Animal welfare at the Living Rainforest

Five basic freedoms

We are proud of our high standards of animal welfare at the Living Rainforest centre. We ensure that our animals have the five basic freedoms for animals in captivity;

• freedom from hunger or thirst
• freedom from thermal or physical discomfort
• freedom from pain, injury and disease
• freedom from fear and distress
• freedom to indulge in normal behaviour patterns

BIAZA guidelines

Beyond this we strictly follow BIAZA (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums) guidelines, and aim to allow animals to live as they would in the wild as far as possible.

Taking extra steps

We take steps beyond those required by BIAZA to ensure the welfare of our animals. For example we carry out welfare audits each year for each animal, looking at a wide range of factors from diet to behaviour. The findings from these audits are used to make improvements. All of our animals are responsibly sourced from other zoos, rescued ex-pets, or customs seizures.