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You don't need me to tell you that we're in the midst of an almost unprecedented mass extinction. Each day, over 100 plant and animal species become extinct. The causes behind this eco-crisis are well-documented: habitat destruction, hunting, the animal-based diet, climate change, etc. One of the more common and widely accepted mainstream solutions to animal extinction is captive breeding performed in zoos or "wildlife centers."
"The central question we need to answer as caring people is: do the benefits of accredited zoos to society outweigh cost to individual animal welfare?" writes Michael Hutchins, PhD, director and William Conway Chair of the Department of Conservation and Science for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. "I think the central ethical justification for zoos and aquariums in the modern world is their commitment to conservation."
Weighing in for the opposition, PETA replies: "Most animals housed in zoos are not endangered, and those who are will likely never be released into natural habitats. The purpose of most zoos' research is to find ways to breed and maintain more animals in captivity. If zoos ceased to exist, so would the "need" for most of their research.
Which brings me to...
7 Points to Keep in Mind When Contemplating Zoos and Captive Breeding
1. They are mostly focused on "cute babies" and ultimately create unwanted animals.
2. They can reduce genetic diversity and do not contribute to increasing robust animal populations in the wild.
3. They do little to nothing to seriously address the underlying causes of habitat loss and thereby lets the perpetrators off the hook.
4. Warehousing endangered species sends the frightening subliminal message that it's acceptable to spend money to view animals in enclosures while, for example, forests are being clear cut to make way for doomed livestock--depriving many of those those same animals the freedom to live in their own habitats.
5. Captive breeding, says Rachel Cernansky, can "create a false sense that the battle to save endangered species and habitats is being won."
6. Animals are obviously not meant to live in captivity and, as a result, often display stress and/or psychological dysfunction and just as often, these animals are abused.
7. Encountering animals in a zoo setting teaches the wrong lessons about how our eco-systems work.
"If you see an animal in a zoo, you are in control," writes Derrick Jensen, author of Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos. "You can come, and you can go. The animal cannot. She is at your mercy; the animal is on display for you. In the wild, the creature is there for her own purposes. She can come, and she can go. So can you. Both of you can display as much of yourselves to the other as you wish. It is a meeting of equals. And that makes all the difference in the world."
As PETA concludes: "Warehousing animals is not the way to save them from extinction. Their salvation lies in protecting habitats, not in life imprisonment in zoos. Instead of patronizing zoos, help animals by supporting organizations that work to protect captive animals from exploitation and to preserve habitats."
If you agree that captive breeding and zoos are not the solution, get active.
Encourage your local zoo to stop breeding animals, to pledge never to accept any animals captured from the wild, and to make space available for rescued exotic animals in need of a permanent home. Report poor conditions to the USDA, leaflet at the zoo, write letters to the editor, and pressure local officials to stop subsidizing zoos with taxpayer money.
Planet Green Video: Focus Earth: Captive Breeding
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