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Pier-Luc Long

Professor Jeanette Novakovich

English 213 / 2 Lec BB

30 November 2010

Animal Welfare Regulations in Zoos

Introduction

According to the Oxford Canadian Dictionary, a zoological garden (abbreviated

to zoo) is “a place where wild animals are kept for exhibitions to the public, breeding,

study, etc.” (1813) Zoos are popular amongst people of all ages but mainly with kids and

families as they go there to learn more about specific animals that they have never heard

of or seen before. Many zoos not only include the animal facilities, they also include

many other areas like waterslides, roller coasters, and many other activities. There are

also many types of zoos, ranging from Safari parks to aquariums and roadside zoos to

animal theme parks. Zoos, through the centuries, have provided ideal ways of examining

animals and their behaviors. It is known that many outbreaks in animal health and even

human health have been made through zoos and their conservation practices.

While zoos show many benefits, they also encompass many dark sides that are

more or less known by the general public. Animal welfare activists have been fighting

zoos and their ways of dealing with the animals for decades now and governments and

people in charge to lower the rate of controversial activities in zoos have done very few

things to improve the captive lives of animals. Decades-old regulations rule the fate of
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captive animals throughout the whole world and when the regulations are fair and

working, they rarely are followed or inspected by authorities, which leads to the same

lifestyle in zoos. The treatment of captive animals is mediocre, their health is not dealt

with, reproduction is almost impossible, endangered species are still threatened, and re-

introduction is impossible. All these facts come to show that regulations are poor or non-

existent. What if the animal welfare is sub-standard and threatening to the animals? It is

obvious that strict regulations and practices have to be enforced and followed in the zoos.

I – Treatment of Zoo Animals

The treatment that animals receive in certain zoos is mediocre and is threatening

to their lives, even the lives of endangered species that should be protected by the

government. It seems that the main goal of many zoos is to make money and not to

showcase their animals in healthy and proper ways. The Kiev Zoo, as I stated above, is

one of many zoos that neglect animals either through their installations, the way the staff

treats the animal, or many other circumstances.

Some of the main neglects that lead to the health, mental or physical, of the

animals are the inadequate climate, habitat, and fauna. Although there is an effort made

to have adequate installations for the animals, it is obvious that the habitats are not and

that a zoo cage will never provide the same benefits as their natural environment does.

Many animals have been found to behave in self-destructive ways because of their

insufficient space or the fact that they are unable to behave naturally in their enclosed

room (not able to fly, swim, climb, run, hunt, etc.). Many animals have been found to
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behave in neurotic ways, up to the extreme of “incessant pacing, swaying, head-bobbing,

bar-biting, and self-mutilation.” (“People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)”)

While one would think that the natural behaviors change, through the generations,

to be in accordance with their habitat, it is not the case. Newborns in the zoos still suffer

from the restriction of their natural behavior; there is rarely any adjustment made to the

cognitive behaviors of animals, wild or not. Other psychological anomalies that have

been noticed are heightened aggressivity and fearful behaviors. It has also been noted that

many animals have suffered physical change because of their adaptation-process (which

is never completely over) to the sequestered life, physical changes ranging from weight

loss to distorted walks. (Anitel) The size of their habitat is the main cause of these

physical anomalies as they are not able to move and behave in their natural ways (flying,

running, hopping, etc.).

Another proof of bad treatment in zoos is the way the management of zoos

encourages the birth of animals, for the popularity of baby animals for visitors and the

financial benefits that they provide, but these new animals give zoos surpluses and, in

many cases, the surplus animals are killed to make space for the new animals. The

selective slaughter of surplus animals is a problem in many zoos and many of them have

admitted to the culling of excess animals. There has even been “recycling” of surplus

animals, meaning that they were fed to other animals, apparently a very economical way

to feed zoo animals, while other animals are used as scientific experiments to help in the

discovery of diseases, viruses and physical anomalies. While one would think that these

procedures happen in underfunded zoos, in third-world countries, it also happened in

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zoos like the London Zoo and many other zoos in the UK. (“The Captive Animals’

Protection Society (CAPS)”)

An exemplary zoo for the bad treatment of animals would be the Kiev Zoo, a

Ukrainian zoo. This controversial zoo has received bad ratings from animal welfare

activists in the past few years, with a death toll of 51 animals in 2008. The zoo has been

criticized for offering sub-standard facilities for their animals, hiring inappropriate

employees that don’t have any training or experience in the field. With the death tolls

arising, the administration of Kiev Zoo blamed someone of poisoning the animals, it was

stated that the zoo has some of the worst facilities for animals in the world. Many other

zoos have been noted of such faulty treatments. (“The world’s worst zoos: Some places

you don’t want to bring the kids”)

II – Health of Zoo Animals

Health in zoos is also badly dealt with in many zoos, mainly because of the

inexperienced employees and the funds required for the medicine or to have experts deal

with the animals. As stated above, many physical problems are related to the improper

cages and caring. Many viruses are transmitted from animal to animal or from human to

animal. Many animals are not immunized to human infections, as they would never come

in contact with humans in their wild locations. There is also often an exchange of

infections, bacteria and viruses between animals of different regions and species.

Different animals live with different bacteria but once it is shared, it can be deadly for the

other animal and that often happens in the case of animals of the same genus but different

species. (Wickins-Drazilová 27-36)

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The diseases that have been affecting most of the animals are bacterial or vector-

transmitted, which means that they are transmitted by insects. Those diseases are mainly

brought upon by factors like temperature, moisture and wind. Animals coming from

different climates will be exposed to diseases that their systems do not have the power to

defeat and the diseases can lead to health hazards and even death in extreme cases. The

aspects that the geographical locations of the wild animals bring are never well

represented in foreign zoos. (Barbosa 131-135)

Mental illnesses have been appearing in zoos where the facilities do not provide

the necessities for the animals. Many animals have started behaving in self-threatening

ways after being enclosed in their small cages and not having enough space to do what

they would do naturally. Some of the main troubles that have been noticed are “incessant

pacing, swaying, head-bobbing, bar-biting, and self-mutilation.” (“People for the Ethical

Treatment of Animals (PETA)”) Other animals have shown signs or stress and depression

from either being in large groups, for solitary animals, or in alone or in small groups for

animals that live with these conditions. The human interaction also is threatening to the

animals’ mental health, as they are not used to interact socially with humans. These

illnesses seem minor but they can be dangerous for the animals; if their mental health is

at stake, it usually reverberates on other aspects (physical, social, etc.).

While it is factual that zoo animals live a longer life, it doesn’t mean that their

sedentary zoo life is better than their dangerous wild life. While the long life is a good

thing, it doesn’t mean that it was ideal for the animal if they were missing necessary

aspects of wild life like hunting, running, and other natural activities that animals engage

to in the wild. The opposite is also probable because of all the added stress of captive life.
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For animals like elephants, captivity shortens their lives, according to studies. Aspects

that shorten the lives of zoo-born elephants are their inability to survive in conditions that

are harsher than zoos. When re-introduction to the wild is done, many animals die

because of that inability. (Lin)

Reproduction in Captivity

It is globally known that zoos strive on newborns to make money and attract more

visitors but as Dita Wickins-Drazilová states:

It is generally thought that a zoo where animals successfully breed is a good one,

and that it is necessary to worry about the welfare of animals living in zoos with a

low reproduction rate. But is high reproduction actually an indicator of good

animal welfare? Many successful zoo births are results of human intervention. In

vitro fertilization, assistance during birth, or taking over the care of young ones

are common practices in zoos. Such ‘‘artificial’’ breeding can hardly be proof of

animal welfare. (Wickins-Drazilová)

When the animals are captive, many things go against the natural reproduction

that they would usually engage into. Reproduction is systematic and planned; the

animals have no choice in the partner and are enclosed in facilities that will make

the animal comfortable and ready for reproduction. Ideal reproduction happens in

conditions similar to the conditions of wild life for animals, may that be the

climate, the habitat, or the fauna. The fact that these environmental factors are not

provided leads to infant death or even to infertility in animals. And even when
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reproduction is possible, the surplus animals, as stated above, are culled and often

murdered.

Endangered Animals in Zoos

While endangered animals might be provided with ways to avoid poaching and

smuggling, zoos do not always have the proper caring for them. Many of the reasons

stated above deteriorate the lifestyle of our endangered species, as seen in the Kiev Zoo,

where many elephants and lions died. The high demand in endangered species to attract

visitors creates an extra stress for the animals, which can lead to mental or physical

anomalies in certain cases. The main con to not having endangered species in a zoo

would be that their life conditions in the wild would be dangerous and could possibly

bring the extinction of species but in this case better facilities have to be considered to

make sure that the few endangered animals left in the wild and in captivity are ensured

not to extinct. The bad treatment by zookeepers, the live feeding of animals by visitors,

and many other aspects bring forth the danger of captive life for endangered species.

Asia is known to have the biggest count of endangered species and for that reason

their zoos also host most of the local threatened animals but many of them are not treated

fairly. With poor or no regulations, China lately has seen many tigers die because of the

fact that they did not have enough funding to feed the animals. The zoos were then

accused of selling the body parts of the dead animals in order to get money, even though

selling specific animal parts is illegal in the country. (Global Animal)

The captive breeding of endangered species is also a thorough process. In many

cases, when the population is too small, inbreeding happens and can lead to physical and
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mental disorders in the animal. (Mace 167-174) Other problems that the captive breeding

programs bring are the loss of behavioral habits such as hunting or foraging when

animals have lived in their cage all their life long and have never experienced wild life.

This causes a lack of survival skills in animals when they are released in the wild. The

captive breeding programs succeed at doing what they do, breeding, but that does not

necessarily mean that the new animals have better living conditions and it often means

that other animals will be forgotten for the new captive breeds to have space to live.

Re-introduction of Captive Animals

The re-introduction of animals in the wild is a trivial part of zoo life. It happens

seldom and is often managed by government wildlife agencies. Re-introduction can be

dangerous for zoo animals as they are used to a sedentary life and many captive breeds

and other non-captive breeds are missing natural characteristics necessary in the wild

such as the ability to hunt, to run, to fly, etc. These abilities are all of the utmost

importance for the animals’ survival. Other skills that animals are missing when re-

introduced are the skills taught by the parents, like finding food and avoiding predators,

as newborns are often separated from the parents and sent to different institutions or

cages.

Another downside to re-introduction is the fact that the animals being set back in

the wild have a chance of bringing foreign viruses with them, which could kill large

amounts of other animals. In zoos, viruses are transmitted from animal to animal, but

they have zookeepers and veterinaries to ensure that their health is good but once set in

the wild they lose the safety net provided by the experts and are then left on their own to
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deal with the diseases they bring from the zoo or new diseases that they catch in their

new locations. Endangered species also suffer from the threat of being poached again to

be sold by poachers. (“The Captive Animals’ Protection Society (CAPS)”)

Regulation Acts

There are many regulation acts, throughout the whole world, for zoos and animal

welfare. In the USA, zoos are regulated through animal welfare legislations that take into

account certain zoo welfare details. In Canada, animal welfare in zoos is a voluntary

choice made by provinces. There is no legislation providing security for the animals and

no provision in the law that details any zoological treatment of animals. The European

Union’s regulations are different from country to country, some very satisfying, others

not. France has provisions for the care of animal, the exchange, and the infrastructures

but it is unclear if these laws are followed, as there is no record about France’s zoo

inspection system. Germany, Greece and Slovakia have no provisions for zoo animal’s

welfare in their laws. Belgium, Portugal, Spain and UK are the only countries that have

provisions for all aspects of zoo animal’s welfare.

In Canada, it is the provinces’ authorities choice to add decrees for the zoo

welfare. While Canada has the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA),

this organization only rules the “25 leading zoological parks and aquariums in Canada.”

(“Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA)”) and it is obvious that the

country has far more than 25 zoos. Local Montreal zoos like the Biodôme de Montréal,

Parc Safari, and Granby Zoo are all under the legislation of CAZA. Other Quebec areas

are legislated by the Loi sur la conservation et la mise en valeur de la faune which is a
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government law for the conservation of the fauna in general. Other provinces have

different acts legislating them.

What is important is that there is no regulation in many countries and the

countries that do have regulations often have poor laws that are barely observed. Strict

legislation should be implemented globally and strongly observed and monitored to

ensure that animal welfare is good. Having strict regulations on the type of habitat that

the animals should have, the kind of caring they should receive and the staff that deals

with the animals would be a good first step towards better animal welfare in zoos. Right

now, many countries provide what they call good animal welfare when it is in fact

minimal and dangerous to the lives of the animals.

Solutions

Possible long-term solutions would include having a global organization that

would manage animal welfare in zoos and similar facilities. Right now there are many

organizations fighting the crimes that zoos commit but they are limited in their actions

and, in the end, the animals end up suffering. This organization could also have

inspectors in different countries and have them inspect zoos and make sure that

everything is going according to their regulations.

This solution would also stipulate rules regarding the treatment in zoos (having

adequate climate, habitat and fauna) and would ensure that culling is not practiced. Real

experts would regulate the health in zoos and not just any employee, ensuring healthy

lifestyles and decreasing the amount of viruses being spread and dealt with (which would

also have a repercussion on the health of reintroduced captive animals). Reproduction

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would occur in more natural habitats, helping the animals reproduce in good physical and

mental state. Reproduction would be taken more seriously also, reducing the number of

culling happening in zoos. Endangered species would be shown special attention, maybe

even have specific rules for them to ensure high quality service by employees. Captive

breeding, a process already ongoing, would be regulated so that inbreeding does not

happen, causing anomalies in generations to come. Finally, the reintroduction of animals

would follow specific steps ranging from teaching the animals how to survive in the wild

to giving them a more active lifestyle.

Basically, all that is needed to ensure animal welfare in zoos is people that have

the animals in mind and not the profits coming from the zoos. With many activists

already fighting for animal welfare, the perfect solution is not too far away.
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Works Cited
Anitel, Stefan. “How Happy is a Zoo Animal.” Softpedia. N.p., 9 Jan. 2008. Web. 26
Nov. 2010.
Barbosa, A. “The role of zoos and aquariums in research into the effects of climate
change on animal health.” International Zoo Yearbook 43.1 (2009): 131-135.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.
Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA). “About CAZA.” Canadian
Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA). N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.
Cooper, M.E. “Zoo legislation.” International Zoo Yearbook 38.1. (2007): 81-89. Web.
29 Nov. 2010.
Global Animal. “China Urges Zoos to Stop Abuse, Negligence.” Global Animal. The
Associated Press, 7 Nov. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.
GlobalPost. “The world’s worst zoos: Some places you don’t want to bring the kids.”
GlobalPost. GlobalPost Editors, 23 Jul. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.
Lin, Doris. “Study Shows Elephants in Zoos Live Shorter Lives.” About.com: Animal
Rights. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.
Mace, Georginam M. “Genetic management of small populations.” International Zoo
Yearbook 24-25.1 (1986): 167-174. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). “Animal Rights Uncompromised:
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2010.
The Captive Animals’ Protection Society. “The reality of zoos.” The Captive Animals’
Protection Society (CAPS). N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.
Wickins-Drazilová, Dita. “Zoo Animal Welfare.” Journal of Agricultural and
Environmental Ethics 19. (2006): 27-36. Web. 28 Nov. 2010.
“Zoo.” Canadian Oxford Dictionary. 2nd ed. Canada: Oxford University Press,
2004. Print.