oos are awesome places where we get the unique opportunity to observe different animals—from the small and mild to the big and wild. As you might expect, some people have abused the privilege of caring for these poor animals, and in the guise of aiding animal conservation and observation, we sometimes act a little more cruelly than necessary—something which we wouldn’t dare to do if the bars were taken away. In any case, zoos are often a lot more bizarre than we give them credit for. London Zoo is the world’s oldest scientific zoo. It was opened in London on 27 April 1828, and was originally intended to be used as a collection for scientific study. It was eventually opened to the public in 1847.
Today it houses a collection of 806 species of animals, with 19,178 individuals, making it one of the largest collections in the United Kingdom. The zoo is sometimes called Regent’s Zoo. It is managed under the aegis of the Zoological Society of London (established in 1826), and is situated at the northern edge of Regent’s Park, on the boundary line between City of Westminster and Camden (the Regent’s Canal runs through it). ZSL receives no state funding and relies on ‘Fellows’, ‘Friends’, ‘Members’, entrance fees and sponsorship to generate income.
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While anmal-themed clothes are pretty much allowed in most zoos across the world, they are banned at the Chessington World of Adventures in the United Kingdom. The ban came into place after zoo authorities noticed that the animals in their Zufari— an imitation of an African wildlife safari—moved closer to people wearing clothing similar to their respective patterns and coloring, while they ran away from people who wore clothes that resembled their predators.
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Banned prints include those resembling the coats of zebras, giraffes, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, tigers, and African wild dogs. Visitors caught decked in any of these prints on zoo grounds are given two options—either accept a zooowned gray jumpsuit, or leave. The Chinese are well known for making substandard and unauthorized versions of almost anything. From popular high-end gadgets and electronics to clothing and food, they’ve done it all.
Things turned awry when the “African lion” began barking. (although he failed to explain what the mastiff was doing in its cage).
Our brand new exciting and unique indoor play centre is now open at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo! Each element of Hullabazoo is designed around different habitats enabling your children to have fun and mimic their favourite animals. You’ll be able to watch your little ones crawl through the garden, climb like an insect or journey through the Antarctic to become a penguin sliding down the ice.
Private zoos can range from being simple backyard enclosures to massive sprawling ranches, owned by either individuals or organizations. Sometimes they’re legal, and sometimes they’re not. While many private zoo owners have caused problems at one time or the other (like the Vietnam veteran who released the exotic animals in his Ohio zoo before committing suicide), drug lords, who keep these zoos as a show of wealth and power, have taken the private zoo business to a whole different level. There are so many illegal zoos owned by drug lords that in July 2011 alone, 5,500 an-
imals were seized from gangs operating in Mexico. These wild animals are often used for brutal purposes, such as execution— the Mexican Zetas gang (a cabal made up of former military commandos) has been known to feed their enemies to tigers. In other cases, the animals are used as drug couriers—a process which involves the animal’s body getting surgically
opened and stuffed with cocaine-filled condoms before being sewed shut again.
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Private zoos can range from being simple backyard enclosures to massive sprawling ranch-
owned by either individuals or organizations. Sometimes they’re legal, and sometimes they’re not. While many private zoo owners have caused problems at one time or the other (like the Vietnam veteran who released the exotic animals in his Ohio zoo before committing suicide), drug lords, who keep these zoos as a show of wealth and power, have
taken the private zoo business to a whole different level. There are so many illegal zoos owned by drug lords that in July 2011 alone, 5,500 animals were seized from gangs operating in Mexico. These wild animals are often used for brutal purposes, such as execution—the Mexican Zetas gang (a cabal made up of former military commandos) has been known to feed their enemies to tigers. In other cases, the animals are used as drug couriers—a process which involves the animal’s body getting surgically opened and stuffed with cocaine-filled condoms before being sewed shut again.
Compared with those in the wild, animals in zoos have a decidedly longer lifespan. This is because in zoos, the animals have access to better food, veterinary care, and shelter, and mostly just because they don’t have to worry about another animal gobbling them up.
But strangely, the reverse is the case for elephants—wild elephants live longer than elephants in zoos. Zoo-born African and Asian elephants live for only 17 and 19 years respectively. Compare that to the average 56 years enjoyed by those in the wild, and you’re looking at a huge difference. The whole thing becomes even more puzzling by the fact that elephants captured in the wild and taken to zoos also live longer than those born in captivity. It is believed that something bizarre is happening to the elephants very early in their lifetime (between the ages of three and four), and stress, obesity, and lack of exercise have been suggested as possible factors. Just as we humans get kidnapped, animals are also commonly the victims of “cubnapping.” The targets are usually small animals or babies of bigger animals as they are usually less aggressive than their adult counterparts. The kidnapping process generally involves smashing or jumping into tanks and cages to abduct these animals, but in some instances, things have gotten a bit more serious. At the Gaza Zoo in the Gaza Strip, four masked men armed with Kalashnikovs made away with a four-month-old lion cub and two Arabic-speaking parrots.
Zoochosis is a portmanteau of zoo and psychosis. It was coined by the late Bill Travers of Born Free Foundation, which is an anti-zoo organization. It refers to abnormal, repetitive, and unnatural behaviors—the equivalent of madness in humans—exhibited by animals in captivity. control), caging, and human influence in general.
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