Zoos must comply with many pieces of legislation in order to run properly, be licensed and be open to the public. The staff must be aware and comply with many health and safety regulations such as Health and Safety at work Act (1974), the Zoo licensing Act (1981), the Animal Welfare Act (2006)  and The Secretary of States Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (2012) to name a few. To comply with so many pieces of legislation can be a challenge and can be conflicting. The Health and Safety Executive created a document called Health and Safety in Zoos which is a concise document containing guidance for zoo operators, managers and safety operators, This document was used to guide the design if this cheetah enclosure. You can find the link for this document at the bottom of this page if you wish to find out more!

 

According to the Secretary of States Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (SSSMZP) (2012), a cheetah is a Category 1 hazardous animal and therefore, the enclosure must safely hold the animal whilst also complying with existing legislation on health and safety for staff, the public and veterinarians. This hazardous animal categorization also restricts staff to have a ‘non-contact’ relationship with these felids and therefore the enclosure must be designed for this type of relationship (SSSMZP, 2012). Before any enclosure is used, a risk assessment is required and staff must be trained properly in order to use equipment and carry out procedures correctly and safely (HSE, 2012:).