Daily Mirror - 30.07.2019

mirror.co.uk TUESDAY 30.07.2019 DAILY MIRROR^19

DM1ST

CRUEL AND

DEMEANING

also looked at how animals were

used at 12,000 zoos around the globe

that are affiliated to the World Asso-

ciation of Zoos and Aquariums.

They found 43% gave visitors the

chance to pet animals, 33% let tour-

ists walk or swim through enclosures

and 30% used animals in shows.

This fails to meet WAZA guide-

lines, which state that modern zoos

and aquariums should not partici-

pate in animal shows or interactive

experiences where animals perform

unnatural behaviours.

Conditions in zoos not affiliated

to WAZA can be even worse, and the

parks may be linked to the illegal

wildlife trade, the charities warned.

Harry Eckman of the Change for

Animals Foundation urged British

tourists not to visit attractions that

use animals in this way.

He said: “All these ridiculous activ-

ities represent a clear danger to the

wild animals involved.” Dr Neil

D’Cruze of World Animal Protection

said: “Cruel and demeaning visitor

attractions have no place in any

modern zoo or aquarium.”

The report did not identify major

issues at any UK zoos or aquariums

that are members of WAZA.

[email protected]

@warrenmanger

‘Incredible’ news as India records rise in wild tigers

THE number of wild tigers in

India has gone up by more than

700 in the past four years.

There are now 2,967, up from

2,226 in 2015. The stakes could

not be higher as there are said

to be fewer than 4,

worldwide. Hunters, poachers

and human expansion have all

devastated tiger populations.

Dr Yadvendradev Jhala, of

the Wildlife Institute of India,

hailed the news. He said: “We

didn’t expect this, but the

population has gone up, and

that’s incredible.”

“I think the increase is in

those areas where already

tiger numbers were high.” The

count by the National Tiger

Conservation Authority of India

is chronicled in ITV’s Counting

Tigers: A Survival Special,

which airs tonight at 9pm.

Animals put at risk by

zoos that let visitors

interact with them

CHAINED to a table and unable

to fight or flee, a young tiger

squirms as two tourists paw at

its fur while posing for a photo.

Sadly this kind of treatment is far

from unusual as attractions around

the world make animals interact

with visitors or perform in humili-

ating shows for their entertainment.

Elephants are poked with sticks to

make them play basketball, perform

tricks and give rides to visitors.

Dolphins are used as surfboards

by keepers, while chimps and oran-

gutans are made to wear nappies

and clothes, ride scooters and kiss

tourists for photos.

At least three in four aquariums

and zoos force animals to interact

with visitors, welfare charities World

Animal Protection and the Change

For Animals Foundation found.

Audrey Mealia of World Animal

Protection said: “Seeing wild animals

used as circus acts and photo props

was a horror show. These activities

should be a thing of the past.”

The charities visited 12 animal

parks on five continents, including

attractions in the US, Canada,

France and Portugal, for a report

called The Show Can’t Go On. They

SICKENING Subdued lion in France

LEAVE

ME BE

Chained

tiger pawed

by tourists

Keepers use dolphins as surfboards

PORTUGAL

Elephants forced to play basketball

JAPAN

Orangutan dragged along on scooter

PHILIPPINES

All these

ridiculous

activities

are a

danger to

the animals

HARRY ECKMAN CHANGE

FOR ANIMALS FOUNDATION

Fatter people

enjoy flavour

of food more

OVERWEIGHT people
appear to enjoy food more
and take longer to lose
interest in the taste.
Researchers gave people
pieces of chocolate, asking
them to rate each one for
flavour – and to stop when
it became uncomfortable.
The ratings generally
went down after each bite.
But those who had a
higher weight-to-height
ratio ate more pieces – as
many as 51 – before they
stopped enjoying the taste.
Study leader Prof Linnea
Polgreen, of the University
of Iowa, said: “If people
with obesity have different
taste perceptions, it could
[improve] understanding.”
Men kept enjoying the
taste longer than women.

Terror teen’s

ID must stay

secret for life

BRITAIN’S youngest
terrorist has been granted
lifelong anonymity in a
High Court ruling.
The youngster, now 18,
was 14 when he plotted to
murder police in Australia.
He sent messages
instructing a jihadist there
to launch attacks during
an Anzac Day parade.
The boy from Blackburn,
Lancs, named only as RXG,
was jailed for life in 2015
after he admitted inciting
terrorism overseas.
A ban on identifying him
at the time would normally
expire on his 18th birthday.
But judge Dame Victoria
Sharp said it was “neces-
sary and proportionate” to
allow him to keep his ID
secret for the rest of his life.

Last-minute

rush for tax

credit claim

MORE than half-a-million
families risk losing
thousands of pounds in
benefits, figures show.
HM Revenue & Customs
say 633,760 families have
just one day left to renew
their tax credits claim.
Child tax and working
tax credits help two million
families on low incomes by
an average of £6,673.
Martin Lewis, founder of
MoneySavingExpert.com,
said: “If you fail to renew,
your credits could be
stopped, or you could end
up being overpaid, which
sounds good but can be a
nightmare, as you’ll need
to pay it back.”
Last year 275,000 late
claimants had payments
stopped or altered.

EXCLUSIVE

BY WARREN MANGER