It makes me sad to see how common the hate for zoos is in leftist circles. To me, zoos are so symbolic of the determination and optimism in leftist thought that I often use these facilities as an example to keep me going. So when I hear fellow leftists wanting to abolish zoos it makes breaks my spirit a bit. Especially considering how necessary zoos are in the fight against the current environmental crisis.
I am the first to admit that no zoo is perfect. I have worked at a world class, accredited, non-profit zoo and it was FAR from perfect. The institution treated me and the other workers like shit. Burnout, lean staffing, and poor adherence to safety protocols resulted in poorer animal welfare outcomes for the animals. And this is a world class facility. There are many facilities out there that shouldn't exist at all that are hardly better than the menageries of feudal kings.
BUT
Zoos are vital if we want our ecosystems to survive the current mass extinction event.
No other type of institution on earth has saved as many species as zoos. From tiny snails to 1-ton bison, entire species have been returned to the wild thanks to their preservation in zoos.
There are approximately 40 animal species listed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, most of which ONLY exist in zoos and aquariums. Many of these animals are only able to be taken care of because of the decades of animal husbandry science and institutional knowledge built up by our zoos and aquaria by working with other species.
There are many extinctions I cry for, but the ones that hurt the most are the ones happening in front of our eyes. The Javan rhino is all but gone. It's estimated that there would need to be about 100 rhinos for the species to survive genetically intact. There are now less than that, and none in human care. All it would take is a single tsunami or volcanic eruption and the entire population could be wiped out.
But if there were some in human care, if we had acted sooner and established a breeding population based on the centuries of knowledge we have of caring for their closest relative, the Indian rhino, we could have saved them.
So, when I see leftists talking about how all zoos are inherently destructive, I ask you to think ahead. To when polar bears, chimpanzees, or elephants go extinct in their natural homes, don't you want a place where we can save them? Where experienced animal care professionals can foster a population in human care so that one day these creatures can return to their homes? A global system of world class facilities dedicated to the survival of wildlife? So even more creatures don't end up like the Javan rhino; a species we could've saved if we'd had the will and the space to do so? If there had more zoos instead of less?
I'm not asking you to love zoos, I'm just asking that you recognize the practical necessity of their existence in the modern age. We won't survive the coming crises without other species. And they won't survive without us.
Also, besides functioning as a last, worst case scenario sanctuary for species going extinct, zoos also provide crucial funding for on-ground conservation projects, as well as nature education, which, you guessed it, is also important for effective conservation and a sustainable future!
The Arabian oryx was extinct in the wild in 1972.
[Image ID: Photograph of an Arabian oryx in the Arabian desert, courtesy of Wikimedia]
There were zero of them left. The entire population was in zoos: specifically, the Phoenix Zoo and the Wildlife Park in the US, and Al Ain Zoo in the UAE.
Breeding work in the zoos started before the oryx was fully extinct in the wild, in the 1960s, from a population of 11 at the Phoenix Zoo. There are now more than 1,200 in the wild and more than 6,000 in captivity, which includes wildlife parks. From a total population of a few dozen at most (not all oryxes resided in Phoenix at the beginning of the program but I only have Phoenix’s numbers).
Without the breeding program of Operation Oryx and the care taken by zoos to care for these animals, they would no longer exist.
The oryx was reintroduced to Oman in 1982, and other Arabian countries in stages since, and now has been downgraded in status from extinct to vulnerable.
[Image IDs: a scale showing that “vulnerable” is four steps below “extinct in the wild” and two steps above “least concern;” amateur photo of an Arabian oryx at the Phoenix Zoo, taken by me in 2021]
