About Our Zoological Facilities

Are they really "suffering" for our own greed?

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Should Zoos Exist?

Dr Dave Hone wrote an article for The Guardian and he tried answering the question, “Does the world need zoos?” His answer, yes it does. He explains that zoos play a huge role in the world for conservation and education of endangered species. He states that many other animal species are already extinct in the wild and only survive because of populations kept in captivity. Zoos often recognize this role they play and that it is better to have species preserved somewhere than be lost for all time. He leaves off explaining that while zoos do provide a critical reservoir for endangered species. Those species that are held in zoos such as the endangered ring-tailed lemurs are already protected from any events and trends such as climate change or habitat loss. He concludes that as more harm is inflicted on Earth’s biodiversity, soon some species may only exist living in zoos and their loss from the world would be tragic and irreversible. 

Throughout his article, Dr David Hone implies that zoos are one of the only ways animal species will continue to survive if they go extinct in the wild. While they are in captivity, they have a chance at increasing the populations through breeding programs in hopes of returning them back into the wild. I agree with his overall argument that he is making because I don’t want to see any other animals go extinct. Zoos will someday be some of the only places that animals will live in if we continue to destroy our environment but if we shut them down, animals have a much higher risk of going extinct.

What I want my readers to know is that being able to answer the question of “should zoos exist?” is based on your own opinion of how you see zoological facilities like aquariums and zoos. Before making their own opinion, one must know all aspects of what makes a zoo or an aquarium a facility. One should be willing to know all that there is to know about a certain zoo’s research and rescue program, how they treat their animals, or even if they are non-profit or for-profit. Just like how Dr David Hone has his own opinion, you can have yours as well but if you were to ask me, I would say that yes, zoos should exist. Just like a zoo’s goal, zoos and aquariums have inspired me to take care of our earth and helped me fall in love with animals. They’ve even helped me decide that I want to be a veterinarian and contribute to the cause of my own way. The next generation of children are on their way, so if we want them to live in a healthy and flourishing planet, we need to protect the earth from pollution and extinction. Today, we, and zoos, are the main factors who can make this achievable. 

Citations:

Hone, Dr. "Why The World Needs Zoos." the Guardian. N. p., 2017. Web. 6 Nov. 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/08/why-the-world-needs-zoos

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Releasing Captive Animals

When the topic of releasing captive-bred animals into the wild, I think Zoe Cormier effectively answers the question of whether this is correct or not. In his article on BBCearth, he begins by telling the story of Keiko, the orca who stars in the movie Free Willy (1993). Keiko was a wild-caught orca who was raised in captivity in his youth and was then released back into the wild 23 years after his original capture date. During his reintroduction to the wild, he was taught how to hunt and navigate his surroundings. After being released back into the wild, he made several attempts to join a wild orca pod but failed and he even continued to make human contact with citizens who lived in the area. Cormier tells us that he never managed to integrate with a wild population, struggled to hunt anyways, and eventually died of pneumonia in 2002. He then explains to us that small animals such as frogs can be released out into the wild but as for complex mammals such as primates, elephants, or dolphins and whales, who require years to teaching from their mothers and social groups, can find reintroduction much more difficult since they don’t have these skills necessary for survival. Later on, Cormier then reveals that not only is it hard to teach captive animals how to become ‘wild,’ it is also very expensive. One example he demonstrated was that rehabilitating a simple orangutan costs animal care $250 a month. It may cost $5,000 or $10,000 to eventually release an animal, and their operations are always limited by funds. 

Zoe Cormier makes an effective argument as to why animals that are born and raised in captivity should stay in captivity. When an animal is taught how to live with humans for their whole lifetime, it would be very difficult to teach it how to live on its own in a few years. During an animal’s younger years, they require a mother or someone to help raise the young creature just like how a baby needs their mom and teachers to raise it to become a healthy and smart human being. Additionally, using the example Zoe used of the orangutan, the more animals there are to be released, the more money and effort it would cost to complete those release projects. They also risk failing just like how Keiko did when he was introduced into the wild. 

My deduction is, when an animal comes into human care, they either have to learn in their youth how to be wild or how to live under human care. Someone may argue that even though animals have a risk of dying after being released, they are still living in their natural environments. I would say this is a flawed claim because if an advocate’s goal is to provide better welfare for the animal, having it sent out into a potentially dangerous environment where it has no experience being in is wrong. Most of these re-released animals are complex mammals such as dolphins or large cats so they require a mother figure to teach them how to use their skills. If a mother isn’t available, these projects might end in another animal being sent out into its death sentence if they don’t have the necessary skills to survive, just like Keiko. 

Citations:

Cormier, Zoe. "Can Captive Animals Ever Truly Return To The Wild?." BBC Earth. N. p., 2018. Web. 6 Nov. 2019. https://www.bbcearth.com/blog/?article=can-captive-animals-ever-truly-return-to-the-wild

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What is Wrong with Aquariums?

Doris Lin from ThoughtCo. wrote an article answering the question, “What is wrong with aquariums?” She begins by saying “Animal rights activists oppose aquariums for the same reason they oppose zoos. Fish and other sea creatures, like their land-dwelling relatives, are sentient and have a right to live free from human exploitation.” She justifies that animals are given their rights based on their sentience—their ability to suffer. She points out the difference between giving jellyfish and anemones rights compared to dolphins, elephants, or chimpanzees. These 3 are more intelligent and self-aware than jellyfish so those animals don’t belong in zoos or aquariums since they are sentient according to her deduction. Later in the article, she further indicates that animals don’t belong in aquariums since the animals are kept in confined and relatively small pools where they can get bored at times. Lastly, she presents the argument against aquariums saying that in the wild, a dolphin can swim 40 miles per day while in captivity, they swim half as much and would need to circle their pools hundreds of times a day. She concludes that captivity doesn’t justify the suffering of animals in both aquariums and zoos.

In this article by Doris Lin, describes how sentient creatures shouldn’t belong in zoos or aquariums because they are self-aware, can feel emotions, and also have rights. I agree with that statement because no sentient create should be taken away from their natural habitat but in zoos, most of their animals are bred inside the facilities so there is no reason why they should be released into an environment to which they have never been exposed to nor taught how to survive in. If we wish to have sentient animals in aquariums it is our duty to give them the best welfare we can even if we can’t replicate their natural homes of the ocean.

To sum it up, I agree with Doris Lin; zoos nor aquariums won’t ever be able to replicate the Earth’s natural environment in which these animals originated from. Nature is made up of complex biological structures and ecosystems that interact with one another. To recreate an entire environment that complex and big, it would cost a tremendous amount of money, time, and effort to create just one for a handful of animals living in a zoo. The way that I see it, all of these sentient animals that live within zoos such as dolphins and elephants are provided with the best human care that they can possibly be given. Even though zoos and aquariums aren’t like the real environments of these animals, these places are some of the only places where we can have constant interaction with these animals that would otherwise be difficult to encounter in the wild.  

Lin, Doris. "What's Wrong With Aquariums?" ThoughtCo, Aug. 26, 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/whats-wrong-with-aquariums-127638

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Sanctuaries

ThoughtCo. shared an article written by Doris Lin on the differences between zoological facilities and sanctuaries. First and foremost, he clarifies and claims that “Animal rights advocates oppose keeping animals in zoos because imprisoning the animals for our entertainment violates their right to live free of human exploitation. Even if the animals are of an endangered species, keeping them in a zoo for the sake of the species violates their rights because the good of the species cannot be put above the rights of the individual.” Lin goes on to explain that sanctuaries don’t breed, sell, nor trade animals but instead acquire animals who can no longer survive in the wild and provide them a secure, open, and controlled environment in which they can continue to thrive. 

Just like how Doris Lin explained, a sanctuary is a place that still manages to preserve small wildlife populations while also providing a healthy environment to live in. Furthermore, she points out that animal advocates would say that zoos imply that it is okay for us to imprison animals simply for zoos to hope to inspire children to protect animals and build an affection for them when they see them in their habitats. Lin makes a claim about how many kids on earth love dinosaurs but none of them ever seen a real dinosaur. Though this is true, however, my argument is that dinosaurs have gone extinct thus we no longer have to worry about protecting them; they are just there to inspire children to read about Earth’s history. When it comes to zoos, there is still a cause to fight for because these animals are still alive so there is a chance we can continue to protect them. Just like how Lin points out in her article, we are in the middle of the 6th mass extinction so I would agree with the argument that claims, if we wish to inspire people to care about our animals, zoos are one of the ways this is possible at a global scale. Zoos can teach people a lot more easily since they are more accessible than sanctuaries—Lin said in her article that many sanctuaries display their animals implying that some may be private so the public will have less access to learn about those animals.

Doris’s article on sanctuaries explains that the goal of a sanctuary is to provide a life for an animal away from human intervention who can no longer live in the wild. They continue to grant animals their rights without exploiting them and maintaining the animal’s ‘wild’ behavior. If this is how sanctuaries are to be, in my point of view these places should be made private if they wish to acknowledge the animal’s rights, including privacy. In my opinion, I would agree that though a zoo serves an educational purpose, that does not justify the withholding of animals in enclosed environments. When you think about it, these sanctuaries are still human-made, controlled, and run so there is still an aspect of captivity put in place. In the end, both sanctuaries and animal shelters are good because they both rescue and care for them but if we wish to learn about animals personally and first hand, a zoological facility is the correct place to be at.

Lin, Doris. "What's the Difference Between a Zoo and a Sanctuary?" ThoughtCo, Jun. 26, 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/difference-between-zoo-and-sanctuary-127657

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Animal Welfare

According to the Journal titled The Veterinary Clinics of North America, Sarah Heath explains that she sees enrichment involving “the goals of enrichment are to enhance mental and physical development in young animals through the provision of a complex environment, and to ensure good welfare in adult animals by providing them with a complex environment that meets all their behavioral needs.” She continues by clarifying that what enrichment does is enhance the animal’s quality of life by making it more rewarding and meaningful especially since these captive animals no longer have their free choice of going out into the wild and making their own choices. Captive animals are under our care so we are responsible for how they feel, act, and their overall life. Heath goes on to explain that when an animal that is under our care, we should meet their 5 freedom requirements: Freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, from pain, injury, or disease, to express normal behavior, and from fear and distress. These 5 categories are otherwise known as being able to maintain proper welfare for the animals. This does not stop here though, there is what is called Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. An entry by Chivalric Ethology illustrates what this is by using a tree and a pyramid as an example where each ascending layer is able to provide a more meaningful life and better welfare for the animal (See figure above). The 5 freedoms provide basic animal enrichment and welfare but there are 3 more steps in the pyramid where if these are provided, the animal is considered to be flourishing. These are social needs, mental stimulation, and choice.

Heath implied that without being able to provide proper animal welfare, many captive animals would be considered to be suffering. Seeing an animal suffer is what many people don’t want to see in captivity but the term “captive” relates to being controlled and confined by something or someone else; in other words, being under our care, both in zoos and our homes. Since these animals are under our care, we must meet these requirements. If you go to a zoo and observe for yourself like I have, zoos do an outstanding job at this especially since many zoological parks offer their animals those elements at the top of the pyramid which exceed basic animal welfare. 

If we wish to see animals flourish we need to know how to properly take care of our animals by looking at Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. As long as we can meet basic welfare care by applying the 5 freedoms, we should be okay but why should we stop there? As owners of any animal, whether in homes or zoos, I like to affirm that we should be aiming for the peak of the pyramid; to provide all other forms of welfare, especially choice so we don't need to force animals to do anything. The way that I see it, people shouldn’t bash at zoos or aquariums when in reality many of them do an exceptional job at providing care for their animals. Animal welfare is applied to all captive animals, including those in our homes so before we judge zoological parks we should ask ourselves, “am I providing better welfare for my animal than my local zoo?” 

Citations:

Heath, Sarah. "Canine And Feline Enrichment In The Home And Kennel: A Guide For Practitioners". Veterinary Clinics Of North America. Small Animal Practice, vol 44, no. 3, 2014, pp. 427-449., Accessed 3 Nov 2019. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0195561614000047?via%3Dihub 

Heirarchy of Needs. (2019). CHIVALRIC ETHOLOGY. Retrieved 4 November 2019, from http://pennywood.weebly.com/heirarchy-of-needs.html 

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Making an Impact in the Community and Environment

Zoological parks aren’t there just to make money off of a person’s wallet. Just like how Ben Minteer from the World Economic Forum explains, what many of them try to promote often are their conservation efforts. He explains how many of these zoos are leaders in conservation and rescue projects such as ones that help reintroduce animals into the wild. Many also hold breeding projects that help save animals from extinction.  Minteer gave an example saying how the Bronx Zoo in New York held a breeding program that tried to save the American Bison from being added to the extinct animals' list. According to the article, after this successful project, a number of zoos developed what is called the “Species Survival Plans.” Minteer revealed that this project “coordinates breeding and population management programs for threatened and endangered animals among other zoos worldwide. The goal is to create healthy and genetically diverse animal populations of these species across the zoo community, an effort that can ultimately aid the conservation of the species in the wild” (Minteer, 2014). This program has had its own successful results such as the American Bison, California Condor, and even the black-footed ferret being saved due to zoo efforts. 

Just like Minteer demonstrates in his article, zoos have already begun their fight in reducing animal extinction. The extinction of a small number of animals have been prevented because of our generous efforts but the very opposite is also true; we have killed and destroyed for our ego. The Species Survival Plans can only help out the planet so much. In order to combat the rapid global decline of Earth’s biodiversity, we need to act against our recent actions. One of the main points Minteer sheds light on is being willing to change our lifestyle for the good of this Earth. Such decisions include altering our consumer habits and energy consumption, to our transportation choices and what food we put on our dinner plates. Most of the consumer products that we buy from the market are taken from the wild and Earth itself so if we exploit it, we will make permanent damages. When I think about this, it actually makes sense because by using sustainable products maybe the Earth will have a better chance at recuperating from the damage we have already inflicted upon it. 

I would agree with everyone saying that the real purpose of a zoo is to entertain us because, in reality, that is why they were made in the first place. Over time zoos evolved and started giving back to the community by protecting its wildlife and creating conservation and research projects. One can argue that zoos make a profit but what they don’t know is that a large portion of the money that comes from a ticket admission goes straight back into the environment or to the facilities zoological projects—that is how projects such as the Species Survival Plan will continue to operate anyways. These facilities educate us about the things that we don't know; how we are harming our planet, what animals are facing extinction, and how we should help prevent further damage to the Earth and all of its inhabitants. Through their education, they can hopefully inspire them to act for themselves and potentially give back or preserve what is left of our home that we share. 

Citations:

Cormier, Zoe. "Can Captive Animals Ever Truly Return To The Wild?." BBC Earth. N. p., 2018. Web. 4 Nov. 2019. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2014/10/zoos-save-animal-species/

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What is a “zoo?”

National Geographic released an encyclopedic entry edited by Kara West and Mary Crooks explaining that the term zoo is short for “zoological park.” Here, hundreds of different varieties of animal species from around the world animals are placed on display for people to view and learn about. Although zoos have many purposes, the one main thing that they truly serve is to provide entertainment and educate the public. National Geographic clarifies that though their purpose is entertainment and education, zoos actually have a strong emphasis on scientific research and species conservation efforts through that many programs and studies that take place within them. Researchers can study these captive animals up close and learn about their behaviors while veterinarians can help treat injured and wounded animals. The article further illustrates that many zoos have captive breeding programs in hopes to be able to reintroduce them into the wild and help combat animal extinction.

This entry by Nat Geo explains that zoos and aquariums are also focused on maintaining conservation and education. In places such as SeaWorld, many zoological facilities are built on key ideologies that allow them to pursue goals to better their overall impact. Zoos and aquariums alike will have goals set into place where they want to focus on the conservation of specific endangered animals, help reduce the impact of pollution, save injured animals, or maybe even just help promote awareness and teach the public about animals and our impact on their wild habitat. Staff who work the rescue programs at aquariums like Seaworld explained that facilities who pursue to help endangered and sick animals call these ideologies “The 3 R’s,” rescue, rehabilitate, and release. Without a goal set such as these, not that many zoos would be doing much for our world other than provide a day for us to see animals behind a protective barrier. Only then can we say, zoos are money greedy.

In my point of view, without zoos and aquariums, our ecological impact to our earth will be minimized to the smallest it can be. Most, but not all zoos, help to conserve endangered animal species and clean up the harmful impacts humans have made to nature. I would agree with people saying that zoos are wrong for having a purpose to entertain us but it is what they do that eases out the wrong. They may have animals in enclosed areas but if we don’t choose to go to a zoo, where else would we go to learn about animals first hand? If zoos don’t step up and take action for the harm we have done, there is a high chance that not many else will. If no one decides to do something, then the harm will continue to prolong and get worse and worse until the effects are irreversible. Zoos and aquariums in a way advocate for nature in hopes so that we can also be inspired to take care of what is left of our Earth through action and education. That is what I believe is the true purpose of zoos and aquariums. 

Citations:

Society, National. "Zoo." National Geographic Society. N. p., 2011. Web. 5 Nov. 2019. Retrieved from

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/zoo/

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Being a Park Guest

I am someone who enjoys going to zoos and aquariums and when I visit them, I constantly hear other people around me question to themselves the nature of these zoos. I constantly hear park visitors ask the park employees questions concerning the well-being of the animals in their environments. Here is how the day of a regular park visitor goes. Using Seaworld parks as an example, you are most of the time only paying to get to see the external parts of the park; that being the animals themselves, shows and demonstrations, and being able to go on rides that the park offers. When you are visiting an animal’s enclosure, you only get to see them behind a thick glass or fence while listening to educators answer any questions you may ask to the best of their abilities. On your own time, you might see the animals explore their habitat a bit or play with their other companions but that's about it; not too much excitement going around. On rare occasions, you might even see aggression between the animals or any other action that you might think is “abnormal.” These small thoughts eventually lead to people jumping to assumptions before knowing the context of what is actually going on.

Many park visitors assume that the zoo that you are seeing is the only part of it that exists. In reality, when you go to the zoo, you don’t really get to see what goes on behind the scenes. By behind the scenes I mean as to get to watch what an animal’s caretaker does such as prepare feeding or plan out enrichment activities when they aren’t physically there engaging with their animals. Zoo visitors almost never get to see these activities because all of this takes place behind restricted parts of the zoo where normal guests can't enter because it is “employees only”—you have to work there or be a part of a special event to be allowed inside without penalty. The one way you might be able to witness what goes on will be by paying an extra fee at the ticket booth and sign up for one of these special events but since we humans are so greedy with our money, we don’t, and are instead stuck with making assumptions on what we see. 

When someone sees an animal that may look ‘bored,’ they might be right but they might also be wrong to think that this animal is suffering. I have been privileged to be able to go behind the scenes more than once in the Seaworld San Diego zoological park and it is very much different than what a regular park guest sees. During those experiences, you are allowed to see the countless tasks that these caretakers have to do such as health examinations on their animals, prescribing medication, and what seems like almost endless cleaning. I agree where someone may say that these animals might be bored since it is true that zoo and aquarium animals are in these enclosures for almost most of their lives but that is not to say that they are living in a poor environment and suffering. That statement is misrepresented because as a regular park guest, they don’t get to see what animals do with their trainers such as the countless enrichment, training, or feeding sessions in other enclosed areas of the animal’s captive habitat which I explained to from trainers. I was even able to witness this myself on my own free time at Seaworld. This might be the reason why some times you might see the animals present in their habitat during some times of the day but when you return, they are gone-they are simply spending time getting their proper treatment from their trainers/keepers. People make impulsive statements by saying that zoos are “prisons” since animals are ‘seen’ doing nothing all day but if more people knew about everything that goes on behind the scenes, maybe the overall perspective of zoos being “prisons for animals” may be eased. 

Citation: My experience going to any zoo or aquarium.