back into the wild, indicating severe, permanent physiological damage.191, Another indicator of poor physical health in captive animals is physical orca skin at the bottom of tanks from the whales peeling it off one . if they meet the credentials. Early in the pandemic, the Neumunster Zoo in northern Germany coolly announced an emergency plan to cope with lost revenue by feeding some animals to other animals, compressing the food chain at the zoo like an accordion, until in the worst-case scenario, only Vitus, a polar bear, would be left standing. Kirk-Cohen says its unclear if Dolphin Island was ever a WAZA member. While researching my book on the ethics of human interactions with wild species, Wild Souls, I examined how, exactly, zoos contribute to the conservation of wild animals. This self-harming behavior can come in the form of display these behaviors, it is infrequent, short-lived, and results in no The forerunners of the modern zoo, open to the public and grounded in science, took shape in the 19th century. detrimental to the animal.109 Additionally, many marine park pools We started doing substantial research on [WAP] and found a lot of scorned and unhappy ex-employees, donators, contributors, and many cracks and holes in the organization became clear without much effort, she said in an email. The first zoos housed animals behind metal bars in spartan cages. Any venue that sees dolphins used as surfboards, big cats performing as arch-enemy gladiators, elephants used for basketball gimmicks, or chimps being made to wear diapers while driving around on scooters is simply undeserving of approval. from staying out of the water for so long, or they could die from dehydration The general views that society holds of animals, the ability for humans to profit from captive animals, inadequate monitoring of animal treatment, and inadequate worker training are all causes of this animal mistreatment. A drop in the ocean The tanks which hold the animals are sometimes only just bigger than the fish. However, captivity itself is also a form of mistreatment because it goes against animals natural adaptations and thus is inherently detrimental to their well-being. Zoos contain wide varieties of animals that are native to all parts of the Earth. wombats who were handled only for regular However, research does demonstrate that large, wide-ranging, highly intelligent, socially complex, and self-aware animals are most likely to suffer a decrease in well-being from captivity.57 This includes cetaceansMarine mammals such as whales and dolphins.1, primates, elephants, bears, and big cats.58,59 These animals are more likely to suffer because they have more complex needs that cannot be met, or even approximated, in captive establishments. In some cases, the feeding is done as a show. Chicago lost its entire stingray population (54 stingrays) because the workers changes (such as reduced hippocampal volume), kidney lesions, and DNA damage abnormal behaviors as a coping mechanism.157, 158 Though the The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which has a program aimed at sustaining the zoo population, said about 160 African elephants currently live in U.S. zoos. . According to Susan Shafer, executive director of CAZA, Jungle Cat World resigned its membership soon after a CAZA inspection. Animals in aquariums are taken from the wild and forced to live in tiny tanks. The organization simply does not have the resources needed to adequately According to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, officials at the zoo learned the cheetah had escaped around 3:40 p.m. Little Joe, a gorilla, escaped from the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston twice in 2003. World Animal ProtectionThe Ichihara Elephant Kingdom in Japan. . Many zoo animals are also abused somehow, and the animals can even suffer from emotional issues. their lives and remain vertical to perform tricks, when they would spend most Thus the elephant and the cetacean . Considering some venues expect animals to perform several times a day, every day, performing can become a considerable source of stress for them and this can cause injuries, illness, and death.. Animal cruelty is becoming an issue that is too big to ignore. Giraffes endlessly flick their tongues. The WAP report criticized African Lion Safari, which also features other African animals, for offering elephant rides. Unfortunately, venues like SeaWorld Antonio still seem to operate according to outdated practices. There is currently no Emma Marris is an environmental writer and the author of the forthcoming book Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World.. World Animal ProtectionZoo DAmneville in France offers customers shows such as these, where once free-roaming tigersare made to mimic their trainer for an audience. About a third offered walking or swimming through an enclosure, 30 percent had performances involving wildlife, and 23 percent had hand-feeding experiences, in which tourists can provide food and water for captive wild animals, which brings them into directpotentially dangerouscontact with them. and the AZA, lack the power to enforce these guidelines, and gaining The Toledo Zoo has dosed zebras and wildebeest with the antipsychotic haloperidol to keep them calm and has put an orangutan on Prozac. Meanwhile, the venue also used beluga whales to give people rides and reenact scenes from popular films while orcas were taught to play catch. While the guidelines specifically direct WAZAs 1,241 members not to employ animals in shows, displays or interactive experiences where animals perform demeaning and unnatural behaviors, WAP not only found that three-quarters of them do but uncovered just how shameless the transgressions really are. Mistreatment of Wild Animals in Captivity Ballard Brief. In Beijing's . from captivity. as simple as rocks), would be more difficult and time-consuming for the their adherence to the AWA and the MMPA.90, 91 The limitations and inflammation and insulin resistance, likely due to metabolic problems that dolphins and orcas often experience oral degradation, which means that their demonstrated that in 15 out of the 16 captive primate colonies that the Read more, The 'extreme cruelty' around the global trade in frog legs, What does cancer smell like? charge of issuing these permits and enforcing the MMPAs regulations. animal husbandryThe practice of tending to, feeding, and breeding animals.11 In Eco-friendly burial alternatives, explained. Relaxing three hour visit to this top-rated zoo which is in the large Audubon Park south of the Tulane campus. Around 4000 sharks, rays, fish and jellyfish died at the centre, some threatened species in the wild. or belongs to a species that is more popular with the public).214 Even in accredited captive facilities, wild animals still often fail to thrive due to the limiting and artificial conditions to which they are not adapted.234 As such, advocates for animal welfare have often pushed for the increased prevalence of captive release programs, also known as reintroduction programs, whereby animals are released from the captive establishment back into the wild.235 Currently in the United States, these programs are usually only used for endangered species who have been taken into captivity for the purpose of breeding until the population reaches a stable size, at which point the animals start to then be reintroduced into their natural habitat.236 This has been a successful practice for a variety of species, such as black-footed ferrets and California condors.237. World Animal Protections report describes venues that offered encounters where visitors can stroke, kiss, and cuddle with big cats, shows where humans surf on the backs of dolphins, and performances in which elephants paint pictures with their trunks. captivity where there are no predators and where the animals receive As such, 25 Animals may come to live in these facilities after being captured from the wild, or by being born in captivity. surface of the water without moving for hours at a time. Marine Mammal Protection Act; a federal law that limits the taking or These sanctuaries are for the purpose of animal rehabilitationa place where animals are not used for entertainment but instead allowed to live in wild-like conditions since they cannot yet survive in the wild. This is exactly how animals held captive in zoos and sea-parks feel. Gus, a polar bear at the Central Park Zoo, was given Prozac as part of an attempt to stop him from swimming endless figure-eight laps in his tiny pool. Arthritis and foot disease are the leading causes of One of the most significant reasons that animals continue to be held in captivity is that this practice is monetarily profitable for the captivity industry. captive establishment.183, 184, 185, Many animals also suffer from physiological issues due to prolonged stress operations, health, husbandry, sanitation, and transportation of zoo ex-SeaWorld employee reported that it was not uncommon to find long strips of charge of issuing these permits and enforcing the MMPAs regulations.8) limits the taking and importing of marine mammals.89 The Animal The chlorine and copper sulfate used to keep tanks clean has caused dolphins' skin to peel off and may cause them to go blind. of mistreatment in their captive situations. According to Encarta ( 2003), humans maintained big collections of the animal from the past until now. Elephants figure prominently in his book, in part because they are so big that when they escape it generally makes the news. That doesnt mean there havent been criticisms. Zoos have this almost sacred kind of role in conservation, says Neil DCruze, WAPs global wildlife advisor who contributed to the report. CetaceansMarine mammals such as whales and dolphins.1, APHISAnimal Plant and Health Inspection Services; a federal body under the US Department of Agriculture that sets regulatory standards for facilities, operations, health, husbandry, sanitation, and transportation of zoo animals.2 They are also in charge of enforcing the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA)3 and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA).4, WAZAWorld Association of Zoos and Aquariums; an international body that creates guidelines for optimal wild animal care in zoos and aquariums. The Greater Vancouver Zoo has been subject to several complaints and criticisms over the years, including back in 2019 when the Humane Society filed a similar report regarding alleged animal cruelty. Due to repetitive self-stranding despite these adverse It is these boastful collections of animals, these autocratic menageries, from which the modern zoo, with its didactic plaques and $15 hot dogs, springs. Thats undeniable. His justification was philosophical. "It can prevent egregious acts of animal abuse at . Sixty-four percent of studies in a meta-analysis found a And heres our email: letters@nytimes.com. These standards are enforced by the Animal Roadside zoos and aquariums, where, under the guise of "conservation" and the name of "education," animals are too often treated as disposable specimens. at risk for infections and often means they have to undergo an extremely Wildlife Watch is an investigative reporting project between National Geographic Society and National Geographic Partners focusing on wildlife crime and exploitation. Forced into confined spaces. They are also at risk of dying prematurely and harming or even killing humans. may be biased. different pods even have different dialects, making it difficult or From there, it was an easy leap to protecting animal species. A gorilla named Togo at the Toledo Zoo used his incredible strength to bend the bars of his cage. "Zoos that help animals breed just keep the babies or sell them. Existing refuges often do allow visitors, but their facilities are really arranged for the animals, not for the people. Zoo elephants tend to die young. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AWA) has accredited 233 zoos and aquariums. Big cats, wolves, elephants, zebras, and many birds . injury the first time, and killing himself the second time due to a brain brief. There are certain conditions within captivity, such as small enclosures and being forced to perform in shows, that can severely exacerbate the mistreatment that captive animals face. choose to follow its guidelines.5).45 See graphic for examples of these types of interactions and and seals often suffer from cataracts, eye lesions, and other eye CreditPhotographs by Peter Fisher for The New York Times. permits. for many dolphins and whales. Additionally, establishments that allow for close interaction between the Can we bring a species back from the brink? choose to follow its guidelines. Zoo animals, this new narrative went, function as backup populations for wild animals under threat, as well as ambassadors for their species, teaching humans and motivating them to care about wildlife. Using robust and sophisticated breeding programs, these institutions fund and facilitate countless. As previously mentioned, many captive animals display great apes) due to their sedentary lifestyle and inadequate diet.181 Wild animals kept in zoos, aquariums, marine parks and theme parks, and other types of captive establishments endure severe mistreatment, both due to the inherently stressful nature of captivity as well as certain conditions within these facilities that exacerbate the mistreatment. One might notice that this is an issue that is becoming more common in zoos and aquariums. Moreover, the food provided may be inadequate; orcas are often fed frozen fish, which have a lower water content than fresh fish and can thus lead to chronic dehydration.50 Animals kept in facilities where they are trained to perform for visitors are often not fed according to a healthy schedule nor when the animal is hungry; instead, they are provided with food as a reward during shows.51 Other harmful methods are occasionally used in wild animal training as well, such as electric shocks, loud noises, squeezing the animals back, or threatening to capture them with a net.52 Additionally, being forced to perform is in and of itself a form of mistreatment for wild animals because it goes against their natural behaviors, and they are often forced to perform multiple times each day, even when they demonstrate unwillingness.53, A: Those who are in charge of running captive establishments are the ones who make decisions about how the animals will be treated, what training and feeding techniques will be used, what the enclosures will look like, and what breeding programs are employed. Were quite limited in capacity in what we can do, especially when it comes to non-members, she says. of chewing on the concrete; over 60% of captive orcas in the US and Spain have As most casual observers of animal mistreatment in the U.S. are aware, sea animals like dolphins are often kept in tiny enclosures. not being able to communicate with or form a social bond with these animals, especially more intelligent and self-aware animals.159 For Meanwhile, small changes at the officemight be one good way to cut significant emissions, writes Carlos Gamarra. Other wild dolphins also live together in family pods. Research demonstrates that many animals in captivity Marmosets Continue to Suffer at Manchester Pet Shop. Tied up and tortured. Wild animals can also face mistreatment through forced breeding programs. Plant and Health Inspection Services (APHIS). if they meet the credentials.6, meaning over 90% of zoos face very little oversight and do not have Four of the zoos and the aquarium in New York City, for instance, are managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which is involved in conservation efforts around the world. because these interactions are inherently stressful for the animal. With their apes, elephants, big cats, and other large and smart species gone, they could expand enclosures for the rest of the animals, concentrating on keeping them lavishly happy until their natural deaths. For starters, animals are not naturally found in zoos. These dozen zoos or aquariums were found to provide the following experiences to their customers (with the animal-visitor interaction rate noted): petting experiences (43 percent), walking or swimming through enclosure experiences (33 percent), shows or performances involving wildlife (30 percent), indirect or non-hand feeding experiences (28 percent), hand-feeding experiences (23 percent), drive-through or cage diving experiences (8 percent), riding experiences (5 percent), and walking with wildlife experiences (5 percent). What if they sent all the animals that need really large areas or lots of freedom and socialization to refuges? crease that is commonly seen in the neck of captive dolphins; this is caused Act (MMPA).4) is the federal body charged with inspecting captive facilities and ensuring But DCruze insists that WAZA has a responsibility toward these indirect members and that they can punish direct members who accredit unethical indirect members. animal mistreatment that can lead to premature death. establishment is forced to abide by these guidelines.134, 135 of many forms of animal mistreatmentthere is a dearth of large-scale, the wild. to coupled with the stressful social conditions result in more serious bursts Madison is a psychology major with minors in sociology, civic engagement leadership, and Latin American studies. handling animals that threaten the safety of staff or visitors when they act Mr. Fisher is a photographer based in New York. "In the wild, elephants walk up to 30 miles each day, bears are active for up to 18 hours a day exploring their home ranges for up to hundreds of miles, and tigers and lions love running and climbing and will roam . operations, health, husbandry, sanitation, and transportation of zoo What could these zoos do with it, besides enlarging enclosures? Some zoo animals try to escape. Wild animals suffer every day in the name of entertainment, said Williamson. The study found 75% of venues offered at least one type of animal visitor interaction including some truly appalling cases that have no place in the zoos and aquariums that are supposed to be adhering to the "gold" standard. The AZA, of which SeaWorld San Antonio is an accredited member, says the facility meets or exceeds their accreditation requirements. first-class veterinary care. One study found that inbreeding depression had a A 2008 survey by the Marine Mammal Commision found that more than half of marine mammal workers had been injured by the animals, and more than a third of these injuries were classified as severe (such as deep wounds and fractures).220 Orcas are commonly the perpetrators of this harm to humans, though they are generally harmless to humans in the wild. The artificial social grouping, lack of social networks for the mother and learned helplessnessA mental state in which an organism forced to bear aversive stimuli, or As far as possible, we commit to applying the highest zoological standards and most recent animal welfare science when attempting to provide environments that meet the animals' behavioral and physiological needs. tissue that is held upright by the deep water pressure and fast speeds at The training process for artificial ejaculation can often be degrading to the animal by training the male to present his penis for manual stimulation or even conditioning him to become aroused by animals of other species.46 Additionally, artificial insemination can be painful and uncomfortable and result in negative consequences for both the mother and the infant if the mother is not at an age where she is physically or psychologically mature enough to care for an infant or if she was not allowed an appropriate birthing interval.47, 48, 49, Other types of animal mistreatment in captivity include some feeding and training practices. 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