Zoo licence move 'killed animals' (From Harwich and Manningtree Standard)

Zoo licence move 'killed animals'

5:00pm Monday 18th February 2013 in News By Helen Barnett

RESCUE animals have died from stress according to owners who were forced to move them because they didn’t have the right paperwork.

Mistley Place Park is facing up to the sad conclusion of a mix up with their licence.

The animal sanctuary was told it needed a zoo licence to stay open after inspectors said wild animals were not allowed to be on public display.

Owners Maureen and Michael Taylor said the licence would cost them £10,000 and force them to shut the park, so instead set about rehoming the animals and moving some from public view.

But last week Michael received a devastating phone call saying one of his rheas, a South American breed of ostrich which was moved to private land in Suffolk, had died.

An endangered red squirrel and an owl have also died at the park  following the stress of moving location, Michael said