Just a note, I really wish I hadn't used the title "Do's and Don't's" because I wanted to do "Zoo's and Don't's" for this one... but I can't, so I won't. Oh well.
I am working for FA this summer. She is a grad student looking at infrasound in peacocks. Now you might be asking "You are in Canada eh? Where are you getting peacocks to study?" Well I'll tell you.
The city zoo.
I feel like the biology/zoology world is torn in two on whether zoos are good or bad. Obviously there is the issue of animals not being in the wild, being in cages too small, being bored and not learning key survival skills. Aquariums are on the same stand. Being forced to perform, in tanks where they can't swim at natural speeds etc....
And of course there are the accidents. People get lax around caged animals, so keepers are mauled by lions, Orcas (NOT killer whales!) drown their trainers and so many patrons injured by close encounters.
So with all the negative things that happen, why are zoos still open?
Well back back back in the day, when zoos were for entertainment only with no consideration for animal care, I would have to agree, with animals in mind, they were horrible. But times have changed. Exhibits are larger and more accurate, enrichment objects are better, and animal care protocol in general continues to raise the bar. So all in all, the animals themselves are not in the worst of conditions.
But Gaby, isn't it STILL better for them to be in the wild?
Yes, but you are missing one crucial part of most zoos and aquariums....
PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AWARENESS!
Without zoos and aquariums, how could we efficiently teach the public about the importance of conservation? Zoos and aquariums donate tons of money to conservation programs and many have conservation programs built in. And they are the best way to scream endangered and extirpated into the faces of people that have power to change things.
So zoos and aquariums.... conservation and public awareness. Maybe you may think it's cruel to make dolphins perform three times a day, but all of a sudden an audience of 200 know how intelligent these animals are; and if you tell them that these animals are being caught as bycatch in shrimp fisheries... just maybe we'll see a change. Plus all donations from the show goes to dolphin research and conservation.
So maybe zoos are bad and maybe they are good. I'm not here to change your mind, because it's hard for me to make mine up. Doing research at my city's zoo has me thinking they aren't that bad. And I'll admit I like a dolphin show because it's a show of intelligence, and maybe the dolphins are having a bit of fun. Who knows.
Maybe I'll ask my followers... Zoos/Aquariums: condemn or keep?
Definitely keep. I agree with all you've said, and would like to add that, nowadays, most animals in zoos (in developed nations) were either born in captivity or were found injured and nursed back to health. Healthy animals are no longer plucked from the wild and strung up in an exhibit for people to gawk at. Zoos are a means of conservation, education and research. Modern zoos do more good than harm, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. I think that the key is to ensure that zoos maintain the highest standards of care possible for their animals, and keep their focus on education and conservation. Thankfully many zoos in the Western world think the same way you do, and this is why I think that we should ensure that zoos can remain funded so that we can keep them around as an important tool for teaching people exactly why we make such a big deal about conservation!
ReplyDeletekeep. without zoos, most kids would never have the opportunity to see up close a live animal. how would they, as adults, be expected to care what happens to them in this world of shrinking habitats and climate changes?
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