Will Nirah damage species populations by removing animals from the wild?
In reality, only a limited proportion of the animals in Nirah’s care will come from ‘the wild’. Wherever possible, most of Nirah’s animals will be sourced from other aquariums and zoos; private collections; captive breeding programmes; licensed (and internationally recognised) farms; rescued or unwanted animals; and confiscated individuals. If Nirah needs to source any animal from ‘the wild’ it will only do so if; i) the wild population will not be under threat if a few individuals are removed; ii) the wild population will benefit by this removal; and iii) the species future survival depends on this removal. Wherever possible, Nirah will initiate its own and/or work with local captive breeding programmes for any endangered species of fish, amphibian and reptile. Nirah will make sure that any removal of particular animals specifically enhances the survival of that species or the breeding population as a whole. Developing in-situ programmes is an important part of European zoo licensing
