Should zoos exist?
Thoughtful people disagree. Here are the strongest arguments on each side, with the studies behind them. Decide for yourself.
Should zoos exist at all?
Zoos keep insurance populations of species that are vanishing in the wild, fund field conservation, train scientists and veterinarians, and give millions of people a reason to care. Several species survive only because zoos bred them.
Critics answer that most zoo animals belong to species not threatened in the wild, that conservation spending is small next to ticket and building budgets, and that an animal's own life matters, not only its species. Keeping animals for display, they argue, puts human curiosity first.
Sources: Clubb and Mason 2003, Nature 425:473 · AZA conservation
Elephants in zoos
Modern standards require herds, large yards, pools, protected-contact care (keepers work through a barrier, not with hooks) and constant monitoring. Studies since 2010 report longer lives and better welfare scores in improved facilities.
A 2008 study in Science found that elephants in European zoos lived much shorter lives than elephants in a protected Kenyan park or in Burmese timber camps. Elephants walk many kilometers a day and live in large family groups; several zoos have closed elephant exhibits and sent animals to sanctuaries.
Sources: Clubb et al. 2008, Science 322:1649 · AZA accreditation standards (elephant standards included)
Sanctuary or zoo?
Accredited sanctuaries take animals that cannot return to the wild, such as former circus elephants, pet-trade tigers and lab chimpanzees, and do not breed or sell them. Many give far more space than any zoo.
Zoos answer that sanctuaries do not run breeding programs for endangered species, that most visitors cannot see the animals and learn from them, and that "sanctuary" is not a protected word: some roadside attractions use it. Look for accreditation by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries or AZA.
Sources: Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries · The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
Wide-ranging animals
Some species do well in human care: many small primates, birds, reptiles and farm animals. Zoos can choose the species they keep and stop keeping those that do poorly.
Research on carnivores found that the species that roam farthest in the wild, such as polar bears and lions, show the most pacing and the highest cub deaths in zoos. Orcas are the best-known case: SeaWorld ended orca breeding in 2016 and California banned it the same year.
Sources: Clubb and Mason 2003, Nature 425:473 · California Orca Protection Act (2016)
Discuss
- What evidence would change your mind, on either side?
- Is the welfare of one animal more important than the survival of its species? Defend your answer.
- Pick one species from the catalog. Should a zoo keep it? Use its size, range, social life and IUCN status.
- Who should decide: zoo scientists, lawmakers, animal-rights groups, or visitors who buy tickets?
Lessons: The Dog at the Fire: Take the other sidePreviewLiving Together: The political animalPreviewThe Primate Learning Lab: Where watching stopsPreview
Drawer: Zoo: Should zoos exist?
Next door: Best practices