Visiting a zoo is seen as a wholesome, traditional family activity. Just like everyone else, I went to the zoo as a child. I loved seeing the unique animals that I usually saw only in movies, and I enjoyed feeling so close to the diverse wildlife.
As I got older, I began to research more about the conditions animals live in when you take them out of their natural environments. Unfortunately, there are issues with keeping endangered species in confined spaces and putting them on display as entertainment, even if doing so offers a few educational opportunities.
Recently, during an incident at the Cincinnati Zoo, officials had to shoot a beloved silverback gorilla in order to protect the life of a toddler. Perhaps the parents could have been neglecting the child; perhaps the zoo could’ve taken different measures while approaching this situation; perhaps the 17-year-old gorilla, Harambe, could have still been alive — but that’s not the point.
According to a CNN article covering the story, “although gorillas are known to be unpredictable — not always the gentle giants the world saw in these two cases — the animal advocacy group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said the larger concept of zoos is the root of the problem.”
Zoo advocates present the argument that they save endangered species and educate the public, but animal rights activists believe the costs outweigh the benefits, and the violation of the rights of the individual animals is unjustifiable.
“Animals in captivity suffer from stress, boredom and confinement,” said Doris Lin, an animal rights attorney and Director of Legal Affairs for the Animal Protection League of NJ. “Intergenerational bonds are broken when individuals get sold or traded to other zoos and no pen or even drive-through safari can compare to the freedom of the wild.”
Many zoos bring the endangered species into what they call a “safe environment,” where they are protected from poachers, habitat loss, starvation and predators; but from an animal rights standpoint, we do not have a right to breed, capture and confine other animals.
Even if they are endangered, their removal from their natural homes will further compromise the wild population because those who remain will be less genetically diverse and will have more difficulty finding mates.
According to PETA, it is nearly impossible to release captive-bred animals, including threatened species like elephants, polar bears, gorillas, tigers and chimpanzees into the wild. Bringing visitors through the gates and captive breeding gives the public a false sense of security about a species’ survival, since most animals confined in zoos are not endangered, nor are they being prepared for release into natural habitats.
In 2013, the beautiful country of Costa Rica announced that it would become the first country in the world to animals. They had the desire to transform the zoos into cage-less bio parks as part of an emerging environmental consciousness.
Unfortunately, it was since mandated that Costa Rican zoos must remain open for another 10 years due to contractual obligations.
Despite the unsuccessful attempt, I think this is a start of where the focus of the zoo community should be, and I commend the country for trying to take an initiative to interact with biodiversity in a natural way.
When the day does come that the country is able to transform its zoos into cage-less bio parks, animals in captivity not able to be released into the wild will be cared for in rescue centers and wildlife sanctuaries throughout the country.
Sanctuaries rehabilitate wildlife and take in unwanted exotic pets, without breeding, buying and selling animals like zoos do.
I firmly believe actions like these are what can teach children about compassion towards animals and respect for nature.
Zoos teach children that imprisoning animals for our own entertainment is acceptable, and children lack the knowledge of the actual dangers of what undomesticated animals can do.
If wildlife as we know it is to survive, the zoo community must quickly and systematically shift focus from breeding more animals to keep in cages and tanks, to directing attention to the root causes of why animals all over the world are in peril.
I think Harambe’s death should spark a sense of awareness to people regarding the divine creatures of this planet and reveal the unethical factors of zoos.
Whether or not the death was justified, at the end of the day, if all cages are down, we are all just creatures that will fight for survival.
