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Knowsley Safari Park animal culling out-rage

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Chlidonias, 10 Jan 2011.

  1. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    Merseyside zoo killed animals and left them to rot by bins | The Sun |News
    photos on the link (warning: graphic!)
     
  2. Chlidonias

    Chlidonias Moderator Staff Member 15+ year member

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    I only just realised the Zoochat header says "Knowlsey"!
     
  3. Secret Squirrel

    Secret Squirrel Well-Known Member

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    I can't see any other sites reporting this at the moment, just The Sun newspaper. Given that this tabloid isn't the most credible source I'd wait to see if anything else comes out of this before getting too worked up. The photographs look damning to be sure, but without a proper source for the story we have what could be a disgruntled ex-employee with some skill in photograph manipulation. Then again it could all be true. Will wait for more details.
     
  4. Steve Robinson

    Steve Robinson Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Peter Dickinson has had this story on his site all afternoon [antipodean time].

    His comments are very pertinent.

    Certainly the disgruntled ex-employee syndrome may be in play here to some extent.
     
  5. Javan Rhino

    Javan Rhino Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Knowsley's official statement on the website:

    Response Statement to Sun news article | Safari Park News | Knowsley Safari Park

    In short (from what I understand), there were issues with carcass disposal and the use of firearms that have been swiftly resolved. However, it is believed that many carcasses were moved around for 'maximum photoraphic impact' - and the carcasses are those of either stillborn animals, animals that have died through fighting or been PTS due to illness.
     
  6. trixie

    trixie Well-Known Member

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    I agree there are always 2 sides to a story,best to wait,but it does look gruesome.
     
  7. ZooLeopard

    ZooLeopard Well-Known Member

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  8. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Seems to me that Knowsley got sloppy about their euthanasia and disposal policies of dead/unwanted animals and have been exposed by it seems, a disgruntled(? -partner had lost job there))ex Employee.

    The Axis and Blackbuck are clearly calves/fawns which were probably 'DNS' but its not an excuse for leaving them lying around in a haphazard manner like that for days at a time- even if away from public view and even if they have been re-arranged a bit for maximum effect in the photos.

    I wouldn't judge Knowlsey's overall rights of operation on something like this though.
     
    Last edited: 10 Jan 2011
  9. karoocheetah

    karoocheetah Well-Known Member

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    Yes I got frustrated with the idiotic replies on facebook too - they are the same people who believe Elivis is living on the moon in a 2nd world war bomber and aliens have infiltrated the UK Monarchy (actually......) :D

    Back to the story though - hell it looks bad (as I think was intended by Penny - ex employee who's partner lost his job at the zoo recently- kind of Sun source person)

    If you read KSP's article they do indeed hold their hands up to some errors that thay say have now been corrected and they will understandably have a rough ride of it in the near future whilst they try to clear their name.

    It's worrying on all fronts to be fair but the SUN of all papers and people STILL believe that they are a reputable news source - I despair for this country sometimes! :rolleyes:
     
  10. devilfish

    devilfish Well-Known Member

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  11. adrian1963

    adrian1963 Well-Known Member

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    As anyone else noticed that the shadow from the bins does not cover the animals in the correct way (photoshop I think) also no shadow at all coming from the furthest animal in the photograph.
    I don't agree with this situation they got sloppy this should not of happened.
    Why have health and safety not been called in as surely this is unsafe practice wehter it be away from the public or not staff still have to incur this area.
    This sort of thing will only come to light when someone who was employed at a place of work decides to leave this seems like to pre meditated and some investigative work went into it as a bit of a revenge.
    Mind you I can only think of what would have happened if this was a place like Borth, Noahs ark or even Dudley this thread would have been alot longer now with calls for these places to be closed by some members on here
     
  12. RTB1987

    RTB1987 Well-Known Member

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    I find it hard to believe that they would cull a pere davids deer?
     
  13. Paix

    Paix Well-Known Member

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  14. SMR

    SMR Well-Known Member

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    The shadows are all correct, it doesn't look as though that first photograph has been digitally manipulated at all.
     
  15. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Many years ago I saw several dead Pere David stags hanging up in a private yard on the Woburn estate. I guess they may cull the stags occassionally to keep the sex ratio healthy or the herd within bounds.

    Or possibly the Knowsley animal had to be put down due to injury etc rather than culled. But this species is no longer the extreme rarity it once was.
     
  16. Paradoxurus

    Paradoxurus Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    Why on earth would Penny Boyd, a long term animal keeper herself (she used to run the animal sanctuary at Burstow), go straight to the Sun and CAPS? Surely if she had serious concerns she would have reported the Park to the council and BIAZA above all others. Her partner, Nick Ellerton, also has a long association with zoos and I can't imagine him fuelling such a charity's campaigns. Besides, he has a reputation for triggerhappiness himself.

    I'll maintain that zoos should be completely open about culling animals - then there would be no story.

    Appart from not containing the carcasses I don't see what the Park has done wrong. And I would agree that the bodies look nicely arranged (see how the Blackbuck's head is nealy propped up on a bone).
     
  17. zoofari

    zoofari Well-Known Member

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    I have been lucky enough to do a couple of behind the scenes photo shoots with Penny Boyd and would say that what she has done is for the welfare of the animals and the reputation of animal collections. And not sour grapes. but thats my opinion.
    also agree with SMR re shadows on photos
     
  18. adrian1963

    adrian1963 Well-Known Member

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    It may be my mistake about the shadows but I still can't make out the shadow to the left side of the animal on the far left aas there should be a shadow there as like with the bins (Also noted on other photographic sites) this picture from the sun as gone round many sites now and it's not doing the animal collection world any good at all because other people can't understand the culling mentallity and why it has to be done
     
  19. SMR

    SMR Well-Known Member

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    There is, you can clearly see shadows to the left of the animal's legs. Also remember that as the angle changes (the subject moving to the left of frame) the perception of the length of shadow will also change, the increasing acuteness of the perspective appearing to shorten it. What's more, the shadow will be obscured partly by the angle of the carcass. The shadows from the bins are a lot longer as they're a lot taller.
     
  20. adrian1963

    adrian1963 Well-Known Member

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    SMR I now understand what you are on about but has I said before other photographic sites are drawing into question the shadows
    I am still abit confused as to why the exemployee went to the paper and not health and safety though.