The Downton star who signed a petition calling for action to be taken at South Lakes Safari Zoo is a well-known animal rights activist.

Actor Peter Egan, whose credits include TV series such as Downton Abbey and Unforgotten, signed the petition following concerns raised after claims of neglect.

Egan is included among a total of 33 animal protection organisations, veterinarians, scholars and public figures who have signed onto an open letter led written by Freedom for Animals.

Each one is calling for Westmorland and Furness Council to revoke the zoo's licence.

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Zoo bosses have denied the allegations.

A spokesperson for the zoo said following recent inspections there were a small number of conditions and directions applied to the zoo’s licence in accordance with Zoo Licensing Act.

Karen Brewer, chief executive of Cumbria Zoo Company Limited, said: “We continue to operate the zoo in compliance with all regulatory requirements.

“While we respect the right for all people to voice their opinion, it must also be pointed out that the actions of Freedom for Animals are driven by a hard line anti-captivity agenda.

“We have had three council inspections in the last 12-months during which our ‘excellent veterinary programme’ has been noted and we have continued making improvements to satisfy the conditions of our zoo licence.

“Animal welfare will always be our top priority, and we remain committed to providing the best veterinary care to all the amazing animals at the zoo."South Lakes Safari Zoo (Image: Newsquest) 

Egan is an avid advocate of animal rights and acts as an ambassador for Sarajevo dog rescue group, Saving Suffering Strays, as well as the Animals Asia Foundation.

He is also a staunch vegan and during the filming for Downton Abbey, he refused to be shown with meat on his plate.

Egan also featured in Ricky Gervais’ Afterlife who is also outspoken on issues of animal cruelty.

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Gervais, also from Hampstead, has attended protests alongside Egan and recently attended a high profile animal fundraiser hosted by the Downtown star.

More than £15,000 was raised through a raffle and auction of virtual gifts to support the dogs, cats and communities helped by Animal charity Mayhew, which is based in Kensal Green, London.

Egan will soon be attending the Saving Strays Christmas Concert with Rick Wakeman and friends on December 7.

Peter had been vegetarian for eight years and turned vegan in 2016 after taking part in Veganuary.

He has since campaigned tirelessly for animals and according to vegan Viva! charity, gatecrashed the annual pig farming awards projecting images from its 2020 documentary Hogwood: A Modern Horror Story Farm which uncovered acts of cruelty and neglect which resulted in the Warwickshire farm being dropped by Tesco in 2019.

Egan is still regularly active on X and posts about trophy hunting, hunt saboteurs and banning fur in the UK, among many other wildlife issues.