By Claire McCormack

MASKED Campaigners last night called for the closure of Camperdown Wildlife Centre in Dundee if the animals can’t be safely looked after.

They also called for full protection for animals and members of the public from any possible break-ins at the centre following last week’s sickening attack when animals were injured.

Around 11 representatives from Edinburgh-based Advocates for Animals and Dundee Animal Rights intended to hand over a letter of concern to Stewart Murdoch, director of Dundee City Council’s leisure, arts and communities department at Tayside House.

But they were informed they would not be able to meet him to hand over their letter. Campaigner Joanne Sim said, “We were told that Stewart Murdoch wasn’t available and so we asked for another representative of the city council but were told no one else was available either, so we just had to hand it in to the main reception.”

The activists also questioned whether the council should be using public money to run the wildlife centre.

Camperdown is one of only a few remaining visitor attractions with captive wild animals to be funded and run by a Scottish local authority.

According to the campaigners, during the last four years over £1.1 million of public money funded the running costs of the wildlife centre and there was a further £500,000 on capital expenditure.

Advocates for Animals has asked the council to consider whether subsidising a wildlife centre is a legitimate use of council funding and encouraged it to follow the example set by Fife Council in 2001 to end funding of all animal collections.

They pointed out that members of the public increasingly question the role of zoos in the 21st century and concluded that keeping wild animals in captivity for people’s entertainment no longer has a place in civilised society.

In the letter to Mr Murdoch, the campaigns’ director for Advocates for Animals Ross Minett said, “I realise of course that it is not possible to close an animal collection without considerable planning for the safe transfer of animals to appropriate sanctuaries.

“Nonetheless we believe that this move would be in the best interests of the animals and one that many members of the public would support.”

The council was not willing to comment yesterday on the organisation’s call.

The break-in at Camperdown Wildlife Centre last week when a number of the animals were brutally attacked, injured and severely traumatised, outraged readers of The Courier.

The council has increased security following the sickening incident where a deer was slashed with a craft knife, otters were beaten with stakes and had boulders thrown at them, a terrapin died after having its eyes gouged out and a snowy owl ate its chicks as she was so traumatised.

Padlocks to enclosures of wolves, lynx and European brown bears were also tampered with raising serious issues of public safety.

Police inquiries continue and anyone with information is asked to contact Dundee 223200 or speak to any officer.

A £3000 reward has been posted by Courier readers for information that leads to the arrest of the culprits.