Demonstration at Chester Zoo
9th April 2007
Demonstrators left Manchester on Bank Holiday Monday to head for Chester Zoo on National Zoo Awareness Day which had been organised by The Captive Animals' Protection Society.
After a short journey we arrived in Chester and were met by local protestors keen to see the public are made aware of the truth about this establishment.
The group took up positions on either side of the road entrance to the zoo and displayed banners and boards and had flyers of information to offer to anybody who was ready to listen to the arguments being made.
The zoo not keen on the activity brought out their own security team to direct traffic and maintain a presence.
However the public were keen to hear the message with many cars winding down windows to take leaflets or even just reading the banner and clearly having a moment of realisation that zoos are actually an anachronistic animal detention centre.
MAP made the arguments that if the zoos were interested in conversation and not profits the money spent on zoos would be better spent preserving wild habitats nearer to an animals native home than in keeping them in gawping pens in the North West of England.
As one last point of interest, representatives of Manchester Animal Protection were able to successfully argue with a zoology student about the problems of zoos, with the student then even urging the group to continue the good work!
There was also a protest outside Blackpool zoo.