Are zoos ethical?

Today I went to the zoo with my youngest daughter. She and I have zoo membership and have done so ever since we emigrated over 10 years ago. It was the first thing that we signed up to whilst we were still renting. Three visits a year pay for the membership and after that we are getting in for free. Even if we don't go we are supporting the zoo.

I remember years ago visiting London zoo as a small child, and later Bristol zoo as a teenager. In those days, back in the 1970s, the big cats were in concrete cages with iron bars and we watched them pace up and down, not realising just how awful it was for them. Since then science has progressed and now we know far more about the emotional needs of captive animals and provide better care. I still wonder if it is good enough?

We joined Melbourne zoo because I believed that there were doing the best that they could for their animals and continue to improve the enclosures and care of their animals. They have an active breding program and only recently brought in a Silver Back male from the UK to replace the male that died, and to ensure that new blood is brought to the line. They also exchanged younger animals to continue to maintain a fit and healthy group of gorillas. From the health aspect this is a good thing and humans do the same thing in that we have laws against immediate family members breding. However does this mean that the gorillas were emotionally okay about members of their group leaving and new members joining? Clearly this is a question that I can't answer.

I remember as a teenager the news that the polar bears at Bristol zoo were found to be unhappy and experts were brought it to find ways to improve their mental and emotional health. This was the first time that I was aware of such issues and it was wonderful to visit the zoo later that year and see the bears playing with their new toys, having to find their food that was hidden within the enclosure and appearing much more relaxed. They had stopped pacing.

It isn't just zoos that have this responsibility to maintain and improve all aspects of the health of their animals. There have been cases of captive killer whales deliberately killing their trainers and yet we continue to have these huge amazing creatures doing circus tricks in theme parks. When I lived in Brighton their Sea World had dolphins, which I took the children to watch. A few years later they discovered that the dolphins were really stressed because their communication squeaks were bouncing back off the pool walls and creating a torture chamber of noise. They were gradually released into the wild through a specialised program and now
Sting ray swim graciously in a specially created pool.

We also know that in some countries the captive animals do not receive the same care, thought and attention as they would in other countries. So does this mean that zoos are ethical?

In my personal opinion zoos have a duty to educate the public about habitats of animals so that we don't destroy them all, and to protect the species of as many animals as possible whilst humans continue to plunder the planet. This also means that they need to attract and entertain in a way that does no harm to the animals and yet still attracts all members of society to visit the zoo. I think that zoos like Melbourne zoo do a really good job of this, and sessions where we get to meet the keeper and see animals being fed are a wonderful idea. I love to see the otters scramble over the rocks and dive into the water to find their food, and to watch the seals have their daily health checks by the keepers which has been turned into a show but only for the humans. For the seals it is just their daily health check with a few fish treats for co-operating.

So are zoos ethical? Like most things in life there are zoos that are amazing, zoos that are a bit mediocre and sadly a few zoos that should be shut down and their animals given to zoos that would provide the latest in care.

love
Sarah