Should Zoos Still Exist?

When I was a child going to visit a zoo or wildlife park wasn’t really on my family’s radar. Don’t get me wrong my Mum, Dad and my Godmother all taught us about nature from growing our own vegetables and fruit to taking regular countryside walks.
My children are still amazed when we go out walking and I can name most of the wild flowers, birds and animals we come across.
When I was a child being brought up in the country this was just second nature, excuse the pun.
Crocuses, bluebells and wild garlic welcomed in the Spring, whilst fresh peas, tomatoes and lettuce from the garden meant summer was here and watching the leaves turn colour and drop off the trees heralded the onset of Autumn. Ultimately the absence of hedgehogs and squirrels meant hibernation for Winter had begun.

Our nearest zoo was in Bristol but I can’t remember my Mum ever taking us there. In fact I think my first visit to a zoo was when I was nineteen and my boyfriend -Phil (who I later became reacquainted with 33 years later and subsequently married) took me to London Zoo. It was my first ever trip to our capital city and I remember being amazed by the quantity and variety of animals on display.
That’s an interesting analogy “being on display” because actually on a recent visit to a local wildlife park (from which all the photos here were taken) that feeling that some of the animals and birds we saw were “on display” really hit me.

Having not been to my first zoo until I was nineteen I have more than made up for this since, having visited and then taken my own children when they were young, for example, to visit Bristol Zoo, Woburn Safari Park, Whipsnade Zoo and our favourite in the UK -Chester Zoo. To be honest there are so many animal sanctuaries, wildlife parks, zoos etc in the UK that we have visited I would be here forever listing them all.

On my travels abroad I’ve been to Paris Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Chicago Zoo to name but a few. I’ve also been fortunate to go on safari in South Africa twice.

But this most recent visit to a wildlife park really made me want to look into this idea further. Should zoos still exist?

The actual dictionary definition of a zoo is “an establishment which maintains a collection of wild animals, typically in a park or gardens, for study, conservation, or display to the public.”
There’s that phrase again “display to the public”.

One of the most important functions of modern day zoos, when you read all the literature on their websites, is supporting international breeding programmes, particularly for endangered species. In the wild, some of the rarest species have difficulty in finding mates and breeding, and they might also be threatened by poachers, loss of their habitat, predators and more so today by climate change that can actually bring about starvation through lack of food.
But there is a part of me that feels that whilst this sounds like a worthy argument to keep these species in captivity, is it really? I mean although breeding programmes enable a species to survive it’s not like the offspring will one day be put back into the wild. Surely in the majority of cases they would be too used to human contact? Additionally what right do we feel we have to capture, confine or breed them? If an animal is endangered does that justify us removing its freedom or should nature just be allowed to take its course?

The Freedom for Animals Organisation (freedomforanimals.org.uk) displays some interesting facts and statistics about conservation. By focusing on zoos in Wales, they carried out research which unearthed that just 9% of animals held captive are endangered and 17% are threatened in the wild. Have a look at their website, it makes interesting reading.

Another consideration is that in removing certain animals from the wild in order to conserve them, are we endangering those remaining by decreasing the gene pool and actually causing an increase in depopulation as a result which in turn could lead to an increase in extinction.

It must be incredibly challenging for an animal or bird to be stuck in a zoo. Surely it goes against their natural instincts? Will they ever find real happiness regardless of how much room they have, if inherently they are used to living in the wild? Are we doing this primarily for our own entertainment?
I like so many others have visited Sea World in Florida and sat and watched sometimes in awe as dolphins and whales performed for the vast audiences. I have also been fortunate to experience the joy of watching dolphins in the wild leaping out of the ocean as they swam alongside the boat in the Caribbean or watching whales breach the surface of the water in Monterey, California. I know which I would prefer but like I said I have been fortunate to experience this. Should others miss out because they cannot afford such adventures?

You often still see animals constantly walking back and forth, polar bears spring to mind. These animals in captivity can suffer from boredom and stress. Captivity can in no way compare to being free in the wild. It just seems so against their natural instinct and we even expect certain animals to exist outside of their natural climate. How on earth does an animal which by nature is used to a tropical rainforest manage in a cold, wet, windy English winter?

I can see the benefit from an educational perspective of the existence of zoos. Where else can a school age child learn about this vast array of animals etc and actually see them in the flesh? With the effects of climate change all around us, worldwide, this education also hopefully encourages empathy. Visitors may be more likely to readdress their outlooks and understand better the idea of an animal becoming extinct or may even change their habits to ensure environments currently being destroyed by the human race are saved.
But is this enough to substantiate their captivity?
There is an argument that with more and more technology children can acquaint themselves with wildlife through programmes such as “Planet Earth” rather than visiting zoos. Another option is searching the net for live webcams.
Having visited the elephant seals on the West Coast of California, for example, we became aware of “elephantseal.org” which allows you to watch the beaches live and also has access to Youtube videos and virtual field trips. This is not unusual, numerous wildlife organisations now transmit this type of media. The joy of this type of viewing is even though it is not there right in front of you, it is live and the animals are in their natural habitat.

Good zoos have high standards of welfare for their animals. Visiting an accredited zoo is better than visiting one which isn’t. For example, BIAZA ‘members are dedicated to “achieving the highest standards of animal care, conserving the natural world through research and conservation, and educating and inspiring their visitors.”
BIAZA , founded in 1966, is the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums; the professional body representing the best zoos and aquariums in Britain and Ireland. “We have over one hundred zoo and aquarium members who pride themselves on their excellent animal welfare, education and conservation work.”
“BIAZA contributes approximately £24 million to conservation projects each year.

Some wildlife centres and zoos even take in abandoned exotic pets and rehabilitate animals back into the wild. I think that is where my heart lies, actually releasing animals back into their natural environment.

Despite being in captivity it is not unusual, in fact it is sometimes common by nature, for animals to bond with each other. These bonds are then often broken when animals are moved for breeding purposes or sold to another zoo. How would you feel if you suddenly found yourself without your Mum, brother, sister or even friend? The stress this must cause animals doesn’t bear thinking about.
Again there are arguments that not all animals live in close proximity with others of the same breed in the wild so this is nothing different. However I’m not wholly convinced that this knowledge bears any weight if suddenly a zoo finds itself overrun with one particular breed of animal which then by necessity perpetrates a need to decrease the population and thus create movement.

There is also an argument that animals are better off in established, accredited zoos than being kept by private individuals who may not necessarily have the right knowledge or in depth understanding of such wild creatures.
Back in 2019 The Guardian reporter, Alex Hannaford, wrote an interesting article about the different rules prevalent in the USA: (https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/nov/10/the-tiger-next-door-americas-backyard-big-cats#:~:text=An%20oft%2Dquoted%20statistic%20is,though%20there%20might%20be%20more.) .
The continent of North America is made up of a series of state, federal and county laws governing the ownership of such animals. The programme “Tiger King” which was watched worldwide exemplified this absurdity.
Whilst we were touring America last year we visited “Keepers of the Wild” wildlife conservation park who gave homes to many of these tigers. We actually began to understand from this park the main difference between this and a zoo. They basically give homes to such animals for the rest of their lives. They don’t breed them and they don’t sell them.
Whilst there is still an argument that these animals are being kept captive for the rest of their lives, isn’t this better than the alternative which would have been euthanasia?
This article is nearly five years old but has anything changed?

My research also uncovered other documentaries and films such as the 2013 Netflix film “Blackfish” which is a documentary about the killer whale “Tilikum” which brought into worldwide focus the issues with Seaworld and why changes needed to be made to these wild mammals kept in captivity.
I also came across an old Horizon programme which aired on BBC2 back in 2016 entitled “Should We Close Our Zoos?”. Whilst the full programme is unavailable you can watch excerpts from it still: Should We close Our Zoos?

It is not my place to conclude this post with directives to say it is ok to frequent zoos or not to visit zoos. This is your choice but as someone who grew up in the era when zoos were a normal part of childrens’ entertainment I would ask you to maybe stop, do a bit of your own research and come to your own conclusion. Think for yourself rather than being led by the crowds.
I do feel two things we should all be doing, however, is taking David Attenborough’s documentaries seriously and protecting the habitats of wild animals to ensure their survival in the wild. 
Secondly accepting our contribution both individually and as a collective for climate change and doing something however big or small to minimise it’s effects on the natural world within which these animals currently exist.