Do the benefits of zoos justify the fact that some animals are clearly stressed out?I don't make a secret of my being a fan of the Detroit Zoo and my students like zoos, too, so I'm disappointed to find out that people come out of zoos being less supportive of preserving wildlife habitat than when they came in. Habitat destruction is one of the key reasons why the Monarch butterfly is endangered, for example and preserving habitat is the best way to keep species from becoming extinct in the wild. Sigh. Zoos might have to emphasize preserving animals' natural habitat in their signs and other educational material to counteract that.
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Many of us have fond memories of visiting the zoo as a child (or at any age), and more than a few of us probably credit those visits with turning us into animal-lovers. So, how should we square those warm fuzzy feelings with research that shows the psychological harms of captivity for some animals?
That’s what Vox subscriber Gaurav Patil wanted to know, so producer Liz Scheltens started digging in. One way that zoos maintain their social license to operate despite our growing understanding of the harms to certain species is by marketing themselves as beacons of conservation.
Proponents argue that not only do zoos help preserve endangered wild populations, they also help make humans better conservationists. But when you look at the research, a different picture starts to emerge.
Also, I've written about a reintroduction program by the Detroit Zoo for a species that went extinct in the wild, so I know those work. However, it was for a snail, so it definitely wasn't for a "cognitively complex species." I like my snails, but I know they're not bright animals.
I don't know if I will show this video to my students, but I wouldn't be surprised if one of them shows part of it as their visual aid in a presentation. In the meantime, welcome to more blogging as professional development.
Zoos are great if you consider the exposure children get to other animals, the research on endangered species that is done and the programs for repopulation of endangered species.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the entire concept is specieist and obscene. The higher level animals are mostly miserable. Zoos demonstrate our disdain for anything but the human race, as if other species are unimportant and lesser.
Welcome back! Your comment is a good summation of the pros and cons of zoos. It also fits with a human-centric environmental worldview, which is a topic I cover with my students. I usually use hunting and fishing as examples, but I might add zoos thanks to you!
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