BIAZA decry illegal ‘shotgun’ rewilding

• Illegal releases of beavers and lynx must stop says association representing conservation organisations involved in rewilding projects.  

• Illegal releases are irresponsible and damaging with potential for biosecurity issues and negative impacts on ecosystems. 

• Political leadership needed to promote responsible rewilding.  

Experts have called illegal wildlife introductions reckless and undermining of conservation efforts. Illegal rewilding has been reported for beavers in England and lynx in Scotland. The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) called illegal rewilding efforts detrimental to legitimate conservation efforts. However, BIAZA says, currently political leadership is not keeping pace with the urgent need for nature restoration.  

Head of conservation at BIAZA, Nicky Needham explained: “Reintroductions are complex. They take time and resources to be successful. In responsible rewilding projects, such as the recent legitimate beaver releases supported by Five Sisters Zoo, the animals are given thorough veterinary screenings to ensure diseases aren’t being introduced into the ecosystem. This practice is standard and is essential to ensure that reintroduction efforts are not having unintended detrimental impacts on ecosystems.” 

BIAZA member zoos and aquariums adhere to high standards of animal welfare and conservation, including when reintroducing animals to the wild. Over the past few years BIAZA zoos have been involved in releasing species ranging from beavers to white storks, wild cats, Fisher’s estuarine moths, and even fen raft spiders – Britain’s biggest spiders, back into the UK.  

Beyond Britain and Ireland, BIAZA zoos and aquariums have reintroduced black rhinos to Uganda, extinct in the wild scimitar-horned oryx to North Africa, and thousands of tree snails to islands in the Pacific.  

Reintroduction examples: 

• Beavers – BIAZA zoos including RZSS Edinburgh Zoo and Five Sisters Zoo have supported the release of native beavers back to the UK where they had been previously driven to extinction, providing expertise including veterinary screening to reduce biosecurity risks and ensure that the beavers are in top condition to survive in the wild. 

• Wildwood Trust, a zoo in Kent, specialising in native species reintroductions. They have 12 active reintroduction projects including red billed chough, water voles, dormice and red squirrels. They are also piloting the reintroduction of bison to the Wilder Blean woodland. These huge herbivores are transforming the woodland and improving biodiversity. European bison is a species saved from extinction by zoos.    

• In Ireland, supported by the Irish Government via the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Fota Wildlife Park and Dingle Oceanworld Aquarium have helped augment the population of thousands of natterjack toads in their native habitat.   

• Askham Bryan Wildlife & Conservation Park and Dudley Zoo and Castle are part of efforts to save the evocatively named glutinous snail – once widespread across England this is now only found in one lake in Wales.