Animal Advocacy
The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly — Why Zoos Need Our Help
Seasonal trade means that many of the zoos will not survive the winter
Species saving breeding schemes and further education for everyone from toddlers to Veterinary students might become a thing of the past due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
The zoo industry has a very seasonal trade. In general, it has always been a lot of visitors in the spring and summer months which pay for the upkeep in the autumn and winter.
So, what's changed this year?
It is no surprise to anyone that the key variable this year was the Coronavirus outbreak with the subsequent lockdown. Throughout the high turnover seasons, many zoos were unable to open their gates. This has had a damaging knock-on effect that could or has sent these parks into debt.
Who suffers?
Well, everyone.
Zoos do more than just provide a place to have a fun day out for all the family, they also provide education, conservation, and research.
Through talks and displays, the zoo staff can engage the public in the importance of sustainability, climate change, hunting, and poaching to name a few.
They set up breeding programs, and other conservation methods have improved the stats of vulnerable animals.
An example of this is the panda, who was previously listed as endangered on the IUCN red list with the prospects of becoming extinct in the wild. Through the work of zoos and parks, the panda is now vulnerable, but continuing to move in the right direction.
Zoos subscribe their animals onto a breeding register to allow for the revival of endangered species and those animals that are extinct in the wild to hopefully one day be released back. With this ability to preserve a species, hopefully, we shall never lose another again.
One of the most important activities these establishments engage in is research: Both undergraduate and postgraduate projects are undertaken at these parks to better understand the many different species. With this research, they can provide better enrichment that the animals will actually enjoy and use.
Although they need to have the big name animals that bring the public to the park, for example, the lions, giraffes, and monkeys, it is usually the less conspicuous species that need the conservation efforts.
Of the 32,000 species on the IUCN red list, 41% are amphibians, 14% birds and 33% are corals. Not many 5-year-olds want to go to the zoo to see a Golden Skiffia or a Wyoming Toad, both of which are extinct in the wild and require protection from the zoos. However, each member of an ecosystem holds a vital role in the food web.
The other side of zoos
Many people don’t support the zoos on ethical grounds, including keeping wild animals in cages and meaning that they cannot exhibit natural behaviors. Unfortunately, it is a cost: benefit ethical dilemma. Hopefully, with further research and understanding of what the different species enjoy, this will become a thing of the past.
Until then, they have made jumps in animal enrichment to provide the animals something to do. Also, controversially, reproductive projects are one of the most natural and enriching things for an animal to undertake.
When these animals cannot express their normal behaviors, they can become depressed, just as we do. If you see a zoo where the animals are pacing the perimeter, especially the big cats, or other signs of frustration with no obvious enrichment in their enclosures (trees, branches, boxes, or balls with treats inside), then they are doing a disservice to their animals.
However, most animal keepers want to do the best for their animals and are genuinely passionate about animal welfare. A lot of zoos are charities and require the revenue from tourism to fund their conservational endeavors.
A final word about the exotic pet trade
My university trip to Birdworld heavily inspired this article. While there, they mentioned a lot of their birds in the park are ex pet birds. When these birds arrive, they have many different quirks and features, often due to a poor environment where they couldn’t properly express themselves.
The staff work with positive reinforcement training, the same as you would use with a dog, to complete tasks such as weighing the birds.
If you enjoyed reading this article may you will like my previous article:
