Big Cat Sanctuary Owner Banned from Keeping Animals After Welfare Convictions
A 78-year-old big cat sanctuary owner, Terrence Moore, has been banned from keeping animals for five years following multiple animal welfare convictions. Moore, the director of the Cat Survival Trust in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, was found guilty at St Albans Crown Court in May of four counts of causing unnecessary suffering to animals.
The ban, initially suspended to allow the rehoming of 28 animals, was formalized on Thursday. A previous hearing was delayed after Moore suffered an injury at the sanctuary in November.
In addition to the ban, Moore was found guilty of seven charges of using animal species for commercial purposes without a license. He was ordered to pay £10,000 in fines. However, he was acquitted of eight counts of causing unnecessary suffering and four charges of unlicensed commercial use of animals.
The case involved four animals Moore was prosecuted for neglecting: Hamish, a male European wildcat from a Paris zoo; Jasmine, a female Bengal cat; Lily, a jungle cat; and an unnamed Caracal cat.
Hertfordshire Police, in collaboration with North Herts Council, Hertfordshire Zoo, and The Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, cared for the animals during the investigation. Five animals had to be euthanized, while the remaining 23, including Frank, an Asian golden cat, and Boson, a fishing cat, have been rehomed.
The sanctuary, founded by Moore and his wife in the 1970s, was not open to the public but operated on a membership basis. Investigations revealed severe neglect, including unhygienic food storage, inadequate and insecure housing, and a lack of veterinary care for years. Homeopathic remedies were reportedly used instead of proper treatment, and officers discovered 26 animal carcasses improperly stored in freezers.
Detective Constable Beth Talbot, who led the investigation, criticized Moore for failing to protect the endangered species in his care. “Several animals at the site were in a sorry state and suffered under his neglect,” she said.
Jan Muller of the Crown Prosecution Service added, “Moore’s actions caused unnecessary suffering to these animals, forcing them to live in appalling conditions. Some even died from treatable illnesses due to neglect.”