Rising costs put strain on zoo’s conservation work
Twycross Zoo says post-Brexit rules and rising costs for moving animals between the UK and Europe are hindering conservation breeding programmes. It warns that without a new UK-EU agreement to simplify transfers, endangered species could face weaker genetic diversity and reduced chances of successful breeding.
The zoo recorded nine international animal arrivals in 2025, compared with 33 in 2019, while UK zoo transfers with Europe reportedly fell from about 1,400 annually to 390. Transfers now require separate licences, health checks, quarantine arrangements and agreement between several countries; this is delaying efforts to import mates for Kordofan giraffes and critically endangered Sumatran tigers. Defra said it was negotiating with European governments to reduce bureaucracy around zoo animal imports and exports.
- Post-Brexit rules are making zoo animal transfers slower and costlier.
- Twycross says breeding programmes for endangered species are being affected.
- The government says it is negotiating to reduce transfer bureaucracy.