03
Animals Killed
Surplus Animals Are Killed
Surplus animals are unwanted animals that are a result of systematic overproduction by zoos. These surplus animals are either killed (and in some cases are fed to their fellow zoo inhabitants) or are sold to other zoos or dealers. Selling surplus animals is a profitable way for zoos to dispose of them, with many ending up at hunting ranches, pet shops, taxidermists, circuses, exotic meat industries, and even research facilities. A study undertaken by Captive Animals’ Protection Society found that anywhere from 7,500 to 200,000 animals are surplus at any one time in European zoos. Culling animals in UK zoos is a regular occurrence. In 2005, two wolf cubs and an adult female were shot dead at Dartmoor Wildlife Park ”due to overcrowding and fighting in the pack,” a year later in 2006, an entire pack of wolves were culled at Highland Wildlife Park after the social structure of the pack had broken down.
02
Abnormal Behavior
Animals Suffer from Abnormal Repetitive Behavior
Abnormal repetitive behavior, also known as ARB, is the scientific term for repetitive behaviors demonstrated by captive animals. These behaviors include pacing, head bobbing, swaying from side to side, rocking, sitting motionless and biting themselves. These are all primarily inflicted by stress. Depression, boredom and psychoses are all typical behaviors of animals being held in captivity. Recognizing these stress behaviors is arduous considering most people have only ever seen these wild animals in zoos. The few zoo keepers that are aware of the stressed out animals do not make sharing that stress with the public a priority. As the public's knowledge of animals' lack of wellbeing increases, some zoos have begun to give tranquilizers and antidepressants in order to hide the stress from the visiting guests.
01
Space
Zoos Cannot Provide Sufficient Space for Animals
Animals, when brought into captivity lack the proper amount of space needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It doesn't matter how many acres zoos try to expand their enclosures, or how many pictures of happy animals they have on poster boards or even how many trees zookeepers add to the animals' artificial habitats. No matter how hard zookeepers try to replicate an animals' natural habitat, they will always fall short with regards to the amount of space available and environmental conditions. In general, zoo enclosures are far smaller and far less stimulating.
The lack of adequate space and conditions is the most detrimental to species, such as elephants, that travel many miles every day. In fact, confining elephants to zoo enclosures creates an environment over 1,000 times smaller than their natural habitat and polar bears have spaces over 1,000,000 times smaller than their arctic territories.
03
Animals Killed
Surplus Animals Are Killed
Surplus animals or unwanted animals are a result of systematic overproduction by zoos. These surplus animals are either killed (and in some cases are fed to their fellow zoo inhabitants) or are sold to other zoos or dealers. Selling surplus animals is a profitable way for zoos to dispose of them, with many ending up at hunting ranches, pet shops, taxidermists, circuses, exotic meat industries, and even research facilities. A study undertaken by Captive Animals’ Protection Society found that anywhere from 7,500 to 200,000 animals are surplus at any one time in European zoos. Culling animals in UK zoos is a regular occurrence. In 2005, two wolf cubs and an adult female were shot dead at Dartmoor Wildlife Park "due to overcrowding and fighting in the pack," a year later in 2006, an entire pack of wolves were culled at Highland Wildlife Park after the social structure of the pack had broken down.
04
Animals From Wild
Animals Are Still Taken From The Wild
Contrary to what the zoos want us to believe, animals are still forcefully taken from the wild. In 2003, 146 penguins were captured from the South Atlantic, with no opposition from the UK government, and forced on a week-long boat journey. The surviving animals were later sold to South Africa where they would eventually end up in zoos in Asia. Later, in 2010, Zimbabwe made plans to remove two species of each mammal from their national parks. A few of these animals included lions, rhinos, zebras, giraffes and elephants. These animals would have been sent to North Korean zoos if it hadn't been for the international interference from animal protection agencies. Mammals are not the only victims; 79 percent of animals in aquariums were also removed from their natural habitats (Geer).
05
Conservation or Education
Zoos Don’t Serve Conservation or Education
Contrary to popular belief, zoos do not release their animals back into the wild. Animals are simply bred to maintain the population of those in captivity. While zoos could be advocating for a decrease in deforestation in order to help endangered species, they choose to confine them and instead, keep them in captivity. Zoos often advocate that they exist for educational purposes and to raise awareness of wild animals to their visitors yet, people take away little educational understanding of wild animals and their natural behaviors while visiting zoos. The most ideal way to learn about wildlife is to watch documentaries or visit safaris and observe the animals in their natural state. (Geer)
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