Meenageries Picture a grand imperial menagerie, a place for which mysterious and exotic beasts are acquired and displayed so that the nobles and monarchs can flex their vast wealth and luxuries. Today’s zoological parks are a far cry from the notion of displaying animals as status symbols, or living trophies from hunting trips, such that the Victorians were highly fond of. Instead, over time, they have sought to replace the image of unenriched animals in bare prison-esque cages with luscious, stimulating enclosures and a focus on the health and welfare of their captive charges. While the modern zoo prides itself on being a place of learning, conservation and research, a certain stigma remains attached to zoos as animal prisons, and various questions are often raised by those opposing animals in captivity – Are what zoos doing right and are they doing enough? With many actively decrying zoos and the work they carry out, it makes one wonder if they can ever escape the ghosts of their past. There is no denying that animal welfare conditions have drastically improved over the last few decades in most modern zoos. Accredited establishments such as those recognised by the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) must maintain high standards of animal welfare in terms of housing, nutrition, husbandry, and enrichment. Member zoos and their staff are dedicated and passionate about making life the best they can for the animals in their care and continue to improve standards further. Even so, anyone who has visited zoological parks will almost certainly have noticed that some animals fare better in captivity than others. Generally, herbivores such as deer, antelope and friends cope well in captive situations and, with careful attention to avoid anthropomorphising, appear content with their surroundings. Certainly, stereotypical behaviours (that is, behaviours that are repetitive and with seemingly no purpose) are not as prominent in most herbivores as they are in carnivores. There is almost a guarantee that if you have visited a zoo even recently, you will have noticed that pacing around the enclosure in the same pattern is very prominent in animals such as big cats and bears. While some think that no animals should be in captivity, there are some species that, despite the increases in care and welfare, do indeed continue to do poorly in zoos compared to their wild counterparts. Perhaps the most notable examples come from elephants and cetaceans (whales and dolphins). Although some species of cetacean are better suited for captivity than others, there are those which seem to suffer immensely. While you could make the argument that it was somewhat sensationalised, the 2013 documentary ‘Blackfish’, highlighted the inadequacies of captive environments for killer (orca) whales, and the questionable ethics of having them perform tricks in shows for the public. Similar to elephants, these animals roam miles every day and of course, being in a zoo prevents this. Where most animals enjoy longer lifespans in captivity, orcas and elephants are exceptions to this rule. Both species can achieve similar lifespans to humans in the wild, but in captivity, the average lifespan of both is just under twenty years old. In the case of captive orcas, it likely does not help matters that these highly social creatures are kept alone or in pairs causing extreme stress. Coupled with the tanks being inappropriately sized for an animal that will roam for miles daily, studies have shown that stereotypical behaviours such as continuous teeth grinding across the walls of the tank until the tooth root is exposed can lead to severe infections in animals already weak from stress, causing premature death. The number of elephants with stereotypical behaviours such as head bobbing and swaying is also disproportionate compared to other animals. Although BIAZA guidelines state that elephants should be kept in small herds, many are kept with unrelated individuals which creates unnatural social hierarchies and thus, stress. Whether you agree with the documentary contents or not, ‘Blackfish’ was a true watershed moment for animal welfare and has to this day irreparably damaged the reputations of SeaWorld and other facilities which hold cetaceans. Some countries have banned cetacean shows as a result, and others have prohibited keeping captive cetaceans entirely, though unfortunately breeding and shows continue in areas such as Russia and China. Another criticism zoos often face is that their education, research and conservation work is simply not enough. While many zoos carry out research on their captive populations, results are often not applicable to wild populations and have in the past created misconceptions that continue to propagate through the public, for example, the notion that wolf packs had ‘alphas’ arose from studies of captive packs, created through unrelated individuals living together and forming social hierarchies which would likely not exist in the wild. In reality, wolf packs consist of small family units: a male, a female and their offspring, with older siblings remaining with their parents to help rear younger animals before dispersing and forming their own packs. However, research on captive populations is now often conducted in order to improve the lives of captive animals, either physically or behaviourally. Many zoos now do also promote research into wild populations and fund researchers and their conservation work. On the education and conservation side, many zoos hold talks throughout the day for people to come and learn about some of the animals. Generally, these talks will have a large focus on the threats the particular animal is under in the wild and how the public is able to help them. Other aspects of education in zoos come from information boards around enclosures. Anecdotally, visitors reading them for more than 5 seconds are few and far between. On a more scientific note, various work has been completed by researchers over the years on the educational and conservational impact of zoos. Studies have found that often, education in zoos referring to captive breeding and conservation projects they may be involved with elsewhere on the globe creates a disconnect between visitor and animal. On the other hand, other studies have shown that zoos can provide visitors with the ability to learn about and form emotional connections with animals, which in turn leads to a change in attitude and thus more environmentally conscious behaviour. However, it is difficult to know whether this translates directly into conservation benefits and whether permanent behavioural changes relating to conservation can be attributed to a visit to a zoo. A great deal of research is currently being undertaken to improve the long-term education and conservation impact of zoos on visitors and it is generally recognised that a multi-faceted approach must be taken. Emotional engagement is paramount, and follow-up resources provided after the fact can also go a long way to encouraging visitors to become knowledgeable about the species they have seen and to become a part of conservation efforts. While this would seem remarkably easy for charismatic animals such as the giraffe, elephant and gorilla which have enjoyed a great deal of conservation attention lavished on them, this is actually far from the truth. A recent study from 2018 highlighted that despite their popularity and
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