Summary:

Every child dreams of going to the zoo and seeing all the exotic animals for the first time
and experiencing the myriad of excitement that follows. A visit to the zoo is even the treasured
field trip that takes place during ones elementary years. Consequently, among all this
excitement few people stop to think how the animals feel about being caged, watched day in and
day out, and left to an unfulfilling life. Many argue that the purpose of zoos are to educate the
public about different animal species while conserving endangered species at the same time;
however, over time it has turned more into a business enterprise that makes its profits at the
expense of the animals. In recent years animal rights activist and animal lovers alike have come
together to protest the idea of zoos on the grounds that they are unethical and harmful to both the
physical and mental health of the animals
Zoological parks have dated back before the Bible was written but the first modern zoo
was built in 1973 by French aristocrats. The zoo was first created in an attempt to teach the
public more about exotic animals and how to conserve them and protect their habitats also there
are a variety of zoo types. These include petting zoos and urban zoos which permanently house
animals to show off to the public. There are also other zoo types such as game reserves and safari
parks which typically house and conserve animals; however, these are usually not open to the
general public due to the fact that many animals that live in these areas are endangered.
Consequently, the nature of many of todays zoos lack the necessary funding that they need to
care for all the animal species that they house; in short, the flashier, better animals receive better
funding due to their popularity while the other animals live in inadequate habitats that go
unnoticed by the public. The habitats that many animals live in are meant to replicate their
natural habitats; however, protagonists claim that these cages cannot replicate the wilderness. For
example, one can see that the habitats of predatory animals, such as tigers and bears are much
cleaner and typically have their own areas that are main attractions unlike the less popular
animals, such as small birds, fish, and land mammals, who live in smaller areas off to the side of
the zoo. To be specific, predatory cats like lions can be found in open habitats with large areas to
roam while exotic birds have small and crowded cages with no privacy or way to get away from
the strange people, noises, and smells. In addition, the exhibits that house animals like the insect
and snake exhibits are smaller than an average shoebox and are seldom cleaned.
Such people believe that keeping animals encaged is both inhumane and unbeneficial
due to the fact that many animals are found to live shorter lives, become malnourished, and
suffer from a variety of mental health issues that follow being left alone for long periods of time.
Statistics from .In contrast, many zookeepers feel that the zoo is a necessary to saving the
lives of endangered animals and educating the public about different types of animals; however,
many argue that keeping animals in captivity is not beneficial to saving animal species nor does
it bring any significant change to the publics knowledge of these animals. Another controversial
topic surrounding zoos is whether or not the breeding of young animals, typically endangered, is
an ethical practice due to the fact that if an animal is born into captivity it cannot be later
released into the wild therefore having no effect on a species numbers. Zoological advocates

view breeding of endangered or threatened species as a necessary way to bring these animals
back into our ecosystem. Recent studies have also concluded that caging large and intelligent
animals, such as elephants and marine mammals, can have an effect on their mental health and
result in illnesses like PTSD and anxiety. In conclusion, one can see that the zoo has little benefit
to the public or the animals and has become a thing of the past and must be abolished.

Questions:
1.
What types of behaviors do these animals have in the wild? For instance, their natural
habitat.
2.

Have you observed about the longevity of the animals? Are they prolonged or shortened?

3.

How many of the animals were bred in captivity? If not how did, they come to you?

4.
Can you give specific examples where an animals condition has gotten either better or
worse during their time at the zoo?
5.

What is your opinion on the zoo controversy?

6.
Explain whether or not you feel youre bettering the lives of the animals you work with?
Please give reasons/examples.

Answers: communication@aazk.org
1. I work with African lions so I will use them as my first example. In the wild lions are
known as fast and gorge eaters. This means they will not eat every day. When they do
make a kill maybe every three days or so based on the needs of their pride, they will eat
up to a quarter of their body weight and then not eat again for another several days. For
this reason at a zoo large predators like these will not eat everyday and may receive
something such as a bone for a day as a form of fasting.
Larger animals such as elephants who may browse and graze the majority of the day will
be provided with food in small amounts throughout the day spread out and from different
heights.
When providing animals with enrichment we also consider their natural abilities. Animals
that rely on smell for survival and communication will often get many different scents
hidden within an exhibit. This promotes the use of exploration and utilizing that keen
sense of smell. If an animal digs a den they will be provided with the proper substrate to
do so. Birds will be provided with material to collect and build a nest from.
Elephants use mud and dirt to cover themselves with in order to avoid sun burn and insect
bites. Therefore they are provided with mud wallows and loose sand.
2. From my experience working in zoos and aquariums, the majority of animals live within
their natural lifespans or significantly longer. For example, lions may live an average into
their early teens (excluding males who live to maybe 9-10) will live into their mid to late
twenties under human care. This is due to the fact that resources are plentiful and
injuries/illness are treated. It doesn't mean that animals don't develop health issues.
Animals may suffer from a number of similar health issues as humans do including

complications with their eyes, teeth, hearing, joints, organs, etc. Identifying the source of
these issues is key to providing the highest level of animal care an institution can.
Discovering whether an issue is genetic or brought on from an animals environment is
key to resolving it. If it is an issue of their environment, changes should be made
immediately and the findings will be shared with other institutions housing the same
species to ensure future occurrences are avoided or treated quickly and efficiently. Just as
they have in the past, zoos and aquariums will continue to evolve at fine tuning animal
husbandry based on the most up to date knowledge and practices of biology and
behavior.
The public tends to focus on extreme cases of longevity in animals. If it is reported that an
elephant is 70 years old, it should act as a reflection of the capabilities of the entire
species. If it were to be described in scientific research that populations of elephants were
consistently living to this late age under a number of different conditions, then it would
clearly affect the average life expectancy of a species. Zoos go by the average population
observed in the wild vs under human care in order to clarify whether or not they are living
less than or beyond the natural average.
3. I have been fortunate to work with a large number of species during my career so far but
for this question I will focus on several examples, most which are more controversial
than others. Dolphins: I worked with dolphins for several years consisting of individuals
that were collected from the wild, born under human care and were rescued. It is no
secret how zoos and aquariums used to operate. They would simply go to the wild and
collect animals for public display. This practice is thankfully no longer utilized and I
would condemn any facility doing this today. Like I have said, not all zoos and
aquariums are the same breed. Any dolphins coming from the wild in more recent times
in the U.S. are non-releasable rescues. These are animals that were found injured or
abandon at a young age and due to permanent disability or lack of survival skills are
unable to be returned to the wild. This decision is made by a government organization
known as the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). Once this has been
declared a rescue and rehab organization looks to place the animal in a permanent home
in order to make room for other rescues that can be returned to the wild. This is true for
countless species. Elephants: Such with dolphins, many elephants have been collected
from the wild in the past. However, Africa is not the wide open continent most people
think it is. Modern Africa and it's wild lands are developed by human establishments and
divided by borders and physical fencing which creates a hosts of issues to animals. This
includes poaching, loss of habitat, genetic isolation of species, and introduced disease
from domestic animals and pollution just to name a few. Elephants not yet affected by
poaching are managed in reserves and will still be occasionally culled (organized killing)
when they exhaust the natural resources of a fenced area. As an alternative zoos in
America have acquired elephants of all ages and genders to avoid these sanctioned
killings. Seals and sea lions: Every seal and sea lion I have worked with has been born
under human care or has been a rescue. I have personally worked with three California
sea lions that were shot in the head by humans and suffered irreversible damage to their

bodies and survival abilities. Other species. Many zoos and aquariums house birds of
prey that have been hit by cars or injured by power lines and have become permanently
unable to fly. Infants of whose parents were accidentally or purposefully killed come to
live under human care after requiring around the clock care by zoo keepers and aquarists.
Many species of reptile are confiscated from the illegal pet trade. I could go on. The
American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) created the Species Survival Plan
(SSP) for species that live at their accredited facilities to ensure that populations continue
to grow and remain genetically diverse. This is incredibly important to critically
endangered species who despite our best efforts, may disappear from the wild someday.
If that happens, zoos and aquariums will have healthy populations of them as a safe guard
against complete extinction. This has actually occurred in the past and has allowed for
reintroduction of individuals back into the wild. ex/ black footed ferrets.
4. Take a look at a historical photo of an animal in a zoo from the 1930's and even 1980's
and compare it to one now. Responsible facilities look to promote species specific
behavior in a number of different ways from physical features within an exhibit to how
food is provided and what enrichment is created. An orangutan is provided with high
climbing structures and puzzle feeders in which to solve in order to eat a treat. A lion has
to break open a box in order to find a chunk of meat. A hippo is provided with deep water
to stay completely submerged as well as shallow spots for sunning in addition to dry land
for foraging. Zoos no longer house animal is blank cages for public display. Enclosures
will continue to evolve as we learn more about the natural abilities and needs of the
animals being cared for.
Animal care professionals are trained to interpret animal behavior in terms of a species
and individuals. If the animal is showing behavior typical on both accounts we know that
the conditions the animal is living in are appropriate to them. If we see undesirable
behaviors such as pacing we know we need to reevaluate how the animal is being cared
for and what is the cause of the behavior.
5. The general statement that zoos are either "good" or that they are "bad" is insufficient to
me no matter how you look at it. I will gladly say that I have a bias towards supporting
those organizations that deserve it because working at a zoo is my career and my passion.
Zoos and aquariums are as a diverse group of organizations as teacher, schools,
politicians, police, religious groups, etc. A blanket statement about all of them is
completely inaccurate. All zoos are not equal. I myself am one of their biggest critics
because if a facility does not or cannot provide for them and put their welfare first, they
do not deserve to house them. A zoo and aquarium should be able to explain to their
guests what they do to care for them in regards to promoting species appropriate
behavior, how they educate the public on living peacefully with wildlife, and how they
are promoting and support conservation efforts in the wild. I encourage all guests to ask
these questions.
I will not ever blindly support a facility without first doing my research. Issues
of irresponsible breeding, handling, and care of animals should not be practiced or
supported.

6. I know that I have bettered the lives of countless animals of different species. I have
worked with animals that were rescued and would have died without the assistance of
animal care organizations. This includes a dolphin that after three attempted releases was
found to have suffered a stroke, brain damage, and permanent loss of hearing. She not
only provided researchers the opportunity to study these injuries and learn from them but
provided guests with the opportunity to interact with a truly unique animal and build a
personal connection that would extend to compassion for her entire species. She became
the source of inspiration for them to do their part to help keep the oceans clean and
respect wildlife. Guest with disabilities including veterans and students from deaf
institutions immediately connected with this animal. It was incredible.
Seal and sea lion pups affected by human conflict or found starving due to climate
change affects of prey movement and over fishing did not end up starving on a beach.
They instead live as animal ambassadors for their species providing people with engaging
learning opportunities where they get to experience wild animals up close for once in a
life time opportunties learning about their natural abilities and threats to their species
survival

Search terms:
Zoos effects on animals
Zoos
The zoo

Animal health
Animals in Captivity
Modern Zoos effects on Animals
The Zoo
Should animals be in Zoos?

Source material:
As a Major Zoo closes,10 reasons to Rethink
the Concept by Barbara J. King, 2016.
NPR.com
Carnivores in Captivity by Susan Milius,
2003. Article in Science News this Week
Zoos in the 21st Century: Catalyst or
Conservation by Alexandra Zimmerman,
2007. Cambridge University Press.
Why Animals have an interest in Freedom by
A. Schmidt, 2003.
Article The Ethics of Captivity by Lori
Gruen, 2014.
Zoo Animal Welfare by Terry L. Maple, 2014.
Wild Animals in Captivity, Rob Laidlaw,
2008.
The 'Zoo Story,' Both Beguiling and
Repellent by Thomas French,2010. NPR.com

References:

French, T. (2010, July 12). The 'Zoo Story,' Both Beguiling And Repellent. Retrieved September
10, 2016, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128467788
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128467788

Gruen, L. (n.d.). The Ethics of Captivity. Chapter 13

http://www.oxfordscholarship.com.librarylink.uncc.edu/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/978019997799
4.001.0001/acprof-9780199977994-chapter-13

James, personal communication, September 2, 2016

King, B. J. (2016, June 24). As A Major Zoo Closes, 10 Reasons To Rethink The Concept.
Retrieved September 10, 2016, http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/06/24/483439080/as-amajor-zoo-closes-10-reasons-to-rethink-the-concept

Laidlaw, R. (2008). Wild animals in captivity. Markham, Ont: Fitzhenry &

Whiteside.http://uncc.worldcat.org/title/wild-animals-incaptivity/oclc/126084283&referer=brief_results

Maple, T. L., & Perdue, B. M. (2013). Zoo animal welfare. http://uncc.worldcat.org/title/zooanimal-welfare/oclc/835115340&referer=brief_results

Susan Milius. (2003). Carnivores in Captivity. Science News, 164(14), 211-211. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/stable/4018844

Schmidt, A. (2015). Why Animals have an Interest in Freedom. Historical Social Research /
Historische Sozialforschung, 40(4 (154)), 92-109. Retrieved
fromhttp://www.jstor.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/stable/24583248

Simons, L. (2003). Journal of Mammalogy, 84(3), 1127-1129. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/stable/1383877

Zimmermann, A. (2007). Zoos in the 21st century: Catalysts for conservation?. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.

Topic Proposal:
Throughout this portfolio I will extensively research the controversy behind zoos and whether or
not they are good, bad, or just need to be changed. Arguments used against zoos are that they do
not do the job that they were intended, which was to educate and conserve animals, but instead
prove to be harmful and unbeneficial to the physical and mental health of the animals. In
contrast, others argue that zoos protect various endangered species and prolong the lives of the
animals, protect them from prey, and provide the public information on exotic animals. In order
for zoos to return to their original intent they must put animals lives first rather than using the
animals to create revenue. Changes to their habitats and exposure time to visitors would greatly
impact the overall health of zoo animals. Evidence against the ethics of zoos can be found
extensively throughout this portfolio through both personal inference and factual evidence.

Lit review:
In recent years the zoo has received a lot of backlash from animal rights activist because many
claim that the concept of keeping animals captive is both wrong and unethical; however, many
zoos are beginning to shed their negative stereotypes and are attempting to make the welfare of
the animals better. The conflict of whether or not zoos should be abolished is a controversial
topic due to the fact that some believe that various animal species should be conserved because
of their diminishing numbers on the wild; while others feel it is wrong to keep an animal captive
against its will. Arguments about the nature of zoos include the paradox of zoos, the wellbeing of
certain species, their ability to return to the wild, and whether or not animals have the ability to
want freedom.
Zoos are a place that were established to house and conserve animals while educating the public;
however, examining the paradox of zoos that draw in visitors with the beauty and wildness of
animals we need to understand the wildness to make those animals accessible (French,2010).
There has been a fine line between protection and control of the animals within zoos and the
result is typically control. Consequently, the zoo keepers that take care of these animals want to
provide the best lives for them but often cant due to the human desire to protect and control
nature (Conan,2010). Animal caretakers are often caught between this paradox (French, 2010)
and the question of whether or not animals should be conserved at the cost of their own captivity.
For instance, many zoo keepers tend to treat the animals as if they were their own children by
giving them names and assigning them human-like personalities; however, they fail to realize
that these animals are not pets but rather wild animals that belong to nature.

In recent studies conducted by, Ros Clubb of the University of Oxford in Engl, has conducted
studies of captive animals which have shown that they tend to display nervous tics such as
pacing and have high infant mortality rates; these issues directly correlate with the land that an
animal will cover in the wild and their annual migration patterns(Milius,2003).These issues are
typically found in zoos and roadside attractions outside of the United States due to animal rights
activist groups such as PETA enforcing laws that protect the animals rights. In addition, these
studies have also shown that certain species can adapt well to captivity, such as smaller
monkeys, who rarely migrate in the wild and can thrive in the zoo environment; however, other
larger animals that have large ranges, such as polar bears and lions, are more likely to develop
these tics. For instance, various books and articles argue that most zoos have proved wrong many
of the stereotypes and are attempting to make the lives better for the animals by creating
wellness-oriented facilities where animals are activated and stimulated by species-appropriate
environmental and social conditions (Maple T.L,2013. Pg. 64).
In addition, to the argument on whether or not animals should be free, zoo supporters, such as,
The American Association of Zookeepers claim that keeping them in captivity is prolonging
their lives because they arent exposed to predators like they are in the wild. Organizations like
the AAZ work to make zoos a better place for the animals by certifying them and giving money
grants to zoos that use ethical practices. Zoo abolitionist; however, claim that animals experience
unfulfilling lives by excessive sleeping, pacing, and other abnormal behaviors. Zoo supporters
argue that animals lack the mental capacity to understand freedom and therefore have no interest
in pursuing it; however, even though animals cant understand the concept of freedom it is our
moral right to let them pursue a free life (Schmidt, 2015). For instance, an animal, like a monkey,
that is kept in captivity does not have to ability to understand why they are there or what will
happen to them thus the monkey is experiencing the raw terror of not knowing (Linzey,2009)
while humans have the ability to reason animals do not. Therefore, we, as humans, need to
reconsider the concept of zoos due to the stress it invokes on the captive animals. Various
animals that are common in captivity require stimulation in order to correctly adapt to life in the
zoo; however, because of space issues many animals, such as apes, elephants, and dolphins,
cannot thrive in the zoo environment. Moving forward we must challenge outdated and cruel
zoo practices (Laidlaw, 2008) due to our responsibility to treat all wild animals (Laidlaw,
2008) and the environment with respect.
In order for zoos to continue surviving into the future, they must change their methods in
conservation and search for new ways that consider the animals wellbeing over entertainment.
Conserving an animal and keeping one captive are two very different concepts the argument is
not with these individuals but with zoos as institutions (King, 2016) as they tend to blur the
lines between control and conservation. In contrast, some zoos are changing their dynamics and
are beginning to shut down exhibits with large animals and bringing small changes to their
landscapes in order to bring patrons into the animals' environments otherwise known as
"Landscape immersion"(Simmons, 2003) which is portraying how zoos are starting to evolve
into modern ideals. Conservation efforts inside the zoo are proven to be risky and dangerous to
the animals due to the inability of certain species who cannot be reintroduced into the wild. Thus
it has come to light that one of the issues behind zoos lie between failed conservation efforts. In

addition, humans do not appreciate the environment and thus we are the reason behind the
unnecessary and massive loss of wildlife habitats around the world, which is unsustainable
(Hancock, 2003) and must be stopped in order to be able to bring conserved animals in zoos back
into the wild. For instance, the Borneo Orangutan has disappeared from forests all around the
globe due to the uncertified palm oil trade in the food industry which has resulted in this species
going into near extinction. Therefore, as a result of deforestation of the orangutans habitat they
cannot be released back into the wild thus making zoo's conservation efforts futile. On another
note, exhibits are becoming less educational than intended due to the fact that people rush from
one flashy exhibit to the next without learning anything that wasnt previously known. Solutions
about the issue of breeding animals simply to restock zoo exhibits (King,2016) will alleviate
the ethical and moral issues behind zoo conservation efforts and allow them to come to a place
where animals' lives come first, over and above human entertainment (King,2016).