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Animals Intriguing Humans Is Nothing New
Humans have been fascinated with animals ever since they came into existence. That is nothing new, nor should it be even remotely surprising. It is this same fascination that has led mankind to keep some species very close. Close enough that it led to their domestication. Some of them, that is. Domestic cats from North African wildcats, dogs from grey wolves, cattle from aurochs, chickens from red junglefowls, and goldfish from Prussian carps for notable examples. Other species are nowhere near domesticated, nor should they even be attempted to be kept in a captive scenario. Whales are a notorious example of this. Enter the zoo: a facility with usually indoor and outdoor settings where living, typically wild animals are kept especially for public exhibition.
There has been much controversy as to whether zoos are animal cruelty or not. Some people will argue that zoos are an excellent way to see animals and learn more about them. Others will argue that they are unnecessary and cruel to wild animals. The truth? Yes, Zoos are can be considered animal cruelty for several valid reasons:
- Zoos are actually mostly about profit.
- Almost no one goes to a zoo to learn more about animals.
- Zoos have an excessive history of shock and disaster that continues to this day.
More Interested In Money Than Animals’ Lives
Maintaining a zoo is not cheap. It takes a lot of time and money to maintain a large inventory of exotic animals with equally exotic needs. Zoos know that animals are deeply fascinating to people. This is why they are very successful with bringing in lots of visitors. The more visitors a zoo gets, the more more they make.
The babies many animals produce are very cute. Zoos know this, and have been known to breed excess animals that results in a surplus. What do they do with the surplus they cannot house? They will use surplus management strategies. In 2014, the world reacted with disgust and outrage when a healthy 2-year-old giraffe named Marius was killed and hewed in front of visitors at the Copenhagen Zoo. Marius’ body was then fed to lions.
Unprofitable? Old? Zoos also frequently trade and relocate animals who they consider to have outlived profitability or who no longer fit into breeding programs. Trading animals with other zoos can be very stressful for the animals who are relocated, as they leave behind social connections and environments they have grown accustomed to.
Some zoos do make small contributions to conservation projects. However, majority of the animals kept in zoos are not even species at risk, nor do they help to repopulate threatened species. Where zoos really spend most of their money is on exhibits, opening more unnecessary areas, and marketing to lure in more visitors. There are thousands of zoos in the world. If they all care about conservation as much as they claim they do, then why are there still so many threatened animals and habitats?
People love looking at all sorts of animals. Seeing them in-person is even better than online, hence leading to zoos successful manipulation of getting lots of visitors and money in return for it. Even if the zoo does not take the best care of its animals, people still go anyway, as proven numerous times in history. Why? Because it is a good social and recreational experience.
People Visit Zoos To Talk And Stare
Considering all the books, videos, and online articles that are rich in educational topics on animals, this begs a thought-provoking question: why do people still go to zoos? To talk and look at animals.
A study of visitor behaviour at 4 zoos in the United States found that only 6% of visitors said they visit zoos to learn more about animals, while 86% of visitors said they went to a zoo for “social or recreational purposes”. This would be great if all those people visiting were in it for the education, but because they are not, zoos happily give visitors their social and recreational fix.
Lions, tigers, cheetahs, bears, pandas, elephants, wolves, giraffes, meerkats, primates, large reptiles, and exotic birds are a guaranteed appearance at almost any zoo. Why these animals? While there are thousands — millions really, of animals that are captivating in their own right? Animals such as lions, tigers, and pandas have been cultural icons for millennia. This in turn successfully draws many people to come and see these wild icons in-person to look and talk about them.
The claim that zoos make about environmental education is particularly false. Take polar bears for example. This is a species that normally roams kilometers a day across the arctic. How can visitors properly observe polar bears living in a humid subtropical climate zone? The answer: they cannot. On a highly related note, species have been actually known to die for this very reason.
People love seeing animals in-person. Especially if its a large, fearsome, exotic predator that they would normally not be able to get close to. It does not concern most visitors that a lion living in a temperate city such as Toronto or Washington DC should not be there.
Zoos And Their Disasters
The history of displaying animals to the public for exhibition dates all the way back to ancient Egypt. The first public zoo opened on July 1, 1874. It would be unrealistic to expect zoos to be absolutely perfect. However, if there is one thing they should have near perfected is disaster management. The prevention of animals escaping, killing or harming people, and the prevention of animals dying from hunger, thirst, or poor climate are 3 areas that should be fixed already. Sadly, they are not, and incidences continue even into the 21st century.
The killing of Harambe is one of many high profile 21st century events. This iconic 17-year-old gorilla from Cincinnati Zoo was shot dead out of fear that he would have killed a 4-year-old human boy that had fallen into his enclosure. There were highly divided opinions on this event. Those that stood by it say that the way the child was being dragged around was too rough for a human to handle. Had the zoo staff not intervened, the boy could have been fractured or dead. Others believe that the gorilla was doing the best he could to care for the boy as his own, and that the boys parents should have been held accountable for not watching their child closely enough. Regardless of whether or not people believe the gorilla should have been shot, both sides can agree that if the enclosure did not allow people to fall in there to begin with, none of this would have even happened.
Tilikum, was a killer whale that was caught off the coasts of Iceland before being transferred to captivity. This whale lived to be 35 years old, and killed 3 people during his lifetime. Dawn Brancheau, Keltie Byrne, and Daniel Dukes are the names of the lives Tilikum took. Naturally, questions were raised about what drove Tilikum to kill his trainers, and why the whale was still kept around. It is perfectly understandable that releasing him directly into the ocean would not allow Tilikum to survive after being captive for so long. Activists at that time rightfully said they should have released the whale into a coastal sanctuary. This would have allowed the whale to have the natural space he deserves, without being completely perplexed about how to survive in the unlimited ocean. The zoo instead chose to keep the animal around because people really liked him, and insisted they would review safety protocols.
On the topic of safety protocols, not all zoo disasters involve the death, injury or potential death of humans. In a number of cases, it is the animals that are the victims. In 2017, Government inspectors found that almost 500 animals had died in less than 4 years at South Lakes Safari Zoo in Cumbria, United Kingdom. “Overcrowding, poor hygiene, poor nutrition, lack of suitable animal husbandry and a lack of any sort of developed veterinary care” were the things cited when they visited in January.
People killing animals, animals killing people, or animals dying from poor care are persisting problems that should not be happening in the first place.
Views And Money
Views and money are what most zoos care about most. An impressive, rich collection of wild animals has been guaranteeing visitors since the founding of public animal exhibits. It may be intriguing to see such colourful, rare, or predatory animals in-person, but it is also important to remember that zoos are not the best way to learn about about wild animals, due to their greater concerns for profit, impressibility, and long history of highly preventable disasters.
The best way to see and learn about wild animals is by visiting a sanctuary or observing them in the wild with wildlife experts. Additionally, numerous books and media exist online for further, safer education.
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