Zoos Encourage Research and Recreation

Jack Hanna
Director Emeritus, Columbus Zoo Along with conservation comes valuable research. The more we learn about animals, the better we can preserve them and provide for their needs. Zoos are not perfect, but I assure you that they are getting better everyday. Thirty years ago animals were enclosed in small areas made of concrete and metal bars. owever, the enclosures have improved by leaps and bounds since then. Today animal habitats in !oos have been created to closely resemble the animals" natural habitat in the wild. #ith each day, new information is uncovered and additional steps are being ta$en to continue improving the lives of animals living in !oological par$s. %ecreation is an important factor to consider as well. There are over &'' accredited !oos in America, and last year nearly ()' million people visited !oos and a*uariums + this ma$es visiting !oos the largest recreational activity in the country. Zoos provide the opportunity for people to come together and learn about the creatures we share the planet with, all while supporting wildlife conservation programs for thousands of animal species.

Clearing Up Misconceptions About Zoos

Jack Hanna
Director Emeritus, Columbus Zoo Zoos have been around for thousands of years in one form or another. Animals in !oological par$s and a*uariums are truly ambassadors to their cousins in the wild. Today roughly ,- to ,, percent of our !oo mammals come from other !oos, where specially selected animals are chosen to breed to help create a diverse population with in the species. Zoos no longer go out into the wild and capture mammals. owever, on occasion, a !oo will care for orphaned young or in.ured wildlife.

Zoos Provide Education and Conservation

Jack Hanna : Director Emeritus, Columbus Zoo
Zoos have to educate the public about the value of animals so that they understand the importance of conservation. After a fun e/perience at the !oo, people leave with a newfound $nowledge and understanding. ow are they going to learn these things if they don"t get to see the animals0 Zoos and a*uariums give people an appreciation for the animals. They need to see, listen to, and smell an elephant. 1iewing an animal on T1 does not give a person the same $ind of love and respect for the creature as seeing it in person does. The Association of Zoos and A*uariums 2AZA3 is the ma.or accrediting body for !oos in 4orth America . AZA"s standards re*uire e/cellence in animal care and welfare, conservation, education, and research before a !oological par$ is eligible to receive their stamp of approval. Accredited !oos all over the country are actively supporting conservation pro.ects in the wild. 5ost !oos are actively involved in numerous pro.ects to preserve and rescue a wide range of endangered species from elephants to amphibians. In &''6 alone, the Columbus Zoo and A*uarium raised over 76(),''' for field conservation. 8ecause of tireless conservation efforts, species li$e the snow leopard and the mountain gorilla have overcome near e/tinction and will have the opportunity to see future generations.

Zoos Cannot Replicate Wild Animals' Habitats

PETA
Zoos claim to educate people and preserve species, but they usually fall short on both counts. 5ost !oo enclosures are cramped and barren. %ather than promoting respect for or understanding of animals, signs often provide little more info rmation than an animal"s diet, and natural range. Animals" normal behavior is seldom discussed, much less observed, because their natural needs are rarely met. 8irds" wings may be clipped so that they cannot fly, a*uatic animals often go without ade*uate space to accommodate their natural swimming patterns, and many animals who live in large herds or family groups in the wild are $ept alone or, at most, in pairs. 4atural hunting and mating behaviors are virtually eliminated by regulated feeding and breeding regimens. Animals are closely confined, lac$ privacy, and have little opportunity for mental stimulation or physical e/ercise. These conditions often result in 9!oochosis:;abnormal and self<destructive behaviors such as pacing, swaying, self mutilation, and e/cessive lic$ing. An =/ford >niversity study based on four decades of observing animals in captivity and in the wild found that animals such as polar bears, lions, tigers, and cheetahs 9show the most evidence of stress and?or psychological dysfunction in captivity: and concluded that 9the $eeping of naturally wide<ranging carnivores should be either fundamentally improved or phased out.:

Zoos Propagate Rather Than Educate

PETA
Zoos claim to provide educational opportunities, but most visitors spend only a few minutes at each display, see$ing entertainment rather than enlightenment. =ver the course of five summers, a curator at the 4ational Zoo followed more than 6'' !oo visitors and found that 9it didn"t matter what was on display @ people AwereB treating the e/hibits li$e wallpaper.: e determined that 9officials should stop $idding themselves about the tremendous educational value of showing an animal behind a glass wall.: The purpose of most !oos is to find ways to breed and maintain more animals in captivity. The Chinese government, for e/ample, 9rents: pandas to !oos worldwide for fees of more than 7( million per year, but some *uestion whether the profits are being directed toward panda< conservation efforts at all. Crotecting species from e/tinction sounds li$e a noble goal, but for the most part, animals bred in captivity, including threatened and endangered wildlife, cannot be released to the wild because they never have the opportunity to learn important survival s$ills. Dome animals also pic$ up diseases at !oos that could endanger wild populations.

The Wild is o Animal's Paradise

The boundaries of the 9wild: are becoming smaller each day. I have traveled all over the world, and the only places I consider truly wild are Antarctica, parts of the Ama!on, and some places in Africa. 8ut even in Africa, the 9wild: places tend to be in national par$s. =ur world"s national par$s have boundaries, but we need to as$ ourselves what happens when animals stray from those boundaries. #hen animals wander beyond these areas into human territory, their chances of survival greatly diminish. Eor instance, right now in the western >nited Dtates the wolf population is growing and wolves are approaching local livestoc$ for their ne/t meal. Dince these animals are threatening the ranchers" livestoc$, ranchers are faced with a ma.or problem + shoot the wolves to protect the livestoc$ or let the wolves attac$ their livestoc$. =utside of the boundaries of protected wildlife areas, animals face many challenges + traffic?development, hunting, habitat loss, poaching, and so forth. The 9wild: is not necessarily such a wonderful place. And anyone who says otherwise is being naFve.

Zoos !nvest "ittle Time in Animal Care

PETA
Zoos vary in si!e and *uality;from drive<through par$s to small roadside menageries with concrete slabs and iron bars to city<run facilities. 5illions of people visit !oos annually, but most !oos operate at a loss and must find ways to cut costs or add gimmic$s that will attract visitors. The #all Dtreet Gournal reported in &''H that 9nearly half of the country"s !oos are facing cutbac$s this year @ AaBttendance, meanwhile, is down about H percent nationwide.: Crecious funds that should be used to provide more humane conditions for animals are often s*uandered on improvements aimed at attracting visitors;such as landscaping, carousels, refreshment stands, and gift shops.

Zoos are the Wrong Place to #ave Animals

PETA
Zoos continue to capture animals from the wild to put them on public display. In &''H, the Dan Diego #ild Animal Car$ and Iowry Car$ Zoo in Tampa, Elorida, captured (( African elephants, a species designated as threatened, from their natural habitats in Dwa!iland. E/perts, scientists, and researchers who study elephants in the wild strongly opposed the capture, stating, 9Ta$ing elephants from the wild is not only traumatic for them, it is also detrimental to their health. ... A#Be believe the time has come to consider them as sentient beings and not as so much money on the hoof to be captured and sold and displayed for our own use.: Deveral !oos have already recogni!ed that they cannot ade*uately provide for the comple/ needs of elephants, and have made the decision to close their elephant e/hibits. The Detroit Zoo sent two elephants to a sanctuary because, in the words of the !oo"s director, 9Gust as polar bears don"t thrive in hot climates, Asian elephants should not live in small groups without many acres to roam. They clearly shouldn"t have to suffer winters of the 4orth.: Dave#ildElephants.com has more information on !oos that have closed their elephant e/hibits.