of conflicts which, as demonstrate different cases involving park tigersend in fights or tragic escapes which, as in the case of the leopard, also result in the death of the animals involved.
FAADA concludes that after the incident with this Cabárceno leopard, it is essential to remember that “Although the center’s facilities may appear very spacious, if there are too many people, the size is no longer adequate.”.
