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The Zoo Licensing Act enacted in 1981 and came into force in 1984. The Act requires the inspection and licensing of all zoos in Great Britain. The Act aims to ensure that, where animals are kept in caged surroundings, they are provided with a suitable environment to provide an opportunity to express most normal behaviour. Zoos must comply with both the provisions of the Act, and with the requirements set out in the Secretary of State's standards of modern zoo practice.
Responsibility for the day to day operation of the licensing system rests with local authorities. The licensing and other executive functions of the Act are carried out by District Councils (usually the Environmental Health Department). The Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions has responsibility for maintaining a list of zoo inspectors and setting detailed standards for zoo management with which zoos are expected to comply.
The Secretary of State has a two-part list of inspectors that he can call on to inspect the zoos. The first part contains names of veterinary surgeons and veterinary practitioners who have experience of zoo animals. The second part lists persons who are competent (in the Secretary of the State's opinion) to inspect animals in zoos, to advise on their welfare and to advise on general zoo management issues. Inspectors' expenses are paid by the licensing authority, and recharged to the owner of the zoo.
A zoo is defined in the Act as being 'an establishment where wild animals are kept for exhibition ... to which members of the public have access, with or without charge for admission, on more than seven days in any period of twelve consecutive months.'
The wide scope of this definition means that licensed zoos range from traditional urban zoos and safari parks to small specialist collections such as butterfly houses and aquaria. The Act recognises this wide range of establishments by allowing dispensations to be granted for small zoos. Dispensations for these types of collection are purely to reduce the number of inspectors to a reasonable level for a small establishment, and do not in any way weaken a zoo's obligation to achieve the levels of animal welfare and modern public safety set out in the Secretary of State's standards. The Act does not extend to circuses, or to pet shops, both of which are covered by other (Home Office) legislation.
There are no zoos in the Gedling area but should you wish to discuss any connected matter or wish to have an application form sent to you please contact our Licensing Office (our main licensing page contains full contact details). We hope to have a downloadable version of the new application forms on this page in the near future.
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