Zoos Caught Out Running Factually Incorrect Political Campaigns

“Zoos in Australia and New Zealand are running political campaigns against palm oil based on dodgy ‘facts’”, Director of the Intellectual Property and Free Trade Unit at the Institute of Public Affairs, Tim Wilson, said today.

Mr Wilson’s comments follow the release of Exposed: The inaccurate and inappropriate campaign by Zoos Victoria, a new report released by the Institute of Public Affairs today looking at the claims of zoos against palm oil and the actual evidence supporting these claims.

“Following our research, attacks by zoos, most notably Zoos Victoria, against palm oil aren’t based in evidence. Out of the twelve anti-palm oil ‘facts’ claimed by Zoos Victoria only two have been found to be accurate, eight are false and two cannot be substantiated. Similar claims are also being made by Auckland Zoo”

“Understandably many New Zealanders and celebrities have well intentionally opposed palm oil based on false information provided by zoos, and demanded palm oil be labelled separately . But their support is based on factually and inaccurate information provided by zoos, including Auckland Zoo and its Don’t Palm Us Off campaign.”

“For example, claims by Auckland Zoo that 300 rugby fields are deforested every hour in South East Asia for palm oil production are just rubbish. Those claims are a misrepresentation of a 2005 UN report on illegal logging in Indonesia. Not palm oil and not South East Asia.”

“Auckland Zoo claims that palm oil production costs the lives of more than one hundred orang-utans each week. But it is just a claim. Zoos Victoria claims it is fifty. Perth Zoo claims it is one hundred and sixteen.”

“More concerning is the impact of the misallocation of resources diverted to palm oil political campaigning. It’s time zoos stuck to their knitting and cared for animals and stopped engaging in factually incorrect political campaigning”, Mr Wilson said.

Exposed: The inaccurate and inappropriate campaign by Zoos Victoria is available at Melbourne Zoo and political campaigns

ENDS

© Scoop Media