Now here's an interesting question that I'm sure most people have asked/heard at some point in their lives. Why should we keep animals in zoos? Don't they belong in the wild? Is it wrong to keep animals for our own entertainment? These are all versions of the same question that most environmental scientists will hear throughout their careers in varying degrees of curiousity and possible animosity.
In my own personal opinion, zoos play an important role in the management and preservation of species and make valuable contributions to conservation efforts around the world. The history of keeping animals for entertainment purposes is almost as old as the concept of human civilisation. Historically, keeping animals as pets and displaying them in a menagerie was a display of wealth and importance. Of course, less palatable practices included displaying animals in fighting pits and coliseums for the entertainment of the masses.
In the modern age we have come a long way from the days of pitting gladiators against lions and tigers in an attempt to show men's dominance over the fiercest available creatures. In today's world, zoos have four main focuses that direct the efforts and management of zoos and collections. Namely these are, conservation, research, education and finally, recreation (Anderson et al., 2003).
To take the final of the four priorities first, recreation. Zoos, aquariums and other collections want to bring in as many visitors as possible to help ensure they can continue to provide for the animals in their care. Visitors to zoos are critical for many collections, as they are the primary source of funding. Zoo staff want their visitors to enjoy spending time in the facility! They want people to make good memories and come away with fond feelings for both the animals and the zoo. Providing an enjoyable experience for visitors is key to ensure that word of mouth and reviews encourage new people to come along and visit, and also so that locals may become regular visitors and therefore regularly support the zoo.
Another motivation to bring as many people to the facility as possible is that it provides a greater opportunity for educating visitors about the animals being cared for and the efforts that go on in the background. Over the past several decades there has been a significant shift in focus in zoos, to the point where even I can see the difference in quality, from when I was a child to now.
I distinctly remember throwing a raging tantrum at age four or five when visiting Dublin Zoo, not because I wasn't getting ice-cream, but because I felt so sad looking at the polar bears, who at the time had a very small and bare enclosure that, even at that age, I knew was wrong. I'm glad to say that since then Dublin Zoo and zoos all over the world have gone through significant development and investment to provide the highest quality enclosures possible for their animals.
As zoos have learned how to better care for their animals they have been able to develop better education strategies for the public. Through summer camps, regular keeper presentations and talks, animal ambassadors and plenty of educational signage, zoos are able to pass on a wealth of knowledge to their visitors about the animals such as, their range in the wild, their IUCN status, what projects are currently running to protect them in the wild and in captivity, and what visitors can do to contribute to these efforts.
All of this information can be provided to visitors due to an increase in the amount of research that zoos have been contributing to. The field of zoo science is not a new one, as zoos and researchers have worked hand in hand for decades to gain a better understanding of what an animal in captivity experiences on a daily basis and how this can impact their welfare and success in captivity.
Zoo research has become a significant field with research being published across the globe with the input and investment of hundreds of animal care facilities. Even my own research has been financially supported by Fota Wildlife Park, where I will be conducting the majority of my research and working with the staff of Fota to find some answers to questions I think are important.
Fota are a remarkable example of an animal facility that takes all four tenets of animal management and runs with them. They have fantastic facilities for visitors that allow for all types of days out from family trips, school tours or first dates (I do recommend this one if you're stuck for ideas). I take any excuse to go down and visit and have a walk around even though I have been going regularly since before I could walk. They also have a fantastic education ethos with regular ranger talks given every day about the different animals and summer camps being run to help teach children more about the natural world. They have just launched their ten-year development plan which includes investment into a significant education facility that will allow them the opportunity to expand their horizons even further.
On top of that, Fota have an ongoing relationship with the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences (where I hail from) and provide multiple opportunities for research to be conducted every year from undergraduate to post-doctoral levels. And finally, Fota are remarkable in their efforts involving conservation of both native and non-native species. Fota are a key participant in the captive breeding of cheetahs and have kept and protected cheetahs since the 1980s, successfully breeding almost 250 cubs in that time. At the moment, Fota are a part of a project in association with the NPWS and Dingle Aquarium looking to protect and bolster the populations of Natterjack Toads in the wild of Ireland, which I have written about in other posts.
Overall, zoos and collections play an incredibly role in the protection of species both within their collections and without. It can't be denied that species are going extinct in the wild at a phenomenal rate and with the political and social variables involved in protecting wild populations it can be too little too late when protections are put in place. However, when a species is kept in captivity, they can be better managed and protected, as well as being bred. Their numbers can then be increased to create a captive population that one day, with a lot of work and research, can bolster the wild population and ensure the continuation of that species in the wild.
Taking all of what I have laid out above in mind, there are still pitfalls and problems for zoos. Realistically, not all animal collections fall under the same umbrella as parks and zoos such as Fota. Just like any other group in the world, there are bad eggs out there. For some collections of animals, it is very much a game of profit and while they say all the right things, and seem to profess a deep desire to contribute towards conservation, in reality, they do more harm than good.
I won't name any names or indicate what collections I believe this applies to, but I would like to ask people to have some consideration when visiting zoos, and especially when looking to volunteer in animal collections abroad. Look into who the zoos are affiliated with. Are they a member of a zoo association like BIAZA, EAZA or something similar? Do they have public records of their finances? Do they share details of their conservation efforts beyond just general ideas and spouting goals they aim to achieve? Are there actual results that they can share?
Overall though, zoos are a force for good in my opinion and when managed correctly, contribute significantly to the effort of protecting our natural world. So after reading this, I hope you take the first opportunity you get to take a trip to your nearest zoo and possibly look at the work they do in a different light!
References
Anderson, U.S., Kelling, A.S., Pressley-Keough, R., Bloomsmith, M.A. and Maple, T.L. (2003), “Enhancing the Zoo Visitor’s Experience by Public Animal Training and Oral Interpretation at an Otter Exhibit”, Environment and Behavior, Vol. 35 No. 6, pp. 826–841.