TheImportanceofZoosandAquariums

RyanEldridge

APLiterature
Mrs.Morton
15October2015

Outline
Thesis:
Muchcriticismhasbefallenzoologicalparksfortheethicalconcernsofanimalsin
captivity.However,whatmanyscepticsoverlookistheimmensebenefitsthatsuchfacilities
providetobothanimalsintheirpossessionandinthewild.Zoosmakealargedifferenceinthe
livesofanimalsandareachampionintheeducationofpeople.

I. Whyzoologicalparksexist
A. Aplaceforanimalsthatareinjuredorbornintocaptivity,andwhytheycannotsurvive
inthewild.
B. Awayforindividualstoviewanimalsthattheylikelyneverwouldintheirlifetime.
C. RuthPadelontheneedforsuchfacilities.andwhattheAZAis.

II.Azoo'sroleineducation
A. AssociationofZoosandAquariumsstudyonhowavisittothezooimpactsone's
knowledge.
B. AlookatLisaKane'sRebuttalontheAZAsreportandwhysheismisledinher
thinking.
C. LookingagainatRuthPadelarticleonwhychildreninthetechnologicalerasufferfrom
naturedeficitdisorderandwhyanimalsneedthesechildrentobeknowledgeable.

III.Theimpactthatzooshaveonwildanimals
A. Amajorityofzoosandaquariums,especiallytheAZA,spendmillionseachyearin
fundingforanimalsinthewild
B. Whatcanbearguedasthegreatestaccomplishmentofzoosandaquariumsisthecaptive
breedingprograms.
C. TheAZAincorporatesresearchonbothanimalsincaptivityandinthewildinorderto
betterunderstandthesecreaturesandtoplanconservationinitiativesaroundscientifically
backedresources.

IV
.Conclusion

A. ConnectionofdiscussedmaterialtoSeaWorld

TheImportanceofZoosandAquariums
Muchcriticismhasbefallenzoologicalparksorzoosfortheethicalconcernsof
animalsincaptivity.However,whatmanyscepticsoverlookistheimmensebenefitsthatsuch
facilitiesprovidetobothanimalsintheirpossessionandinthewild.Zoosmakealarge
differenceinthelivesofanimalsandareachampionintheeducationofpeople.
WhyZoologicalParksExist
Theideaofkeepinganimalsincaptivityhasexistedandbeenpracticedforthousandsof
years.Yetthemodernzoohasonlytakenshapeinthelastfifty.Thedaysofcapturingwild
animalsandplacingthemincagesforhumanentertainmentaregone.Theyhavebeenreplaced
withasenseofconservationandtheprotectionofwildcreatures.AsRuthPadelexplainsinher
articleDontLetGoodZoosGoExtinct,mostzooanimalsarebornincaptivityandthosewho
arenotarebroughtinduetoexcessiveinjuriesusuallycausedbyhumans.Eitherwaybothof
thesegroupshavenochanceofsurvivinginthewild.WhendiscussingthetigerJaeJae,which
callsLondon,Englandhome,PadelstatesthatJaeJaewouldnotsurviveaweekintheSumatran
Jungle,hewouldstarveorbekilledbyanothermalefirst.Zoosprovidesanctuaryforanimals
thathavenowhereelsetogo.Animalsincaptivityalsoprovidescientistswithabasistostudy
theanimalsspeciesasawhole.Frommonitoringinfectiousdiseases,tofindingtherightamount
ofanesthesiatoputananimalunderwhilestillkeepingitsafe,theinformationgatheredhelpsto
protectanimalsinthewildwhilesimultaneouslylearningabouttheirphysiology,anatomyand
behavior.In1838,CharlesDarwinspentdaysinLondonZoowithanorangutantheir
interactionswerefundamentaltohisinsightintoevolutionandanimalexpressions(Padel)

Animalsincaptivitysupportandbringhomethebriefofwildlifeconservationfortheirwild
cousinswhoneedhumansupporttoreversehumanerrorsinvolvedintheirinterspecies
interactions.Whenpeopleseeanimalsinzoositmakesthemwanttolearnmoreabouttheir
species,itformsatypeofconnectionthatcannotbeestablishedonlineorthroughatelevision
program.
Onethingthathasnotchangedinzoosovertimeisthereasonwhypeoplevisitthem.The
averagepersonwillneverseeazebraontheplainsoftheSerengetiorasilverbackgorillainthe
junglesoftheCongo.Theonlychancethatmanypeoplehavetoseeexoticanimalsisinzoos.It
isinzoosthatconnectionscanbemadetoanimalsfromtherestoftheworld.Oneorganization
thathastaskedthemselveswiththecareofanimalsistheAssociationofZoosandAquariumsor
theAZA.TheAZAisacollectionofwildlifehousingfacilitiesthatmeettheorganization's
extremelyhighstandardswhenitcomestoanimalcareandeducation.TheAZAworkstohelp
animalsinthewildthrougheffortsinzoosandaquariums.
AZoo'sroleineducation
RecentlytheAssociationofZoosandAquariums(AZA)conductedastudyon
howmuchavisittoazooimpactsone'sknowledge.Oneconclusionthestudymadewasthat
Visitorsbringwiththemahigherthanexpectedknowledgeaboutbasicecologicalconcepts,
However,mostvisitors(61%)foundthattheirzooandaquariumexperiencesupportsand
reinforcedtheirvaluesandattitudestowardconservationism.(Reinhard)Visitorstozoos
alreadycomewithsomeforeknowledge,butthezooprovidesmoreinformationanda
reinforcementofalreadyconceivedideasaswellassupportforcriticalthinkingononesrolein
theworld.Thisinformationwascollectedimmediatelyafterthevisitorleftthezoogrounds,asto

bemorethoroughtheresearchersconductedfollowupinformationaswell.Thisresearchfound
thatnearlyayearandahalfaftertheirvisit,virtuallyallparticipantscouldtalkabouttheir
experience.Overhalftalkedaboutwhattheyhadlearned,alargeportionofwhichmentioned
conservation.Thismeansthatalotofvisitorstakesomethingsubstantialawayfromtheirvisit.
Zoosenactchangeinthepeoplethatwalkthroughtheirdoors,becausetheyareoneoffew,ifnot
theonlyplacesthatapersoncangotolearnaboutwildlifeconservation.Zoologicalparkshavea
rareadvantagethatmanyotheroutletsdonotinthattheycanprovidebothafunexperienceand
incorporatealotofeducationintoonevisit.AttheconclusionofthestudytheAZAcreatedalist
ofsubjectstofocusonthatincorporatesthenewlyfoundinformation.
Zoosshouldspendmoretimeonspecificconservationmessages,sincealargemajority
ofourvisitorsalreadyknowthebasics.
Weshouldcontinuetoemphasizeconservationactionineducationalprogramingand
exhibitions.
Weshoulddevelopnatureexperiencesforurbandwellerswhodesiresuchtimeinthe
wild(Reinhard)
ThesestatementsshowthezoosinassociationwiththeAZAarecommittedtoimproving
educationplansbysettingnewgoalstohaveamoremeaningfulimpactonthepublic.
Despitethepositivemessagethestudygives,somecriticshavetargetedit,claimingbias
andmanipulationoffactsinordertofurthertheirpersonalagendas.Oneofthesecriticsbeing
LisaKane,aformermemberoftheAZAwhonowwritesforFriendsoftheWoodlandPark
Elephants,agroupconcernedwiththereleaseofelephantsfromzoosintothewild.Inher
RebuttaltothezoosclaimsconcerningwildlifeconservationKaneclaimsthatindependently

donestudiesshowedlimitedknowledgeacquisitionbyvisitorsandnoimpactonbehavioral
changesandthatvisitordontwanttolearnaboutanimals,theyjustwanttoseethem.However,
aproblemariseswithKanesstatementinthatthestudiesthatshereferenceswereconductedin
anothercountryofanonAZAaffiliatedzoo.Kanegoesontostatethattherehasneverbeena
studythathasdemonstratedthatzoovisitorsrecognizeaconservationmessage.ApparentlyKane
doesnotreadherowncitations,becauseoneofthemexplicitlystatesthatvisitorsnoticesuch
messages,eventhoughthestudydisagreedwiththeimportanceoftheeducationthezoos
provide.TheimportanceofwhatKaneshowsusisthatdespitewhetheryoudisagreewith
keepinganimalsincaptivityornot.itisobviousthatzoosandaquariumshavetheeducationof
theirvisitorslockeddown,andaremakingadifferencewiththeirmessages.
Childrenindevelopednationsmaybenefitmorethananyonebecauseoftheirlackof
exposuretothenaturalworld.Thefirsttimethatmostchildrenreallysawexoticanimalsisata
zoo.Sadlyenough,thisstatementischangingto,thefirsttimethatmostchildrenreallysee
any
animalsisatazoo.ChildrensuffermoreintheU.S.andBritainthananyotherdeveloped
nationfromnaturedeficitdisorder.(Padel)Duetothetechnologicallydrivenandurbanized
world,modernchildrenhavelosttheirconnectiontothenaturalworld.Padeltellsashortstory
onhowherfriendthatisateachertookherclasstotheLondonZoo.Whenthechildrenarrived
theycouldnotbelievethattheanimalstheyhadlearnedaboutinclasswereactuallyreal,they
thoughttheywereimaginary.Thisisascarythought,becauseifthosechildrendontknowthata
Rhinoisarealanimal,they'renotgoingtocareifonedaytheyreallgone.Animalsneedthe
futuregenerationstocare,andtheyneedthemtobeknowledgeableenoughtotakeactionon
theirbehalf.Thismakeszoosallthemoreimportant,becausetheyaretheonlyplacethatachild

cangooutsideofAsiatoseearealtiger,andtolearnthattigersareendangeredandwhy,and
whattheycandotokeepJaeJaesspeciesfromgoingextinct.
TheImpactThatZoosHaveonWildAnimals
Theworkthatzoosandaquariumsperformdoesnotstopateducatingthepubliconthe
needforwildanimalconservation,theyactuallystrivetoprovideassistancetoanimalsfacingan
arrayofharmfulsituationsintheirnaturalsetting.Infunding,institutedbreedingprograms
whichleadtothereintroductionofanimals,andresearchstudieszoosandaquariumsshowthat
theyarecommittedtothewellbeingofallanimalsandthenaturalworld,notjustwhathappens
insidetheirownwalls.
Amajorityofzoosandaquariums,especiallytheAZA,spendmillionseachyearin
fundingforanimalsinthewild.Thisfundingcouldgotomanyplacesdependingonthecreature
inquestionsneedsuchas,researchprojectsonanendangeredanimal,habitatprotectionforone
whoisrapidlylosingorhasalreadylosttheirs,veterinarycareandresearchforacuretoa
disease,andthelistgoeson.Howthismonetaryvalueisdecidedisuptothezooorparticipating
organization.ForexampletheZoologicalSocietyofLondon,whoisinpartnershipwiththe
LondonZoo,givestenpercentofwhattheyinvestindisplaysfortheiranimalsbackto
conservationefforts.(Padel)Thismeansthatfromatypicalelephantenclosurewhichcosts
roughlythreehundredmilliondollars,(Kane)anotherthirtymillionwouldbeusedasfundingfor
conservationefforts.However,displaystendtolastalongtimesootherestablishmentsuse
practiceslikegivingaportionofeveryticketsoldtoconservation,orapercentageoftheirtotal
profitsumfromticketsalesattheendoftheyearinordertoformacontinuousflowofsmall
amountsofmoneyovertimeinsteadoflargedonationseverytwentytofortyyears.Nomatter

whichplanafacilitychooses,oriftheydecidetocreatetheirown,thefundingishappeningand
isreachingtheanimalsthatneeditthemost.Atthebeginningof2015theAssociationofZoos
andAquariumsannouncedthattheywouldbestartingaprogramthatwouldbeproceeding
annuallyintotheimminentfuture.NicknamedSAFE,SavingAnimalsFromExtinction,the
programfocussesontenanimalsspecieseachyearwhichhavebeenchosenasthosewhoareat
thehighestriskatthattime.BychoosingonlytentheAZAcanhavealastingeffectonthese
speciesinsteadofablanketacrosstheworldwhichintruthprovideslittlehelpandonlycovers
uptheanimalsthatareindireneedofdirecthelp.TheAssociationhasstatedthattheywillbe
investing160milliondollarseachyearintothefieldconservationofthesetenspeciesaswellas
convenescientistsandstakeholdersinordertoidentifythreatstoeachspecies,developaction
plans,andengagethepublicwithconservationeducationsothattheycanfeelasthoughthey
haveahandinwhattheprogramisaimingtoaccomplish.(AZA)SAFEhasthepotentialtobe
themostinfluentialanimalconservationinitiativetodate,anditsexistenceonlyprovesmorethe
commitmentofzoostoprovidingthehighestqualityofassistancetoendangeredspecies.The
AZAcouldhaveverywellneverproposedthisventure,andvisitorswouldstillwalkthrough
theirdoors.TheimplementationofSAFEshowstheworldthatthosewhoworkinzoosand
aquariumstrulycarenotonlyaboutanimalsincaptivity,buttheirwildcousinsaswell.
Whatcanbearguedasthegreatestaccomplishmentofzoosandaquariumsisthecaptive
breedingprograms.Theseprojectsareresponsibleforthereintroductionofmanyspeciesthat
wereonthebrinkofextinction.Suchprogramscouldnothaveoccurredanywhereelseotherthan
zoosandwithoutthemalmostahundredspecieswouldhavebeenlostfromtheEarth.The
PhoenixZoosavedtheArabianOryx,TheDCNationalZoosavedtheGoldenLionTamarin,

TheSanDiegoZootheCaliforniaCondors,andtheCheyenneMountainZootheBlackFooted
Ferret,justtonameafew.(Embery)TheAZAhasparticipatedinthesereintroductionsaswellas
hostingtheirown.In2003,theGoldenLionTamarinwasdownlistedfromcriticallyendangered
toendangeredafteranewpopulationwasreleased.InCalifornia23Condorswereleftinthe
wild,withintenyearsthepopulationincreasedto322.Thelast18BlackFootedFerretswere
placedintothecareoftheAZA.Sofarsevenhundredhavebeenreintroducedtotheirnatural
habitats.(Reintroduction)TheAssociationofZoosandAquariumsconsiderallpossibilitiesand
accountsforalloutcomesbeforereintroducinganyanimalintothewildinordertoprotectthe
animalandthenewhabitat.OneoftheAZAssuccessstoriesisinregardtotheRedWolf,which
wereoncecommonthroughoutthesoutheasternUnitedStates.However,duetohuntingand
extremepredatorcontrolprogramstheirnumbersweredecimatedinthe1960s.Thankfullya
smallholdoutpopulationofseventeenwerediscoveredalongthegulfcoast,fourteenofwhich
becamethefoundersofamodernbreedingprogramthatcontinuestoreportanincreasein
population.(Reintroduction)Eventhoughthewolvesarestillintheirbreedingphase,whenthe
timecomestoreintroducethemtheAZAwillputseriousthoughtintowheretoplacethem.They
obviouslydonotwanthistorytorepeatitself,andthewolvestobedecimatedbyhuntersorfor
thereintroducedpopulationtowreakhavocontheirnewhomeanditsinhabitants,since
releasingapredatorcancausebacklashfromanalreadyestablishedecosystem.Noother
establishmentcanboastthenumbersthattheAZAandtheiraffiliatedfacilitiescan.Itis
spectacularthathumanshavetheabilitytocorrecttheirformermistakesthathaveplacedcertain
speciesintheircurrentconditionsbybringingthembackfromthebrinkofextinction.Thisfeat
wouldbeunobtainablewithoutzoologicalparks,whicharetheonlyreasonableplacestoharbor

criticallyendangeredspeciesthathavetobecaredfor,bred,andultimatelyreintroducedback
intonature.Againmuchlikethefundingoffieldconservationefforts,captivebreedingprograms
showthatzoosandaquariumsarecommittedtothepreservationofthenaturalworldandcare
abouttheanimalswithinit.Everythingtheydooutsideoftheirwallsisoptional,andthefactthat
theydosomuchbeyondthemshowstheirwanttogoaboveandsucceedinthegeneralwelfare
ofanimals.
TheAZAincorporatesresearchonbothanimalsincaptivityandinthewildinorderto
betterunderstandthesecreaturesandtoplanconservationinitiativesaroundscientificallybacked
resources.Theyusetheaccumulationofbehavioral,physiological,andgeneticallybased
researchtomakeplansonactionprocedurestoassistendangeredspecies.Behavioralresearchis
importantindeterminingwhyananimaldoeswhattheydointheirnaturalhabitatlikewhenthey
mate.Thesedetailsareimportantwhenitcomestobreedingapopulation.Geneticsalsoplayan
importantroleinbreeding,suchasdiscoveringandneutralizinggenesthatcancause
complicationsinananimal'sphysiologyandwouldrenderthesustainedpopulationagainin
danger.(Conservation)Thisresearchhasbecomethebackboneofconservationprojectsthatzoos
havespearheaded,anditplaysanimportantroleinboththeacquisitionofknowledgeandthe
developmentofabetternaturalworld.
Conclusion
SincethereleaseofthedocumentaryBlackfish,whichcriticizedSeaWorldfortheir
treatmentoforcas,theirhasbeenalargerpushbyanimalrightsactiviststodisbandanddestroy
allfacilitiesthathouseanimals.InaninterviewwithNPRaformertrainerforSeaWorld,riding
onthewavecreatedbyBlackfishcondemnedhisformeremployerforbeingabusivetotheir

killerwhalesandconsumedbygreed.(Former)The2013documentarygainedmuchpublic
attentionandSeaWorldfeltit,withreportedlessguestsafteritspremiere.However,whatthe
animalrightsactivistsandthepeopletheyhavepersuadedfailtoseeisthatSeaWorldisa
fantasticorganizationintheprotectionofanimals.CurrentlySeaWorldhasamarinerescueteam
thatisoncall24hoursaday,7daysaweek.Thisteamhassavedmorethan26,000animals
sinceitscreation.(On)That's26,000animalsthatwouldhavediedfrommanmadeissuesifthey
hadnotintervened.SeaWorldalsotakeseducationextremelyseriouslywithafullstaffof
individualswhoaretrainedtoteachvisitorsaboutmarineanimalsandecosystems.Theyhave
alsoconductedsomeoftheleadingresearchonorcas,especiallybehavioralfromthetrainersthat
usepositivereinforcementsothattestscanbeperformedpainlesslyonthelargecreatures.A
portionofSeaWorld'sticketpricesalsogoestomarineconservationandoceancleanupprojects
acrosstheworld.Whoaretheactivists?Thosewhositidlybyandcondemnfacilitiesover
ethicalconcerns,orthefacilitiesthatmakegreateffortsandstridestoprotect,conserve,learn
aboutandtreatanimalswhoaretherecipientsofnegligence.Itisincrediblyeasytocriticize,
what'shardisputtingeverythingintoworkingtowardsmakingadifference,andthenactually
makingthatdifference.