Fitness

Despite anyones concern for animals, zoos can more accurately be described as "collections" of interesting "specimens" than actual homes. Even under the best of circumstances at the best of zoos, captivity cannot begin to replicate wild animals' habitats. Animals are often prevented from doing most of the things that are natural and important to them, like running, roaming, flying, climbing, foraging, choosing a partner, and being with others of their own kind. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to interfere with animals and keep them locked up in captivity, where they are bored, cramped, lonely, deprived of all control over their lives, and far from their natural homes.

Virginia McKenna, who starred in the classic movie Born Free and worked in behalf of captive animals, says that her participation in Born Free made her realize that "wild animals belonged in the wild, not imprisoned in zoos. Ð'... Freedom is a precious concept, and wild animals suffer physically and mentally from the lack of freedom captivity imposes."

Zoos vary in size and qualityÐ'--from drive-through parks to small roadside menageries with concrete slabs and iron bars. Millions of people visit zoos regularly, but most zoos operate at a loss and must find ways to cut costs or add gimmicks that will attract visitors. Precious funds that should be used to provide more humane conditions for animals are often spent on cosmetic improvement such as landscaping, refreshment stands, and gift shopsÐ'--in order to draw visitors.

Ultimately, animals are the ones who pay the price. Jabari the gorilla tried to escape from the Dallas Zoo by jumping over walls and moats and defying electrified wires, only to be fatally shot by police; a witness later reported that teenagers were taunting the animal with rocks prior to his escape. two polar bears died within five weeks of each other at the Saint Louis ZooÐ'--Churchill died after ingesting an object that had been thrown into his exhibit, and Penny died from an infection as a result of having two dead fetuses in her uterus. At the Virginia Zoo, 10 prairie dogs died when their tunnel collapsed, a rhinoceros drowned in the moat of her exhibit, and a zebra narrowly escaped death after jumping into the lion exhibit, while another lost her life when she bolted from a holding pen, struck a fence, and broke her neck.

Zoos claim to educate people and preserve species, but they usually fall short on both counts. Most zoo enclosures are very small, and rather than promoting respect for or understanding of animals, signs often provide little more information than an animal's species, diet, and natural range. Animals' normal behavior is seldom discussed, much less observed, because their natural needs are rarely met. Birds' wings may be clipped so that they cannot fly, aquatic animals often go without adequate water, and many animals who naturally live in large herds or family groups are kept alone or, at most, in pairs. Natural hunting and mating behaviors are virtually eliminated by regulated feeding and breeding regimens. Animals are closely confined, lack privacy, and have little opportunity for mental stimulation or physical exercise. These conditions often result in abnormal and self-destructive behaviors, also known as "zoochosis." An Oxford University study based on four decades of observing animals in captivity and in the wild found that animals such as polar bears, lions, tigers, and cheetahs "show the most evidence of stress and/or psychological dysfunction in captivity" and concluded that "the keeping of naturally wide-ranging carnivores should be either fundamentally improved or phased out." Investigations of numerous zoos across the country found several bear species exhibiting neurotic, stereotypic behaviors. These frustrated animals spend much of their time pacing, walking in tight circles, swaying or rolling their heads, and showing other signs of psychological distress. In some bear enclosures, paths worn by the bears' constant pacing could be seen; in others, there were actual paw impressions in the soil where bears had repeatedly stepped in the same spot. These behaviors are not just symptoms of boredomÐ'--they indicate profound despondency.

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. Protecting species from extinction sounds like a noble goal, but zoo officials usually favor exotic or popular animalsÐ'--who draw crowds and publicityÐ'--rather than threatened or endangered local wildlife. The Chinese government, for example, "rents" pandas to zoos worldwide for fees of more than $1 million per year, but some question whether the profits are being directed toward panda-conservation efforts at all. Most animals housed in zoos are not endangered, and those that are will likely never be released into natural habitats.

Zoos continue to capture animals from the wild to put them on public display. The San Diego Wild Animal Park and Lowry Park Zoo captured 11 African elephants, a species designated as threatened, from their natural habitats in Swaziland. Experts, scientists, and researchers who study elephants in the wild strongly opposed the capture, stating,