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Link to newsround

New rules to improve animal welfare at zoos

Aquarium touch pool - hand touching ray Getty Images

The rules include banning aquarium touch pools which can cause stress to the animals

A new set of rules and standards for zoos, aquariums and safari parks are being put in place by the government.

The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said the changes will protect the welfare of animals, and are the first update to the ways zoos have run in over 10 years.

They include changes to the enclosures used by elephants and a ban on aquarium touch pools.

The rules are aimed at protecting Britain's most-loved zoo animals, from birds including snowy owls and golden eagles, to the wonders of the sea like octopus and sting rays.

BBC Teach: Learn all about zoos

What's changing and why?

An elephant stands with its front two legs on the edge of a shallow pool in its enclosure at Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo have said they welcome the changes and already have plans to increase the size of their elephant enclosure

The new rules are aimed at making sure that all UK zoos, aquariums and safari parks are run in a way that puts animal welfare first.

Some of the main changes are:

  • Having large enclosures for birds of prey rather than having them tethered

  • Enclosures for elephants that are more like their natural habitats

  • Banning aquarium pools where visitors have been allowed to touch fish

  • Better training for staff working with exotic animals

Zoos and aquariums will have two years to adapt to the changes.

More about Zoos:

What do people think about the new rules?

Meerkats Getty Images

The new standards have been welcomed by some, but others say the government needs to go further

"We are a nation of animal lovers, and our best zoos and aquariums are truly world leaders in setting the standard for how wild animals should be kept" said Baroness Hayman, who is the government's Animal Welfare Minister.

She added that she wants the changes to be the start of "an even stronger, even more comionate future for all zoos and aquariums - and the animals they protect." 

Cam Whitnall from CBBC's One Zoo Three runs The Big Cat Sanctuary, said: "This is a huge step forward and also a call to action for other countries to now raise their standards, so animals everywhere benefit from the same level of care, and we can align globally for wildlife."

While some are welcoming the changes, other groups want the government to go further.

Dr Jo Judge is boss of the British and and Irish Zoo Association, who represent 132 zoos and aquariums.

She says the new rules are "the most advanced in the world" but said the government needs to show "commitment to improving animal welfare" by making sure it's properly enforced and that money is available for training inspectors.