Zoos: A sordid spectacle

Ever since a young age, I have been fascinated by animals. One animal in particular has always been the most interesting to me, and that was the tiger. However, whenever I used to go to the zoo, which was a lot back then, I always used to be disappointed by the tigers kept in the enclosures. They always seemed to be sitting down in their small enclosures. On a recent trip to Pench, I saw a tiger in a national park - the contrast was so stark that it is not describable in words. The majesty and pride of the free animal was everything I expected, and more.

This got me wondering about how much zoos actually cared for the animals they were using as attractions. I spent some time reading about this and the information I found shocked me!

A PETA report demonstrated that an astounding 75% of animals in zoos were captured from the wild, often against the animals will. Between 2015-2018, there were over 800 incidents of poor welfare recorded in the UK. (According to the Born Free Foundation). In 2013, more than 4000 animals in Brazil were confiscated from zoos due to poor conditions and animal cruelty. There are far too many statistics such as this, of instances the world over. Some argue that poor zoo conditions are more common in developing countries - this is sadly not the case. 

While zoos in countries like Hong Kong, Switzerland or Malaysia may argue that the animals in their zoos are in good conditions, I am firmly of the belief that animals should be allowed to live in the wild where their sole purpose is not to be for humans to spectate. A study found that within captivity, 38% of captive polar bears in North American zoos displayed abnormal behaviours. Also, zoos may claim that it is beneficial for sick animals to be kept in controlled environments. Even so, the fact remains that however well animals in zoos are kept, animals in captivity often find it difficult to thrive. A study referenced on the World Animal Foundation mentions the alarming statistic of bottlenose dolphins - these beautiful creatures have a six-fold increase in the risk of death when captured or transferred. Captive dolphins are kept in enclosures that are 200,000 times smaller than their natural habitats.

I understand the fascination for animals we humans have. But rather than have them suffer like this, personally, I prefer the concept of national parks where humans may be allowed to go on hikes or on safaris to see animals in their natural habitats. 

As someone who has been lucky enough to travel and live in several countries, I have visited some of these zoos and seen the conditions of the animals in them. Recently, my family and I were planning a trip to Singapore where we lived for 5 years when I was much younger. One of the things my parents put on the itinerary was to go to the Singapore zoo, as it is a place where we as a family have spent many happy hours together. However, I was able to point out to them the issues about animals in captivity and eventually, they agreed and we decided that from now on we would only see animals in national parks or on safaris. I think the onus of awareness can be on anyone, young or old, regardless, if we feel strongly about something we should make people around us aware.

A survey that was conducted by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums showed that over 700 million people worldwide visit zoos and aquariums. Also, in 2018 zoos accredited by AZA generated a total of 22.5 billion dollars in revenue. Zoos are a commercial attraction which means that sometimes they cut back on attempting to care for animals to cut costs and try to bring in more animals as attractions to increase the amount of customers they get - even though the “attractions” may be completely unsuited to the environment. Bringing in more exotic animals that are not native can mean a lot of customers, but at what cost? 

As a younger child, I have visited zoos a lot, read kids books about going to the zoo and even listened to nursery rhymes. All this is a way to normalise the action of going to a zoo and staring at living creatures kept in captivity and sometimes in appalling conditions. However, as I grow older, I am beginning to understand the cruelty which animals are subject to by humans. I am starting to grow an aversion towards zoos and want to become more of an advocate for animal rights. “Every act of animal abuse diminishes our collective humanity. We must work together to create a world free from cruelty and violence.” ~Sangdeun Chailert