Animal Charity Visits Mini-Zoo in Spain’s Santander Trying to Get it Closed

AS previously reported, Animal charity AnimaNaturalis is campaigning for the closure of a mini-zoo in the Palacio de la Magdalena in Santander due to the poor conditions under which the sea creatures there live.

This week, a team from the charity accompanied a local councillor and a team of specialists including vets to study the conditions.

Team leader Aïda Gascón said “The councillor for the Environment, Margarita Rojo, has conveyed to us her desire and commitment to turn the zoo into a sanctuary, with the door open to the participation of animal protection associations.

“However, we have serious doubts that this idea can be economically viable. At the moment there is no definite plan for this conversion, which in any case would go on for a long time and the animals need solutions now.”

The matter is to be voted on by the council shortly and a proposal from a group of councillors asks that the animals be relocated to “more suitable” environments and that the zoo be closed in due course with an immediate ban on further breeding and only temporary housing of confiscated animals.

During the visit, AnimaNaturalis was particularly concerned about the abnormal and excessive algae growth on the skin of grey seals and according to Aïda Gascón one of them is behaving very worryingly, because it barely moves all day and seems to be letting itself die.