Vets, campaigners and actors have called on the council to take “urgent and decisive” action at the zoo amid concerns over animal welfare issues.

A BBC investigation heard in October allegations of preventable animal deaths, welfare issues and bullying culture at South Lakes Safari Zoo in Cumbria, which the zoo has denied.

Westmorland and Furness Council said it needed to check the zoo’s compliance with its license conditions but had no legal authority to revoke the licence.

Zoo bosses responded that Animal Freedom actions were “driven by a strict anti-captivity agenda”, adding that animal welfare had always been the “number one priority”.

Warning: This article contains images of animal injuries that some readers may find disturbing.

Former zoo workers showed the BBC photos and videos they said depicted animals’ injuries and deaths. In a report published last month.

CZCL said it “completely denies and objects” that it had engaged in any practices that led to “the death, injury or mistreatment of animals”.

The BBC also heard allegations of a bullying culture, with staff left “completely heartbroken” and “burst to tears”. CZCL denied these allegations.

An unannounced inspection by Westmorland and Furness Council in March this year Rhinos had been kept indoors for more than 17 hours.

An inspection in April raised “serious concerns” and found standards had fallen over the previous three years.

But by June the council carried out a follow-up visit and reported that 26 of the 28 improvement instructions had been complied with.

On Monday, 33 animal welfare groups, veterinarians, academics and public figures, including actors Peter Egan and Carol Royale, wrote to the council demanding the zoo’s license be permanently revoked.

A letter led by the Animal Liberation Foundation called on the council to take “urgent and decisive” action.

He asked the authorities to facilitate the removal of all animals kept in captivity to appropriate and accredited sanctuaries.

Westmorland and Furness Council said the law was changed in 2003 to remove local authorities’ power to suspend or revoke zoo licences, replacing it with new powers to impose stricter conditions.

A spokesman said councils still have the power to close zoos, but only if they fail to make the necessary changes or “the situation is so bad that the zoo is deemed disorderly or an operator has been convicted of a criminal offence”. .

They added that the authority still monitors and inspects the zoo and that some conditions are in place, but “there is no evidence of the serious systemic animal health and welfare problems that have characterized collection in the past”.

Zoo boss Karen Brewer said it “continues to operate the zoo in accordance with all regulatory requirements”.

Animal Liberation said its actions were “driven by a strict anti-captivity agenda.”

“We have carried out three council inspections in the last 12 months where our ‘excellent veterinary programme’ was noted and we continue to make improvements to meet the conditions of our zoo licence,” Ms Brewer added.