Animal rights activists criticise after chimpanzee birth at Gossau Zoo
Keystone-SDA
The animal welfare organisation Peta has criticised the keeping of chimpanzees in zoos. This was prompted by the birth of a baby chimpanzee at Walter Zoo in Gossau, northeastern Switzerland.
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In a statement, Peta called on the zoo to stop breeding apes.
A West African chimpanzee was born at Walter Zoo in mid-January. The zoo announced this in a statement. The animal welfare organisation reacted with criticism on Tuesday.
Peta compares the keeping of great apes in captivity in zoos with the lifelong imprisonment of a human being. As a result, the animals repeatedly suffer sudden deaths, behavioural disorders and other illnesses.
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According to Walter Zoo, West African chimpanzees are acutely threatened with extinction. It is estimated that there are only 18,000 to 65,000 individuals left in the wild. The birth of the chimpanzee in Gossau therefore also demonstrates the importance of zoos for the conservation of endangered species.
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For its part, the animal welfare organisation says that the baby chimpanzee is being misused as a crowd-puller.
Adapted from German by AI/ts
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