Livin’ Veg

India Frees Elephants. We Should Do The Same. November 17, 2009

Photo from the LA Times

The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in India has declared that all elephants in zoos and circuses should be taken off display and sent to national parks, sanctuaries and tiger reserves ASAP.

Why did they reach this fabulous conclusion? They say the following in the India Times:

“CZA’s order is binding on all zoos. Elephants are large animals and require a large area to move about freely. The environment of a zoo can be very restrictive. The animals have great use for departmental work, eco-tourism, patrolling etc and a decision has been taken to send them to national parks and tiger reserves where they can be under the supervision of mahauts,” said A N Prasad, director, Project Elephant.

Obviously the CZA gets what so many zoos and circuses in the USA do not. Elephants need more space than these facilities can provide. So why keep elephants especially if many zoos (as they claim) have the animal’s best interests in mind? Because elephants bring in big money. To be fair, some zoos have phased out their elephant exhibit for just the reasons the CZA expressed. A zoo cannot provide a quality habitat for an animal of that size. (I’d argue they can’t provide a quality habitat for any animal but I digress.) For a circus, elephants are a main attraction and a large source of income. No way they are giving up elephants without a claws out fight with animal activists. How wonderful India has an organization like the CZA that can give a independent assessment of the elephant’s needs. I’m so jealous.

Zoos: Ethical or not? November 6, 2009

People love to see animals up close. They like them on television, but really, they love even more to be ten feet away and make eye contact with the subject of interest. I don’t think anyone can deny that it’s thrilling to see an animal up close. But does that desire trump the animal’s right to freedom? Or, in the case of some animals that are taken in by zoos because they can’t survive in the wild due to a human who wanted an exotic pet of their very own -  how about a space where they don’t have to be heckled by adults and small children. Most credible sanctuaries aren’t even open to the public. They do that because it’s in the best interest of the animal to have huge amounts of space to move around in, and zoos aren’t conducive to that.

Some arguments I’ve heard people make for zoos:

1. They do a lot of work for conservation. They put money in habitat preservation and help breed endangered species.

2. Many animal lovers and conservationists develop their love of animals through early childhood visits to the zoo.

I personally think zoos are horrible places. During my junior year of college at Sarah Lawrence I took an animal rights elective. We went to the Bronx Zoo to see what we thought. Please note that in terms of zoos, the Bronx Zoo is like the Four Seasons. And even the Four Seasons of zoos made me want to cry. Kids banging on the plastic partition to get a gorilla to look their way. The lion exhibit is TINY and depressing. Yes, they do a lot of good work. Yes, many people develop their love of animals by going to the Bronx Zoo. But at the end of the day, the animals are used as an attraction. People pay to gawk. The animals are not given enough space - how could they get enough room to live in the Bronx, especially when the enclosure has to be small enough that people can see the animal at all times.

I believe that if a child is going to appreciate an animal, they need to see the animal living for herself rather than as an attraction for spectators. People already believe that animals are here for our amusement rather than for their own lives. And zoos perpetuate that belief. It cultivates it from an early age.

Also, please note that most zoos are in no way as good at the Bronx Zoo. That’s the top of the line and still falls short. Many are roadside zoos or small zoos that keep animals in cages rather than in simulated natural environments.

Now, I’ve gone on for a while. My question to you all is how do you feel about zoos? For or against? Do you think it’s a good place to bring children or a sad prison for sad animals? Here is a little bit to think about from HSUS on the topic…

Boston Zoo Closing - May Euthanize Animals July 13, 2009

Update: Click here to see the Governor’s response to this story. He emphatically denies that any animals will be euthanized.

Original Post: People are definitely not the only victims of this recession. Animals (being one of the first expendable “items” in the minds of people) are pushed to the side when money gets tight. The Franklin Park Zoo in Boston is up on the chopping block due to financial cut backs from the city. And now the animals who live there are in danger. Read the full article here… (The picture to the right is from the article.)

They have about 1000 animals and are looking to rehome them but…

The zoo officials, in a written statement that echoed a letter sent earlier to legislative leaders, said they would be unlikely to find homes for at least 20% of the animals, “requiring either destroying them, or the care of the animals in perpetuity.”

20%. My shoddy 11th grade math skills tell me that’s 200 animals in mortal danger. I can’t even express the grief that makes me feel. Not only has the Franklin Park Zoo caged these creatures for the duration of their lives, but now when the animals could finally be “free” they may be killed instead. And when I say free, I don’t mean roaming in the wild, but perhaps at a sanctuary. Wouldn’t that be something.

I’m going to keep my ear on this story and give you any updates I hear about.

What Do You Think Of Zoos - Yay or Nay? March 12, 2009

The other day I mentioned my dislike of zoos, even the good ones like the Bronx Zoo. I’m curious about other people’s opinions. So tell me, do you think zoos are beneficial to animal welfare, or do you think they exploit animals? Leave a comment…

My problem with zoos is that exhibits can’t possibly give the animal anything like a normal life. And most zoos don’t have the money to give the animals much space. In college with my animal rights class, we went to the Bronx Zoo to look around and ask the hard questions. Some of the exhibits broke my heart. Even their primate exhibit which is supposed to be newly designed and amazing, to me, felt awful. Kids were banging on the plastic and the primates were on display like an xmas window at Macy’s.

There is the argument that zoos have great conservation efforts. But there is controversy there too. Does breeding endangered animals in captivity really do anything to help their numbers? And yes, they offer information on habitats and let kids see animals up close. But seeing them in captivity, held there for the benefit of people - I’m not sure that sets a good example. I think it shows kids that animals are here for our amusement.

Anyway, like I said, I’d love to hear some opinions on this…

Evidence on Primates Making Plans States the Obvious March 10, 2009

I love when breaking news comes out about animal behavior. Like NEWSFLASH: Animals can feel pain. Or Animals mourn their dead. It’s like, really? We needed a study to confirm that animals do this?

Well, there is new evidence that chimps make plans. I know. Stating the obvious. A chimp held at the zoo in Stockholm did the following:

A canny chimpanzee who calmly collected a stash of rocks and then hurled them at zoo visitors in fits of rage has confirmed that apes can plan ahead just like humans, a Swedish study said Monday.

Now, I find it more interesting that the chimp resented the people coming to view him like some spectacle. His fits of rage were probably him fed up of people bugging him while he’s trying to live his life. (I don’t like zoos very much. Even the best of them are mere shadows of the normal lives these animals will never have. But that’s a whole other conversation.)

In the off season, the chimp didn’t collect rocks to chuck at visitors. Which goes even further to show his planning capabilities.

People are always amazed by chimp behavior, and yet, we still test on them and treat them like inanimate objects by putting them through horrible experiments. If you haven’t seen or read about HSUS’s undercover investigation into the Iberia Research facility you should - and take action here.

Billy the Elephant Loses January 30, 2009

Bob Barker and a bunch of other celebrities put up a fight. But they lost. The City Council voted that Billy the Elephant should stay at the L.A. Zoo and live in what will be a new 42 million dollar enclosure.

The article says:

The decision came after an emotional hearing attended by several hundred people. Barker, actress-singer Cher and actress Lily Tomlin were among them after Barker pledged $1.5 million earlier this week to move Billy to a sanctuary in Northern California.

I’m a big believer that no elephant should live in a zoo. Elephants in their natural lives walk about 20 miles daily. An enclosure cannot provide that kind of movement. Personally, I’m not a big fan of zoos anyway. People cite the Bronx Zoo and some other larger well funded places as success stories and tout their conservation efforts. But the truth is, most zoos are not the Bronx Zoo. And even the Bronx Zoo can’t give the animals the kind of quality of life they would have in the wild. It’s just impossible. And for elephants, due to their size, it’s ten times impossible.

To read Billy the Elephant’s full story, click here. I certainly hope he does okay. The L.A. Zoo doesn’t have a good track record with elephants. But my fingers are crossed for him.