Bristol Animal Rights Collective (BARC) picketed and leafleted outside Bristol Zoo today as part of zoo awareness weekend.

Over a thousand leaflets were handed out to people in the queues. One couple came out and said they'd never visit a zoo again, and many more people were interested in finding out more about why animals should not be held captive.

Zoos are about tourism, and providing a 'day out' rather than anything to do with education, conservation and research.

Many people are now aware of the real lives of wild animal societies, through natural history programmes on TV, books and the internet. A growing number of TV programmes show that the wonderful wildlife in of our own gardens, parks and other local areas can be as exciting as that of other continents.

The increasing awareness of animal behaviour also reveals further the impoverished lives of animals confined in zoos and the physical and behavioural problems captivity creates. Zoos also play no role in conservation, with the protection of natural habitats being the only serious way forward to prevent further losses of species.

Zoo Awareness Weekend aims to spread this awareness and encourage people to withdraw support for captive animal entertainment facilities.

For more info about captive animals, visit  http://www.captiveanimals.org/zoos/factsheet.htm

Get in touch with BARC at  barc@hotmail.co.uk for more information about forthcoming demos, stalls, etc in the Bristol area.