Go or not to go to the zoo tomorrow

Zoos were first called menageries. They belonged to rich people to show their power.

And, as in movies, you can always buy yours. In New Plymouth, the Pouakai Zoo is on sale. It's small, but has white tigers and a two lions – Aslan and Asha.

Zoos or menageries have existed for millennia.

Over the past 50 years, their perspectives have changed dramatically, with a focus on conservation, research and education. They have come a long way since the time of chimpanzee tea trees or tigers locked in concrete rooms that look nothing like a locked prison.

But, while zoo advocates believe that zoos are modern or progressive, they are important for conservation, research and education, others believe that zoos should be recorded in the wild. history.

And indeed, the director of the Auckland Zoo, Kevin Buley, partly shares this feeling. He estimates that 95% of the world's zoos should be closed tomorrow.

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"Good zoos are driven by thousands of these zoos around the world.

"It's fair to say that there is still a laggard perception on zoos, that it's cruel to have animals in a zoo environment." These perceptions of zoos persist and exist because of these bad zoos, if we could close 95%, it would be fantastic. "

The "good" zoos Buley is talking about are different from those people over 40 could remember from their childhood.

"Modern zoos have their hearts on their hands."

At Auckland Zoo, animals have a better life than their counterparts in the wild, he says.

"It's a powerful thing to say, and it's not something we say lightly.You need to have science … financial support … everything is okay." Very little zoos on the planet do it. "

And zoos play a crucial role in conservation.

"There are species alive in New Zealand that would not be without the work we do with DOC."

He gives the wētāpunga as an example. The giant wētā was on the brink of extinction, it was only on an island in New Zealand. Now, thanks to the zoo that has raised thousands, their future is assured.

But it's fair to say that people do not go to zoos to see wtā and Buley is in agreement.

"I love wētā and birds, but seeing a child's face when he sees his first lion or getting close to an elephant … they provide the kinds of memories that last a lifetime. "

And while lions are not part of its conservation program, zoos care for lions by giving them a less stressful life than their wild counterparts, he says.

"They provide a good sense of well-being and protect them from the shit that is lived in nature."

But not everyone agrees with the good argument of life.

A young talented elephant for John Key in 2016 when he was prime minister still has not left Sri Lanka.

Activists in Sri Lanka went to court to stop the move, saying the elephant was better at home with his mother.

Marianne Macdonald, director of animal welfare campaigns, SAFE (Save the animals from the farm), shares this view.

She says that the elephant, or even all elephants, should stay in their natural environment.

And if another Sri Lankan elephant, Anjalee, who arrived at the Auckland Zoo in 2015, has calves, they will never be reintroduced into the wild, she said.

"These are just more animals to watch."

Even if a zoo is well-meaning, it can not provide everything an animal needs to be able to express natural behavior, she says.

This is why SAFE encourages people to boycott zoos.

"I think people have to seriously ask if that's what they want to do with their money.

"If they want to support conservation and help animals, register it in projects that preserve habitats for wild animals, planting trees or cleaning beaches that may affect animals," he said. said Macdonald.

"Zoos are definitely something that needs to be recorded in history books." Animal treatment in zoos is not a blatant abuse, but in many cases, especially for larger animals they cause extreme deprivation because of their restricted environment.

For example, research has shown that tigers like to roam in an area 18,000 times larger than the average enclosure of a zoo, she says.

The absence of mental stimulation can cause boredom and severe stress. Zoochosis is the name of extreme physical and mental frustration and abnormal behaviors such as pacing or tilting back and mutilation.

Macdonald also does not adhere to the conservation argument. Most species in a zoo are not in danger, she says.

"It's like they lived in museum exhibits that invite visitors to continue their activities.Some zoos, like the Auckland Zoo, support New Zealand conservation projects."

But life in modern zoos, involved in conservation work, can be brutal for animals, as the world discovered when the Copenhagen Zoo euthanized a giraffe baby named Marius in 2014.

Marius was a healthy giraffe whose only mistake was to be born with common genes. The zoo decided to seize this opportunity to inform the public. So he shot the film, then dissected it publicly and passed it on to the lions.

It was four years ago now, but created a global scandal at the time, as the public reacted with emotion to the "murder" of Marius.

Jeraldine Teng, an expert on captive wildlife conservation, said the way the media described the incident "was not ideal."

If an animal is genetically unsustainable and the zoo does not have the resources to take care of it and it can not be transformed, the zoo could then euthanize it, says -she.

"The way the Copenhagen Zoo did was educational – it's a little gore, but if you watch wild animals being hunted, it's not fun to watch." It's heartbreaking It's sad for the animal, but it's like that. "

All good zoos participate in conservation, she says, and to raise an animal for conservation purposes, the genetic makeup is taken into account.

"Thus, progressive or modern zoos have associations of which they are part and they have a genealogical book keeper and this person, or this team, keeps track of the genetics of each animal.

"They work in partnership or in collaboration with zoos or in association, so that each individual breeds properly, such as a dating service, to ensure that genetics are healthy and healthy. that animals are viable for release in the future a situation allows. "

But some species can not be released into the wild because their natural habitat is not large enough or safe enough, she said.

"Other organizations are actually buying land to provide habitat for animals, which would be the ideal way to go, but you can imagine that there are many habitats for charismatic animals in developing countries and usually have limited funds. "

This is one of the reasons why Teng thinks that zoos still have a role to play – if they are well managed, responsibly and transparently.

"It is unfortunate that some animals must be in captivity because their habitat has been destroyed and the rehabilitation is not fast enough for us to reintroduce it.

"I think that because of the way we have urbanized our cities and our landscapes, people have less opportunity to meet wildlife and less."

"It's not about" poor animals. "One of the positive aspects of captive animals is that they are properly cared for.

"Their needs are met, they do not face predation, they receive food two or three times a day, they are kept clean and warm, and they are taken care of."

In New Zealand, modern zoos care animals responsibly, she says.

"The same can not be said of some developing countries, but it has to do with the cultural perception of the role animals play in society and their limited resources."