The Facts:
- Almost everyone has grown up believing that the zoo is a great institution where people are educated about different animals, and that the zoo plays a major part in research and conservation.
- Unfortunately, most people aren’t aware of the cruelty behind the concept of the zoo.
- Animals in captivity, even if they are captive born, do not lose their natural instincts. Captivity deprives animals of everything that is natural to them. They cannot display their natural behavior, mix with their own kind and they don’t have freedom of movement. They have no privacy, no stimulation, cannot hunt and lack physical exercise.
- Captive animals become stressed, bored and suffer from depression. They often suffer from Zoochosis and sway back and forth and pace up and down in their enclosures. Other stress behaviours include head bobbing, rocking or sitting motionless in a corner.
The Zoo is Not Conservation:
- Most animals on ‘display’ at the zoo are not endangered species.
- Animals who are endangered, and are bred at the zoo, are seldom reintroduced to their natural habitats. These animals will not survive in the wild. They are accustomed to the presence of humans, they cannot fend for themselves, and additionally, their natural habitat may have been completely destroyed.
- Zoos make sure that they profit off animals by setting up extensive breeding programs to keep the captive animal population going. These breeding programs ‘supply’ baby animals - exactly what the public loves to see.
- Once the baby animals become adult and no longer have entertainment value, they are killed or sold off as ‘surplus’ animals to hunters, other zoos and to laboratories where they are used in medical experiments and cosmetic testing.
- Breeding programs at zoos ensure that there will always be captive animals for human entertainment.
The Zoo is Not Education:
- Zoos are places of entertainment and amusement, and are in direct competition with play parks, restaurants, etc. Their motive is profit.
- Keeping animals captive in the zoo, teaches children that animals are commodities. Children are taught that animals have no value other than to entertain humans, and that human beings have the power to dominate the animal kingdom.
- Children will learn very little about the natural behavior of animals. Animals in captivity are a shadow of their own species living in the wild.
How you can help:
- Learn about animals and their natural behavior by watching documentaries.
- Visit legitimate sanctuaries and parks where animals live as naturally as they possibly can in captivity. You are welcome to contact us for a list of legitimate sanctuaries and parks.
- Be an advocate for the animals and spread the word that zoos are inhumane and completely unnecessary.
- Boycott zoos and find entertainment where the exploitation of animals for profit is not the goal.
Click Here To Download Our Zoos Flyer