The government’s questionable support has caused financial implications for zoos, therefore questioning the ethical concerns surrounding animals in captivity.
Keeping animals in captivity has been an ongoing issue for decades with people including David Attenborough, Jane Goodall and Carole Baskin leading the debate. Although the pandemic has exposed flaws within the government it has also made me question just how necessary zoos are, and why we are still keeping animals in cages in 2021.
Government Recovery Fund
Like many industries, zoos have suffered the financial consequences of yo-yo closures during the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to this, the government introduced a £100 million recovery fund to be used by licensed zoos and aquariums all over the UK. However, studies have found only 34 out of 300 licensed zoos across the UK have actually been awarded funding. This is due to the “inappropriate eligibility criteria” set out in the application. Andy Hall from BIAZA said, “Essentially, zoos have to be 12 weeks away from bankruptcy before receiving money from the fund. For most zoos, this is no good, because by 12 weeks, we would already be closing down and trying to rehome our animals.” Clearly, this lack of consideration for the specific operation of zoos has made the recovery fund useless for many of these organisations. Labour MP Justin Madders emphasised why these organisations need support, stating that “animals cannot be furloughed and need to continue to be looked after and fed.”
Role of Zoos and Their History
In 1793 the first modern zoo was built in Paris and The Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes still runs today. When it was first opened it resembled a museum of living animals as opposed to what we see from today’s efforts.
In the past, there have been many conceptions of how zoos should operate, and where their funding should be placed. The argument of whether these organisations still fit a purpose is ongoing. Scientists have also worked closely with zoos to analyse behaviour of animals in the form of stereotypic behaviours, where animals outwardly display distress from being kept in captivity. When these behaviours are displayed, it’s hard to understand why we still feel zoos and organisations are needed in today’s modern world.
We are always told of how educational they can be in exposing a generation to the wonders of the world. Pre-pandemic, we could book a safari or hop on a plane to see these animals in their natural environments. It can be argued that we no longer need zoos for their entertainment purposes with documentaries becoming more detailed. However recent television shows such as Tiger King have exposed the harsh conditions many animals are forced to live in whilst being kept in captivity. Overseas organisations such as Sea World also show the dangers of keeping animals in captivity. After watching Blackfish and really understanding how these organisations prioritise space, should a car park really be bigger than a wild orca’s tank?
With organisations being closed for so long, it raises the much needed question of whether or not they are serving the educational purposes we’ve been promised. Does meeting an animal up close and personal really outweigh the potentially damaging effects of animal captivity?
The Problem
Although we may not agree with the idea of animals being kept in enclosures, the work that zoos are doing is worth supporting – from preserving species on the brink of extinction, to providing a place for animals who no longer have a habitat in the wild.
In 2016 presenter Liz Bonnin led a Horizon investigation questioning, Should We Close Our Zoos?. Throughout the documentary she looked at the effects of culling going on in zoos, in particular at Copenhagen zoo, whilst also looking at captive breeding. The show exposed how these organisations haven’t moved on from building more space for visitors rather than the animals and demonstrated that the ‘modern’ zoo isn’t as advanced as it should be. Even now, we are faced with wondering what the better alternative really is.
The wild is no longer fit for animals. The sights we are used to – lush landscapes and animals roaming free – are no longer a reality, with poachers and the ‘wild’ being used as a tourist attraction. As cages and enclosures also aren’t ideal for these species, what we face is being able to balance our needs for education and entertainment. What is taken, is then lacked. By taking zoos away we lack the education people yearn for; however, as we strip the natural habits of animals, they lack a safe environment to live. Taking the emphasis away from zoos being a place for education and focusing more on conservation is something that as a society we can and should get behind.
Neve Gordon-Farleigh
Featured image courtesy of Alexander Ross via Unsplash. Image licence found here. No changes have been made to this image.
Neve Gordon-Farleigh
Neve is a 21 year old freelance journalist, and our Head Current Affairs and Instagram Editor for Empoword Journalism. She specialises in social media journalism and runs the Journo Resources Tik Tok page. You can find her on Twitter @Neve_GF.