By Nethmi Dissanayake
Zoos have been an integral part of all our childhoods: a place where you can find a wide variety of animals all in one place. Short for “zoological park”, zoos are meant to entertain and educate the public. The first zoos were created as private collections by the wealthy to show their power. A report by the National Geographic tells us that the first modern zoo opened in Paris, France in 1793, noting, however, “that wall carvings found in Egypt and Mesopotamia are evidence that rulers and aristocrats created menageries (zoos) as early as 2,500 BCE. They left records of expeditions to distant places to bring back exotic animals such as giraffes, elephants, bears, dolphins, and birds. There is evidence that ancient zoo owners hired animal handlers to make sure their animals thrived and reproduced”.
There is, however, a dark side to zoos; that of keeping animals in captivity. While zoos have put more importance on conservation and humane animal treatment in recent years, some critics say it is cruel to keep animals in captivity. They argue that living in captivity takes away wild animals’ natural behaviour and instincts. Supporters of zoos say they play an important role in protecting endangered species. For more on this topic and to investigate how zoos are perceived by youth today, Brunch contacted some young animal rights activists to get their opinions on zoos, if they are ethical, and what changes they would like to see in the system.
Unnecessary to showcase wild animals not found here when we barely understand or invest the time and resources needed to conserve the wild animals within our own country: Avishka Sendanayake
[caption id="attachment_174698" align="alignleft" width="262"]
Environmentalist Avishka Sendanayake[/caption]
Sharing her view on whether zoos are ethical, environmentalist Avishka Sendanayake said: “Zoos in a traditional sense have no purpose anymore. It is unethical to contain wild animals in small spaces for the purposes of awareness or profit, as it entails the removal of a wild animal from the wild, from its natural habitat, and sentences it to a lifetime of containment, taking away its freedom to live. As we move towards a more just, empathic, and conscious world, education through zoos becomes obsolete as it does not represent any of the above for the animal in captivity.
Sendanayake also noted that Sri Lanka is blessed with very abundant biodiversity in both flora and fauna, achieving the title of a global hotspot for biodiversity. Therefore, it is unnecessary to showcase wild animals not found here when we barely understand or invest the time and resources needed to conserve the wild animals within our own country due to loss of habitat, anthropogenic activities, climate change, and more.
“The best way to learn about wild animals is observing them in their natural habitat, when in captivity they are not representing their natural behaviour. Therefore, awareness on wild animals can never truly be achieved from a zoo,” Sendanayake said, adding: “Regulated, responsible safaris across the country, will provide any traveler with amazing experiences of animals in their natural habitat. Safaris also provide an insight into the functions of large ecosystems, along with the importance of all wild animals and their place in such ecosystems.”
Sendanayake concluded by saying: “I believe that zoos could have a few crucial functions going into the future and that is to treat, rehabilitate, and reintroduce wild animal species and conserve populations of endangered species before releasing back into the wild; for example, Situ Conservation.”
We should never teach children to take away someone’s freedom for our benefit, be it for education or other needs: Panchali Panapitiya
[caption id="attachment_174699" align="alignright" width="340"]
RARE Communication Co-ordinator Panchali Panapitiya[/caption]
RARE (Rally for Animal Rights and Environment) Communication Co-ordinator Panchali Panapitiya also spoke about the fact that zoos are captive environments. “Most animals in zoos are kept in conditions that differ or are almost opposite of the conditions in which they would actually live in natural conditions in terms of terrain, space, or climate. The only knowledge gained from such a sight is how the animal behaves when his natural instincts and behaviours are severely restricted. Children never get to see a dinosaur in a zoo and yet many school-aged children have far greater knowledge about dinosaurs than any animal they ever saw in a zoo.
“The era where people thought that zoos were important for education is fading away. People now understand that the ‘happy animal’ picture of a zoo is not reality.” She added: “Wild animals remain ‘wild’ irrespective of whether they were born in captivity (like in a zoo) or in the wild.” She also explained about a psychological condition called “Zoochosis”, which results in animals in captivity displaying highly repetitive behavior called stereotyping, swaying their heads, rocking entire body, pacing up and down etc. due to boredom, stress, frustration, and depression caused by lack of freedom, autonomy, and agency in captivity.
Elaborating more on other issues animals in zoos face, she mentioned that animals are forced to breed by applying dominance and terror, or by other unnatural techniques like artificial insemination. In most cases, females and males are forced to live in the same enclosures, yet in reality they live separately and they have a choice in deciding whether to mate or not. “Few years ago we witnessed an extreme case at Ridiyagama Safari Park, where an African bull elephant named Joa, who was kept in the same enclosure as the Sri Lankan elephants, was allowed to mate with a Sri Lankan female. African elephants are large and their language is deemed aggressive by Asian elephants, and they are not mixed, let alone breed.”
“They are also subject to loud noises of cities and visitors and in extreme incidents are forced to do certain activities such as dancing and circuses. The activities could be physically harmful too. Most animals develop special captivity-related physical health conditions since they are kept in conditions different to their natural habitats, different diets, and lack of physical activity. Animals that walk for miles in the wild are confined into enclosures of acres of land if lucky, but in most cases just a few feet,” she further added.
“Given our increased knowledge about animal behaviour and specific needs it’s time to re-examine our relationship with zoos,” Panapitiya said. “There’s a saying: ‘zoos are the only prisons where all the inmates are innocent’. We should never teach children to take away someone’s freedom for our benefit, be it for education or other needs. If a child is taught to take away freedom of animals, they could grow up with no value and respect for freedom for humans, and worst of all their own freedom.”
Zoos have become an entertainment circus: Zaineb Akbarally
[caption id="attachment_174697" align="alignleft" width="252"]
Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) Youth Wing Chair Zaineb Akbarally[/caption]
Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) Youth Wing Chair Zaineb Akbarally shared her views on what the future should/will look like when it comes to looking and learning about animals, saying: “I would stress that in Sri Lanka, we are very fortunate to have such a splendid array of fauna to observe in the wild, and an experience in the wilderness is an unparalleled experience. Thus, we would encourage young children to be taken outside. This could even be a nature walk at the urban wetlands or on safari in one of our precious national parks. At the Youth Wing, we encourage this. One of the pillars of the Education for Conservation project we have been doing for the past four years is to take children into the wilderness to observe and connect with animals in their natural environment.”
She further added: “I would also add that the quality and availability of nature documentaries today is astounding. This is another way, when you are young and don’t have the opportunity to see some animals not found in Sri Lanka in the wild, to go into their world and understand them.”
Akbarally also said: “Fundamentally, we are opposed to the idea of zoos and keeping animals in captivity. The concept of keeping animals in cages is cruel. It is deeply upsetting to see a lion pace up and down in a small confined enclosure at a zoo as a child. Further, zoos have become an entertainment circus, where animals are made to perform tricks, dance to music, and perform for the validation of the public.”
Zoos remain popular places for people to visit for entertainment and to learn about wild animals. Although some people share the opinion that zoos can provide a sanctuary for endangered animals and so should be kept open, the opinions shared by these activists count towards proving that the cruelty that animals suffer tend to outweigh this benefit.
As we all look to building a more sustainable world for the future, let us all think of the impact our actions have on the creatures around us, relook at things we have always considered normal, and ask ourselves: “Can we be doing better, and how?”
There is, however, a dark side to zoos; that of keeping animals in captivity. While zoos have put more importance on conservation and humane animal treatment in recent years, some critics say it is cruel to keep animals in captivity. They argue that living in captivity takes away wild animals’ natural behaviour and instincts. Supporters of zoos say they play an important role in protecting endangered species. For more on this topic and to investigate how zoos are perceived by youth today, Brunch contacted some young animal rights activists to get their opinions on zoos, if they are ethical, and what changes they would like to see in the system.
Unnecessary to showcase wild animals not found here when we barely understand or invest the time and resources needed to conserve the wild animals within our own country: Avishka Sendanayake
[caption id="attachment_174698" align="alignleft" width="262"] Environmentalist Avishka Sendanayake[/caption]
Sharing her view on whether zoos are ethical, environmentalist Avishka Sendanayake said: “Zoos in a traditional sense have no purpose anymore. It is unethical to contain wild animals in small spaces for the purposes of awareness or profit, as it entails the removal of a wild animal from the wild, from its natural habitat, and sentences it to a lifetime of containment, taking away its freedom to live. As we move towards a more just, empathic, and conscious world, education through zoos becomes obsolete as it does not represent any of the above for the animal in captivity.
Sendanayake also noted that Sri Lanka is blessed with very abundant biodiversity in both flora and fauna, achieving the title of a global hotspot for biodiversity. Therefore, it is unnecessary to showcase wild animals not found here when we barely understand or invest the time and resources needed to conserve the wild animals within our own country due to loss of habitat, anthropogenic activities, climate change, and more.
“The best way to learn about wild animals is observing them in their natural habitat, when in captivity they are not representing their natural behaviour. Therefore, awareness on wild animals can never truly be achieved from a zoo,” Sendanayake said, adding: “Regulated, responsible safaris across the country, will provide any traveler with amazing experiences of animals in their natural habitat. Safaris also provide an insight into the functions of large ecosystems, along with the importance of all wild animals and their place in such ecosystems.”
Sendanayake concluded by saying: “I believe that zoos could have a few crucial functions going into the future and that is to treat, rehabilitate, and reintroduce wild animal species and conserve populations of endangered species before releasing back into the wild; for example, Situ Conservation.”
We should never teach children to take away someone’s freedom for our benefit, be it for education or other needs: Panchali Panapitiya
[caption id="attachment_174699" align="alignright" width="340"] RARE Communication Co-ordinator Panchali Panapitiya[/caption]
RARE (Rally for Animal Rights and Environment) Communication Co-ordinator Panchali Panapitiya also spoke about the fact that zoos are captive environments. “Most animals in zoos are kept in conditions that differ or are almost opposite of the conditions in which they would actually live in natural conditions in terms of terrain, space, or climate. The only knowledge gained from such a sight is how the animal behaves when his natural instincts and behaviours are severely restricted. Children never get to see a dinosaur in a zoo and yet many school-aged children have far greater knowledge about dinosaurs than any animal they ever saw in a zoo.
“The era where people thought that zoos were important for education is fading away. People now understand that the ‘happy animal’ picture of a zoo is not reality.” She added: “Wild animals remain ‘wild’ irrespective of whether they were born in captivity (like in a zoo) or in the wild.” She also explained about a psychological condition called “Zoochosis”, which results in animals in captivity displaying highly repetitive behavior called stereotyping, swaying their heads, rocking entire body, pacing up and down etc. due to boredom, stress, frustration, and depression caused by lack of freedom, autonomy, and agency in captivity.
Elaborating more on other issues animals in zoos face, she mentioned that animals are forced to breed by applying dominance and terror, or by other unnatural techniques like artificial insemination. In most cases, females and males are forced to live in the same enclosures, yet in reality they live separately and they have a choice in deciding whether to mate or not. “Few years ago we witnessed an extreme case at Ridiyagama Safari Park, where an African bull elephant named Joa, who was kept in the same enclosure as the Sri Lankan elephants, was allowed to mate with a Sri Lankan female. African elephants are large and their language is deemed aggressive by Asian elephants, and they are not mixed, let alone breed.”
“They are also subject to loud noises of cities and visitors and in extreme incidents are forced to do certain activities such as dancing and circuses. The activities could be physically harmful too. Most animals develop special captivity-related physical health conditions since they are kept in conditions different to their natural habitats, different diets, and lack of physical activity. Animals that walk for miles in the wild are confined into enclosures of acres of land if lucky, but in most cases just a few feet,” she further added.
“Given our increased knowledge about animal behaviour and specific needs it’s time to re-examine our relationship with zoos,” Panapitiya said. “There’s a saying: ‘zoos are the only prisons where all the inmates are innocent’. We should never teach children to take away someone’s freedom for our benefit, be it for education or other needs. If a child is taught to take away freedom of animals, they could grow up with no value and respect for freedom for humans, and worst of all their own freedom.”
Zoos have become an entertainment circus: Zaineb Akbarally
[caption id="attachment_174697" align="alignleft" width="252"] Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) Youth Wing Chair Zaineb Akbarally[/caption]
Wildlife and Nature Protection Society (WNPS) Youth Wing Chair Zaineb Akbarally shared her views on what the future should/will look like when it comes to looking and learning about animals, saying: “I would stress that in Sri Lanka, we are very fortunate to have such a splendid array of fauna to observe in the wild, and an experience in the wilderness is an unparalleled experience. Thus, we would encourage young children to be taken outside. This could even be a nature walk at the urban wetlands or on safari in one of our precious national parks. At the Youth Wing, we encourage this. One of the pillars of the Education for Conservation project we have been doing for the past four years is to take children into the wilderness to observe and connect with animals in their natural environment.”
She further added: “I would also add that the quality and availability of nature documentaries today is astounding. This is another way, when you are young and don’t have the opportunity to see some animals not found in Sri Lanka in the wild, to go into their world and understand them.”
Akbarally also said: “Fundamentally, we are opposed to the idea of zoos and keeping animals in captivity. The concept of keeping animals in cages is cruel. It is deeply upsetting to see a lion pace up and down in a small confined enclosure at a zoo as a child. Further, zoos have become an entertainment circus, where animals are made to perform tricks, dance to music, and perform for the validation of the public.”
Zoos remain popular places for people to visit for entertainment and to learn about wild animals. Although some people share the opinion that zoos can provide a sanctuary for endangered animals and so should be kept open, the opinions shared by these activists count towards proving that the cruelty that animals suffer tend to outweigh this benefit.
As we all look to building a more sustainable world for the future, let us all think of the impact our actions have on the creatures around us, relook at things we have always considered normal, and ask ourselves: “Can we be doing better, and how?”