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LBRT: This house would ban zoos. Content:

1. Key Articles 2. Additional Resources

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ARTICLE 1 ZOOS AND WILDLIFE PARKS ARE NO WAY TO TREAT AN ANIMAL November 8, 2012 Over the past century, thousands of species have disappeared from our planet, and many more are on the critically endangered list. Yet even as

extinction, we console ourselves with the thought that we are preserving many species in zoos and wildlife parks. As the owner and operator of two such parks Howletts and Port Lympne in Kent you would expect the Aspinall Foundation, founded by my late father John, to argue that it is sometimes right to keep animals in captivity. Although we do agree that there are times when the interests of the species can be best served by animals being kept in captivity, we believe that it is scandalous that so many zoos around the world remain packed with often miserable animals, kept in unnatural conditions where they remain incapable of breeding, despite frequently being paired biblically, two by two. In these zoos, lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos and other wonderful creatures exist in these conditions largely, if not solely, for humans to gawp at, on the pretext that they and their children are being educated about the wonders of the natural world. This view may have been partially justified up to the advent of the digital age, and the spread of information via television. Today, the idea that zoos provide the sole or even the best repository of learning is risible. At the Aspinall Foundation, we believe that mankind owes it to nature to re-evaluate the role of zoological institutions in the 21st century and to change the way we think about animals in captivity. The ultimate aim should be to render zoos and wildlife parks obsolete including our own. The continuing presence of animals in captivity is, we believe, a sign of

certainly a role for such animal collections for at least the next two or three decades. But it can no longer be for the simple collection and display of animals. Rather, the beating heart of any such institution, anywhere in the world, must be true conservation. This means that the rationale for maintaining collections of wild animals always, preferably, in wildlife parks with

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large open spaces has to be the protection of endangered species, coupled with sustainable breeding programmes and projects to reintroduce them to the wild. The ultimate aim should, wherever possible, be the return of the captive and captive-bred creatures with whom mankind is privileged to share the planet. The Aspinall Foundation has worked tirelessly to become a world leader in the captive breeding of endangered species. Our animal parks have seen the births of 135 gorillas, 33 black rhinos, 123 clouded leopards, 33 Javan gibbons, 104 Javan langurs and 20 African elephants. Our charity manages conservation projects in Congo, Gabon, Indonesia and Madagascar, as well as providing financial support to partner projects around the world. We are dedicated to helping prevent some of the most endangered species on the planet from becoming extinct. We do this through restoring, wherever possible, animals to their natural habitats and by protecting those habitats. Between 1996 and 2006, we released 51 gorillas in the Congo and Gabon into an area of some million acres which had been the first large wilderness area to see gorillas hunted to extinction. In the coming year, the foundation is planning to release from its parks an entire family of 11 lowland gorillas, six Javan gibbons and eight Javan langurs. Three black rhinos have already been released this year, and are all doing well. The work is not easy, and requires dedication and resources. But it offers a possible blueprint for the future of animal conservation, away from the confines of crowded zoos which serve better to illustrate the arrogance of man than the glory of the animal world he has done so much to destroy. We believe in the right of animals to coexist on our

act now to save it. BY: Damian Aspinall SOURCE: The Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/9664354/Zoos-and-wildlife-parks-are-no-way-to-treat-an-animal.html

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ARTICLE 2 MAULING, ESCAPES AND ABUSE: 6 SMALL ZOOS, 80 SICK OR DEAD ANIMALS September 18, 2015 The owner of the Reston Zoo in Northern Virginia has extolled the

plastic bucket, and a frostbitten spider monkey went so long without treatment that it had to be euthanized. The Natural Bridge Zoo in western Virginia is billed as a sanctuary, but on recent visits, federal inspectors found more than 40 animals in need of veterinary care and questioned staff about a video that shows employees jabbing a monkey with sticks. The Tri-State Zoological Park in Western Maryland advertises itself as a great stop for kids, but an inspector reported that some children had reached through a cage to pet tigers while a guide stood nearby. Those are among a host of ­problems identified at six small zoos in

Maryland and Virginia that are popular destinations for ­Washington-area families. Over the past decade, more than 80 animals have died, been injured or become ill because of neglect at the zoos, and more than 200 others were kept in inhumane conditions, according to hundreds of pages of federal inspection reports, interviews with keepers and court documents. Minor problems were reported at four more zoos.

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Inspectors allege that animals went unfed and without water, were kept in the dark and in filth, and had serious injuries and wounds that were left untreated. Documents also report safety lapses including decrepit cages and animal escapes that placed workers and visitors at risk. Alleged violations were documented by inspectors with the U.S. Agriculture Department as recently as this summer. Problems persist at roadside zoos, in part, because oversight and enforcement are often lacking. In recent years, the number of penalties issued by federal authorities to small zoos in the eastern half of the United States has remained at a level previously deemed too low by government auditors. And when enforcement was pursued, it often came years after the violations. Small zoos are a world away from such big-name institutions as the

have shoestring budgets and are not certified by the national organization that determines whether larger zoos are properly caring for animals. Someone wishing to open a small zoo needs only fill out a brief application with the USDA, demonstrate knowledge of animals and undergo an inspection no formal training required. States are free to pass laws requiring higher standards of care in zoos, but most of the regulation has fallen to the federal government. The heads of the Oakland and Detroit zoos reviewed The Washington

less, Ron L. Kagan, executive director of the Detroit Zoo, said substandard care was all too common.

Zoo owners defended their operations.

in an e-

Ashley Rood testified in a Fairfax County courtroom that she grew

injured wallaby in 2012. The keeper said she found a bucket of water

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Rood said she leapt into a nearby dumpster and ripped open a trash

dripping with water. Parmesan had been drowned. Wh

euthanized and that he could do whatever he wanted with his

The testimony helped secure Meghan Mogencruelty, and a federal administrative complaint filed by the USDA this summer alleges that it was just one of a constellation of problems at small zoos run by the family. The responsible for the care of hundreds of animals. In addition to the Reston Zoo, Eric Mogensen owns Virginia Safari Park in Natural Bridge, Va., about two hours from Reston, and his father, Karl, owns the neighboring Natural Bridge Zoo. All three zoos have been cited by federal regulators and criticized by animal welfare groups in recent years and past decades. The family has consistently disputed the allegations. Reston Zoo has 30 acres of attractions, typical of small zoos in the area. Kids seem to enjoy the safari rides and the petting barn. But a federal complaint filed against Eric and Meghan Mogensen in June says that the

Rood said in an interview that keepers with little or no relevant experience were asked to care for sick animals and even manage births. She said some animals suffered and died as a result.

The federal complaint alleges that keepers placed an African crested porcupine, native to a warm climate, outside as the temperature plummeted to 8 degrees one day in January 2014. Hours later, Mr. Quills collapsed, but the zoo did not send him to a veterinarian. Keepers treated the porcupine with medicinal fluids that were past their expiration date. He died hours later.

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Two years earlier, the complaint alleges, the zoo waited about two weeks to get veterinary treatment for a spider monkey suffering from

had to be euthanized. Diarrhea, lameness and eye conditions in other animals allegedly were not treated properly, according to the complaint. Eric Mogensen wrote in e-mails that the zoo is contesting all the allegations. He also wrote that the zoo has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars upgrading the facilities.

mission is to nurture exotic species. But this past spring, federal inspectors found more than 40 animals in need of veterinary care, including camels with weeping lesions and a llama with a mass under its jaw. The inspections followed an undercover investigation by the Humane Society. Inspectors played Karl Mogensen a video, shot by the Humane

with sticks and joking, as they transfer it between cages, according to

holding the monkey by the tail, as it flails wildly and knocks things over. After watching the video, Karl Mogensen told the inspector that the handling of the monaccording to inspection reports. The state briefly shut down the zoo this spring. Mogen­sen s daughter did not respond to requests for comment. In a statement, Karl Mogensen said he had corrected every problem identified by inspectors.

is easily influenced by the never ending rhetoric and constant attack by these radical groups constantly bombarding zoos, farmers and any one

A tiger cub at a larger zoo might occupy a habitat with trees, water and grass, but records show that in 2010, Plumpton Park Zoo in

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Northeastern Maryland put Sheva in a home so small she could barely turn around: a dog crate in a kitchen. The tiger had ready access to human medications and a trash can in the home, was fed the wrong diet and received inadequate veterinary care, reports show. Her bright orange coat became infested with fleas and her bones brittle from anemia. Federal laws have been enacted and zoo inspectors employed to curb such neglect, but the citations issued to Plumpton Park Zoo, in Rising Sun, carried no immediate penalties and were largely ignored, a volunteer said in e-mails sent to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In desperation, she asked the animal rights group for help.

The plea came too late. Sheva died soon after at just 10 months. An inspector concluded that her care was a factor. A necropsy found plastic in her stomach and calluses from rib fractures.

owner, Ed Plumstead, acknowledged in a documentary. Plumstead said he had made mistakes in hiring staff to run the zoo.

did not respond to requests for comments.

issues was not settled until August, five years later. The zoo agreed to provide animals with the most basic of care: adequate food, water and shelter.

and violations were found under the new owners. The new owners did not respond to requests for comment. Animal welfare groups said the case highlights deficiencies with the regulatory system: Federal authorities are too slow to act, and penalties are too few and not severe enough to deter repeat offenses.

process, and in the meantime, licenses are automatically renewed every year as long as the licensee sends in a renewal fee even if the facility

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said Lisa Wathne, captive wildlife manager for the Humane Society of the United States. Under federal law, Inspection Service (APHIS) inspect zoos, circuses, animal sanctuaries and other facilities that display animals to the public. There are 97 inspectors for about 7,500 facilities across the country, according to APHIS. Inspectors check whether zoos are complying with the Animal Welfare Act, which provides minimal standards for the care of animals. If inspectors uncover a problem, the zoo is given a warning and a certain time frame to comply. If the problem is serious and continues, the zoo can be referred for investigation and a possible administrative law proceeding. A judge can then impose penalties, such as fines and license suspensions.

its

pursuing violators in the eastern half of the United States. The audit found the number of suspected violators referred for enforcement in the region dropped from 209 in 2002 to 82 in 2004. More recent figures provided by APHIS show that the number dropped to 32 in 2012. The figure rebounded to 91 in 2013, fell to 53 in 2014 and climbed back to 111 through the first half of 2015. APHIS officials said working with violators rather than punishing them is a better way to ensure the best care for animals.

promote compliance with the [Animal Welfare Act] including urtlett, director of

public affairs wrote in an e-effective means of ensuring sustained, long-term compliance with the

The jaguar attacked Deborah Gregory had only recently started working at Catoctin Zoo in Frederick County, Md., when she was tasked with cleaning the dens of

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The ensuing encounter, in January 2009, was one of a series of

way or created potentially dangerous situations. Gregory managed to herd the cats into an outdoor pen, a dangerous task. But as she was working, Diego opened the sliding door that separated them. The jaguar attacked. Co-workers who heard her cries ran to help. One grabbed a fire extinguisher and blasted Diego to drive him away. Gregory was rushed to the hospital with bite injuries to her face and torso. An inspector faulted Gregory and the zoo, saying that she had failed to secure the door but that an experienced keeper should have been supervising the new hire as required by law. Catoctin reached a settlement with federal authorities, agreeing to pay a $12,000 fine, but did not have to admit fault in the attack. Richerror. Hahn said the zoo had given Gregory adequate preparation for

Safety lapses at small zoos can also put the public at risk. On at least four occasions, animals have escaped from their pens at small Maryland and Virginia zoos over the past decade, sometimes wreaking havoc. In addition, federal inspectors also have found 12 broken or poorly constructed enclosures for lions, tigers and other dangerous animals; some have gone unrepaired for years. Children were allowed to get dangerously close to or touch tigers on two occasions.

two 400-pound Asiatic bears escaped after a keeper left a latch undone and one crashed through the window of a nearby home.

At Tri-State Zoological Park in Cumberland, Md., enclosures for lions and tigers were so poorly constructed that an inspector concluded in

were well constructed. An administrative law judge found in 2013 that Tri-State had failed to operate safely when a tour guide led a group right up to the enclosures of three tigers and a lion. A federal inspector, who was looking on, later

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reported that children had reached through the bars and petted the young tigers. The federal inspector stopped the tour and asked to speak with the

When the owner, Robert Candy, showed up, he offered an explanation that took the inspector aback, according to court documents, which

contact by the public with the tigers A zoo volunteer later disputed that the children had contact with the tigers, and Candy told a judge that the inspector had misinterpreted what he said, that he meant closer interaction with the tigers, not touching them. Nevertheless, Candy admitted that he and members of his volunteer staff had no formal training in the care and keeping of exotic animals

worked with animals for years. Candy said that his staff is dedicated and the zoo well run but that he believes the rough look of his zoo has made him a target for inspectors. Some tigers are kept in old swimming pools. The burned shell of an old building, where 100 animals died in a fire in 2006, greets visitors near

Candy said his resources go into caring for animals that are abandoned.

BY: Justin Jouvenal SOURCE: The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/mauling-escapes-and-abuse-6-small-zoos-80-sick-or-dead-animals/2015/09/18/dff46f10-2581-11e5-b77f-eb13a215f593_story.html

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ARTICLE 3 USDA CRACKS DOWN ON ROADSIDE ZOOS THAT USE LION, TIGER CUBS April 5, 2016 The Humane Society and other conservation groups are applauding the latest guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture calling for the end of using lion, tiger and other big-cat cubs as hands-on zoo attractions. In a recent release, the USDA said newborn and infant cubs have specific needs that call for conservative handling and protection from the general public, and that zoos and other entities who profit from providing face-to-face experiences with such cubs are violating veterinary care and handling requirements outlined in the Animal Welfare Act. The move comes as the USDA acquiesced to significant pressure from animal welfare groups like the Humane Society, who came together to form a legal petition filed in 2012. "We applaud USDA for taking this first step to put roadside zoos and the public on notice that federal law prohibits using infant cubs for photographic opportunities and interactive experiences," said Anna Frostic, senior attorney for wildlife & animal research at The Humane Society, in a statement. "It is imperative that the agency take additional action to prohibit public contact with big cats, bears and nonhuman primates of any age," she added. The Humane Society noted that dozens of facilities in the United States breed and obtain big cats listed under the Endangered Species Act in order to provide entertainment value for visitors. Stemming from evidence obtained from two zoos last year, the Humane Society also pointed out instances of physical abuse from professional handlers who disciplined the cats to prevent them from playfully scratching and biting people -- a natural instinct for the big cats. "We have seen substandard zoos mass breeding tigers for this kind of activity and then immediately severing the maternal bond with their mothers so they are compliant with human contact," Frostic said. "They are regularly deprived of a regular, nutritious feeding schedule."

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"This activity is inherently inhumane. It's not possible to convince a mother tiger that you will take her babies for a day and then given them back. That's not how it works." The crackdown by the USDA will put zoos covered by the Animal Welfare Act "on notice," Frostic said, meaning they will be prosecuted if they disobey the new ordinance. "Until these animals can thermoregulate and are immunocompetent, they should be housed in the controlled environment of a heated, clean, and sheltered enclosure (such as a nursery), or in a clean, sheltered enclosure with the mother and any healthy siblings," the USDA said. BY: Marilyn Malara SOURCE: United Press International http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2016/04/05/USDA-cracks-down-on-roadside-zoos-that-use-lion-tiger-cubs/2651459864961/

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ARTICLE 4 ZOOKEEPER KILLED BY CAPTIVE ELEPHANT IN MISSOURI ZOO October 17, 2013 John Bradford, 62, was working at Dickerson Park Zoo in Missouri in an enclosure with four elephants. According to a Dickerson Park Zoo press release, Bradford and his coworkers were trying to maneuver a female elephant, Patience, from her stall into a narrow chute leading to the yard, when she made a sudden movement. Bradford was knocked to the ground inside the chute and pinned against the floor. He was killed instantly. Bradford had worked at the zoo for 30 years and was in the enclosure with other zoo staff, none of whom were harmed. A news release reported that zookeepers had been watching over the female elephants more often since the death of their matriarch, Connie,

been hesitant and submissive since then. The zoo responded to public inquiry about the incident on their

has no plans for disciplinary actions or euthanasia of the elephant d words

An unnecessary or tragic death is always a sad event in life. When it comes to the deaths of zookeepers caused by the animals they interact with on a near-daily basis, the situation becomes complex. Many ardent animal welfare supporters may say that the trainers were getting what they deserve for taking a wild animal out of its natural habitat for human entertainment. The recent documentary Blackfish has gained much acclaim for its analysis of this subject. The documentary follows the story of killer whale Tilikum who killed several trainers while in captivity and their exploitation by SeaWorld. It is a tragedy that John Bradford was killed while working with elephants. It will also be a tragedy if deaths like his, and those at SeaWorld, are not a glaring wake up call for zoos across the world to reevaluate their practices. Even with the best animal welfare ratings, and the best enclosures humans can manufacture, absolutely nothing is a substitute for life in the wild, where these animals belong.

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BY: Alexis Croswell SOURCE: One Green Planet http://www.onegreenplanet.org/news/zookeeper-killed-by-captive-elephant-in-missouri-zoo/

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ARTICLE 5 ZOOS, AQUARIUMS DO TEACH US ABOUT BIODIVERSITY, LARGEST INTERNATIONAL STUDY PROVES March 3, 2014 A new international study of zoos and aquariums shows that these family attractions do teach the public about the delicate balance between animal species and their habitats. Sociologist Eric Jensen from the University of Warwick worked with Andy Moss from Chester Zoo and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) on the largest study of its kind to assess if these facilities did achieve their public education goals. More than 6,000 visitors to over 30 zoos and aquariums across the world took part in this landmark study. Participants filled out pre- and post-visit surveys to evaluate their biodiversity understanding and knowledge of how to help protect biodiversity. The study found there was an increase from pre-visit (69.8%) to post-visit (75.1%) in respondents demonstrating some positive evidence of biodiversity understanding. Researchers also found an increase from pre-visit (50.5%) to post-visit (58.8%) in respondents who could identify something they could do individually to help protect biodiversity. Dr Eric Jensen is an internationally recognized expert on public engagement with wildlife. He is author of the forthcoming book From Conservation Education to Public Engagement: Research, Principles and Practice. Dr Jensen said: "This study offers the first large-scale international evidence that zoos and aquariums can effectively engage their visitors with biodiversity. This question of educational impact has loomed over zoos and aquariums for decades. Our findings indicate that zoos and aquariums are right to tout their potential as sites for engagement with wildlife, although some of these attractions are clearly more effective than others. "This positive finding that zoo and aquarium visits worldwide generate significant gains in public biodiversity knowledge aligns with my previous research at London Zoo and Durrell Wildlife Park (Jersey Zoo)'

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Co-author Andy Moss, Education Research Officer at Chester Zoo and Associate Fellow at the University of Warwick said: "Critics have rightly questioned the lack of evidence supporting the educational claims of zoos and aquariums. In demonstrating the positive educational impacts that a zoo or aquarium visit can facilitate, this study goes a long way in answering those critics. The significant improvement in visitor biodiversity knowledge shows that zoos and aquariums can be important public providers of education that is also meaningful to global conservation initiatives, such as the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity." BY: University of Warwick SOURCE: Science Daily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/03/140303083545.htm

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ARTICLE 6 - DO WE NEED ZOOS? June 2, 2016 Over the Memorial Day weekend, a 4-year-old boy climbed the guardrail at the Cincinnati Zoo and into the enclosure of a 17-year-old silverback gorilla named Harambe. By now, most people know how this

crawled over a wall and fell 10 feet into a moat at the bottom. Harambe stood over the child, as if protecting him from the people yelling above,

rm and jerked him through the water.

say, because the sedative takes time. And no one could predict how a drugged animal that weighs 450 pounds would react. So they shot Harambe dead. Zoos have changed a lot in the past 50 years. The openness of

lend it a more natural feel for viewers, and to simulate wild environment for the gorillas. It is a departure from the bars and sanitized tile floors of past zoo design. As people become more sensitive to the lives of these

can cause depression, even phobia, in everything from donkeys to snow leopards. Someone at the Cincinnati Zoo caught much of what happened on video (not the shooting), and immediately afterward people blamed both the mother and the zoo director was there no other option? Few people have asked why a zoo, full of dangerous, or not-so dangerous animals, is even necessary. That might be because calling for an end to zoos has typically been the cause of poets and animal-rights activists. Most past arguments against zoos have focused on the insensitivity toward animals. As Benjamin Wallace-Wells wrote two

se for the

I realize that to even raise this issue makes you sound like some kind of sour, rule-bound vegetarian, so let me make clear my position up front: I love zoos. My daughter is not quite 2, and the zoo brings out all of her best and least complicated emotions awe, delight, empathy.

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But concern for caged animals has caught enough mainstream interest that New York and California introduced bills that would outlaw killer whales kept in captivity. Their focus on killer whales is in large part owed to a 2013 documentary called Blackfish, but it proves that it has become a concern for more than a fringe of animal-rights advocates. So much so, that last March, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment said it would stop breeding captive killer whales. And if keeping an orca in large tank is unethical, then why not an elephant, a tiger, or a 17-year-old western lowland gorilla? The argument for zoos is often that they serve to educate the public,

chance to see the animals, and that zoos serve as important conservation centers. There is a distinction, of course, between good zoos and bad zoos. In the 1980s, a study of animals at the San Diego Zoo found some had died from frequent tranquilizing, malnutrition, and that some had suffered repeated injuries while being transported. Since that report, and with a rise in scientists who study animal behavior, zoos have tried to improve conditions for their caged animals. This was partly the cause for more natural-looking enclosures like the gorilla exhibit in Cincinnati

aggression in some animals, including primates, according to a study by Plymouth University, in England. In that regard, the Cincinnati Zoo is by all means a good zoo, providing

all

to visit the forests of Central Africa, a zoo is the only place a person will likely see one or for that matter a wolf, a rhino, or a rhinoceros hornbill (a bird kept at the Cincinndoes pale next to seeing a living creature in the flesh, hearing it, smelling it, watching what it does and having the time to absorb

defended zoos. So zoos teach. Or do they? In 2014, Eric Jensen, a sociologist at the University of Warwick, published a study in the journal Conservation Biology that surveyed 3,000 children before and after a zoo visit and found only one-third had

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factual. About 15 percent of the kids picked up incorrect information. But perhaps what pro-zoo people mean, and more in line with what Hone argued in his article, was that zoos are a type of consciousness

her to the Cincinnati Zoo and years afterward she might remember that moment and dream of a job working alongside animals and achieve that goal. Obviously, children are not the only group to learn from zoos. Researchers visit them, observe and study the animals, and help animal conservation. In this case, zoos act like temples of sanctuary, where human intervention inside protects a species from human threats outside. This happened with the California condor, of which there were only 23 left in 1982. By 1987 researchers and conservationists had captured every last one and moved them into a captive-breeding program. Today, thanks in part to the Los Angeles Zoo, there are hundreds of condors living in captivity, and about 75 have been released back into the wild. It is true zoos have played a massive role in conserving, and in the recovery of, some species, but this is a relatively small portion of the animals zoos work with. As Tim Zimmerman pointed out in an article for Outside magazine last year, the Association of Zoos & Aquariums reported that of all the animals at the 228 zoos it accredits, only 30 species are being worked with for recovery. And of those 30 cases,

-introduced into the wild. So the species will exist, but never as they once did. Humans have always caught and caged animals, either for entertainment, or as an assertion of power. The Sumerians in ancient Mesopotamia did it more than 4,000 years ago. Later, Alexander the Great was said to take special care of his menagerie of bears and monkeys. The Aztecs in the Americas, the early Chinese both caged animals. The first modern zoos emerged in the 19th century, but have changed drastically since, slowly becoming more hospitable toward

Now, in Denmark, the human/animal role of zoos is already being reversed. At Zootopia, BIG, the architecture firm, designed a 300-acre

as those who want zoos shut down have called for but it is an advancement in how

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animals roam land that encircles a doughnut-hole observation center. And though people can walk through tunnels and poke their heads up for a closer

BY: J Weston Phippen SOURCE: The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/06/harambe-zoo/485084/

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ARTICLE 7 HOW ZOOS CAN SAVE OUR ANIMALS October 31, 2014 Today, many zoos promote the protection of biodiversity as a

species and, increasingly, as leaders in field conservation projects such as the reintroduction of captive-preparing to play an even more significant role in the effort to save species in this century.

dex report authored by the World Wildlife Fund and the London Zoological Society paints a disturbing picture: globally, on average, vertebrate species populations have declined 52% since 1970. Over-exploitation, habitat destruction and alteration, global climate change, and other pressures have created conditions that scientists now suggest signal a

extinction of the dinosaurs.

ys sit well with their own history. The modern American zoo that emerged in the late 19th century fancied itself as a center of natural history, education, and conservation, but zoos have also always been in the entertainment business. This priority has led many skeptics to question the idea that zoos can play a helpful conservation role in the coming decades. Zoos also face a formidable set of practical constraints namely space, capacity, resources, and in some cases, expertise that will continue to bthat some of the most endangered animals are not the highly

riorities against their entertainment goals, and perhaps even their financial bottom line. At the same time, wildlife protection does run deep in the history of zoos. The Bronx Zoo in New York, for example, led one of the earliest captive breeding and reintroduction efforts, helping to save the American bison from fading into oblivion more than a century ago. In the 1960s and 1970s, zoo conservation was energized by a burst of US federal policy-making focused on endangered species, especially the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973.

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Many zoos went on to develop Species Survival Plans beginning in the 1980s, which coordinate breeding and population management programs for threatened and endangered animals among zoos worldwide. The goal is to create healthy and genetically diverse animal populations of these species across the zoo community, an effort that can ultimately aid the conservation of the species in the wild. Reintroduction is a dicey business given the many biological and social

track records here are mixed but the successes are real. In addition to the bison, the California condor, the Arabian oryx, and the black-footed ferret have been saved due in part to the efforts of zoos.

seen as the basic injustice of keeping captive animals for human amusement. Earlier this year, the case of Marius the giraffe in the Copenhagen Zoo reignited the smoldering international debate over the ethics of zoos. A young and healthy giraffe considered a so-called surplus animal by the zoo managers, Marius was shot and his body was dissected before a public audience. The zoo argued that the decision

-represented in the zoo system and so he was said to have no remaining conservation

ervation rhetoric masks a callousness toward the well-being of individual animals. Whatever you think about the Copenhagen case that the American Association of Zoos & Aquariums disagreed with it debates about the ethics of zoos serious discussion of our obligation to address global biodiversity decline. That includes thinking about how we influence the future of animals and ecosystems outside zoo walls with a thousand lifestyle decisions, from our consumer habits and energy consumption, to our transportation choices and what we put on our dinner plates. Take just one example, the mass production of palm oil. Widely used for cooking and commercial food production, its cultivation has resulted in severe habitat destruction and fragmentation in Indonesia. This in turn threatens the survival of orangutans in the wild. There is a further challenge. As zoos become more engaged in conservation in the coming decades, the natural world will be further pressured and degraded by human activities. In many cases, nature preserves will likely require more human control than they have in the past in order to deliver the same conservation benefits. As a result, the boundary separating nature and zoo, the wild and the walled, will get

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even thinner. As it does, our understanding of what zoos are and what we want them to be entertainment destinations, science centers, conservation arks, sustainability leaders will also change. So will our idealized views of the wild as those places in nature that are independent of meaningful human influence and design.

properly for animals in their charge. We should also expect them to actually deliver on the swelling conservation rhetoric, especially when their entertainment and recreation interests run up against their expanding vision for biodiversity protection. But it reminds us of the scope of the challenge. To paraphrase Dr Seuss, we all run the zoo. BY: Ben Minteer SOURCE: World Economic Forum https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2014/10/zoos-save-animal-species/

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ARTICLE 8 TEN MOST ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST HIGHLIGHTS IMPORTANCE OF ZOOS WORKING TO SAVE ANIMALS FROM EXTINCTION August 15, 2012 A zoo organisation has compiled a list of the world's ten most endangered species that would not be surviving without the help of conservation. Species on The British and Irish Association for Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) list include a large tortoise, a blue-eyed lemur, a crustacean, an oddly-named frog, and even a tree. The Scimitar-horned oryx, Polynesian tree snail and Potosi pupfish are extinct in the wild and rely on conservation to keep their numbers from being totally wiped out from the planet. The Verdcourt's polyalthia tree only exists in three places in Tanzania's Kilombero valley, making it one of the world's rarest plants. Data shows that the most common causes of endangerment are poaching, disease and habitat loss through land clearance or fire.

eld Programmes

highlights ten prevailing examples of how zoos are working to save these and many other species from extinction. "Without the valuable conservation and breeding work of many of our

Amur leopard fewer than 45 of these big cats left in the wild Blue-crowned laughingthrush only 250 mature birds of this Chinese species left in the wild Mountain chicken frog critically endangered

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Ploughshare tortoise one of the most threatened and sought after reptiles in the illegal pet trade Blue-eyed black lemur this lemur is critically endangered due to large scale habitat loss and hunting Verdcourt's polyalthia tree this critically endangered species has only been found in three locations in the Kilombero valley in Tanzania Scimitar-horned oryx this antelope is extinct in the wild and dependent on captive breeding White-clawed crayfish native freshwater crayfish have been lost Polynesian tree snail 11 species of Polynesian tree snails are extinct in the wild Potosi pupfish this freshwater fish is extinct in the wild BY: Lamiat Sabin SOURCE: Evening Standard http://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/ten-most-endangered-species-list-highlights-importance-of-zoos-working-to-save-animals-from-8049877.html

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

1. Against Zoos http://www.portalseer.ufba.br/index.php/RBDA/article/viewFile/10456/7461

2. What are zoos for? http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/ztkpn39

3. Zoos: Good or bad? http://africageographic.com/blog/are-zoos-good-or-bad/

4. Are Zoos Inhumane? http://www.phillymag.com/news/2015/02/23/are-zoos-inhumane/

5. Position Statement on Zoos and Aquariums http://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-zoos-and-aquariums

6. Zoos http://animal-lib.org.au/campaigns/animals-for-entertainment/zoos