‘There are many zoos I would like to see closed’: world zoo chief plans shake-up

David Field: ‘There are zoos in the UK that are not achieving the standards we would expect and are not giving back in terms of conservation and education.’ Photograph: PA Images/Alamy

He has loved zoos all his life, but would close many of them down if he could.

David Field, who this month became head of the world’s zoo industry group, said of zoos that treat animals badly: “It makes me feel desperate. I’ve probably in my life tried to close down more zoos than open them.”