STANDARDI EVROPSKE UNIJE U OBLASTI ČUVANjA DIVLjIH ŽIVOTINjA U ZOOLOŠKIM VRTOVIMA

Batričević Ana (Истраживач – сарадник, Институт за криминолошка и социолошка истраживања, Београд), a.batricevic@yahoo.com

Respecting fundamental standards of keeping and taking care of wild animals in zoos is significant from the aspect of animal welfare in general, as well as in the context of conservation and improvement of biological diversity, especially of some particularly endangered species of wild fauna. European Union arranged this issue in 1999, in the form of a special Directive, which prescribes minimal requirements for the functioning of zoos, the process of issuing and revoking of license for their work, conditions and modalities of their supervision, as well as the steps that member states are supposed to take in order to improve the state in this field. Although it has not yet obtained the status of the European Union Member State, the Republic of Serbia has been mentioned several times in the reports of European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Besides, some animal protection organizations have been trying to draw public’s attention to certain problems regarding the functioning of these institutions in our country. That is the reason why being familiar with and implementing this Directive, in spite of the fact that it is not obligatory for our country, may significantly contribute to the harmonization with European criteria in this field. Having that in mind, the author briefly presents the contents of the European Council Directive on Keeping of Wild Animals in Zoos and compares it with corresponding normative framework in the Republic of Serbia. The author also attempts to identify the most serious problems that exist in our country when it comes to protecting welfare of wild animals in zoos, as well as to suggest ways to solve them in accordance with European standards.

Ključne reči: Zoos, wild animals, animal welfare, biological diversity, European Union