READER LETTER | Are animals at East London Zoo safe?

Iphoned the East London SPCA a week ago and was told that there are staff at the EL Zoo feeding the animals and that an inspector from the SPCA does checks. However, this is not very reassuring. One cannot help wondering about the conditions under which the animals live, the cleanliness of their enclosures, whether they get sufficient food and water.

In the shutdown due to the coronavirus scare, what if a staff member tests positive for the virus and the others are put into quarantine? Who would be responsible for the animals in this scenario? Would the local SPCA step in?

I cannot see the purpose in keeping the zoo open. Is it to keep the staff employed? This would be commendable in itself if they are doing a good job. But are they being kept on until the animals there die off? What a terrible fate for these animals. Imagine their boredom, day following day without any stimulation whatsoever, probably barely fed, and I would hazard a guess that their enclosures are not being kept clean. There is no public to see what their conditions are, who really cares?

My wish is that an animal welfare organisation, such as the one from Johannesburg that rescued the Bloemfontein Zoo animals, would come to the rescue of the animals at the EL Zoo.

Jennifer McConnachie-Bonora, via e-mail