Overview

• The Born Free report reveals more than 1,500 great apes in European zoos—including nearly 240 in UK facilities—experiencing chronic stress, stereotypic behaviours and serious health problems
• The charity warns captive breeding poses dangers such as traumatic births, high stillbirth rates, maternal rejection and instances of infanticide
• Bristol Zoological Society confirms its eight gorillas will move later this year to a forest-modeled habitat at the new Bristol Zoo Project that is four and a half times larger than their current enclosure
• The UK Government’s revised Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain, due in May 2027, set higher welfare benchmarks but face questions over whether zoos can fully comply
• The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums defends modern zoos as critical for conservation and expert care even as fewer than half of Britons deem great ape captivity acceptable