well im not sure about your zoos over there but zoos here in england are pretty good!
My local zoo is Chester Zoo and it's great. i'm working there this summer and i think they treat the animals really well!
it's basically all about conservation!
i find it abit hard to believe that a zoo would be allowed to do such things to animals when they are founded on the grounds of conserving endangerd species not harming them further!
fact is, if people wernt so selfish and cruel and didnt hunt animals in the first place we wouldnt have to have zoos would we!Are ALL zoos cruel to animals? I just saw a story that the Toronto Zoo kills baby deer because they are male.?
I would like to know what humans would think of a place where humans were caged , no freedom, at anothers bidding on just basic survival so animals could come by and have a look and say well that's not cruel its fine they look happy enough. Humans think they have all the rights . What if blondes were becoming an endangered species would it be ok to put a few in a zoo and breed of them , don't agree with zoos everything has the right to freedom.
I've worked in zoos as a reptile keeper and as a mammal keeper and I have never heard of any such thing. It could be very possible that larger zoos may be doing research to help to conserve species but I certainly know of no torture practices. They do have what they call SSP (species survival plan) programs where a zoo will decide to focus on a specific species. One of the zoos I was at had an SSP for the Aruba Island rattlesnake. We definitely didn't torture them. These sound like rumors, why not call your local zoo and ask the hard questions. I'm sure they would be very interested in correcting any misinformation.
And your friend's the expert?
He's seen this first hand?
And what cat (house cat to tiger) is going to let someone stick an electrode up it's butt and pull the trigger? I just don't see that happening.
Best to go volunteer with the zoo. You will learn so much about the realities of caging wildlife. It isn't pretty sometimes. The do the absolute best they can for the animals, and sometimes it's not enough. Sometimes people do the wrong thing not realizing there are alternatives.
Volunteer at a local animal shelter. Again, you'll see it's not as easy as it seems.
EDIT TO ADD:
Some male deer are aggressive as adults. They will fight each other to the death. Is that humane?
Or they can kill them painlessly before it becomes an issue.
';Freedom'; is over-rated. In the wild, animals face starvation, predation and sickness.
Also, I would SIGN UP for the ';blonde breeding program'; another poster mentioned. All my bills paid, the best food money can buy, and all I have to do is pop out a few babies that I won't even have to raise? YES, PLEASE!!!
Zoos are an un natural situation for the animals, but most of the humans who take care of them try to be as humane and as responsible as they can be to them. We need zoos in order to see animals that most of us wouldn't see in ';real';life, and, unfortunately, the zoos are the only places you can find some of the animals at all, because they don't live in the wild anymore. There are volunteer programs at some zoos. If you are interested, try volunteering at a zoo so you can see how the animals are treated, and if you find incidents of abuse you can contact the SPCA
No not all zoo's are cruel to animals, though quite a few you often find are it can be very upsetting.
most of them are
To answer your question - no, and in fact I would say most are definitely not ';cuel';, although that is a subjective assessment.
However - The story about the Toronto Zoo is real. Do a news search and you will find it. They have adopted a policy of euthanizing male reindeer as babies. The male reindeer are euthanized due to space, aggresion, etc etc. I don't know if it is best to live a sad life as a lonely male in captivity or be euthanized as a baby. Zoos in Europe do the same thing, although it is not publicized. Most zoos in the US and Canada do not do this and rather choose to contracept or not breed animals that they can not care for.
The procedure you describe is not quite like you present it. There is indeed a scientific procedure called ';electroejaculation';. It was developed for human paraplegics, where a stimulation is used for collecting a sample that is used for artificial or in vitro fertilization. It is used in animals too - cattle, dogs, cats, and yes- endangered species. (The animals are usually anesthetized first). Do some research and read about it and form your own opinion on the subject. It is a very complex issue. I don't know if your zoo actually uses that technique for endangered animals, but I have seen some articles on the topic and it seems like a widely used practice in most zoos that actually try to save endangered species. Most people use the technique when the artificial insemination is the only option to breed two animals (such as pairs that fight, or animals that are too far away and it is easier to inseminate with transported semen than move the whole animal).
Are All Zoos cruel to animals? Tough question. While I believe that no Zoo is intentionally cruel to their charges, cruelty is often open to interpretation. I know nothing of Washington's Zoo and any of those issues I have been closely following the Metro Toronto Zoo and have been writing every Reindeer Breeder and forum, as well as several associations of Men whose favourite colour happens to be RED!
Metro Toronto Zoo, while managing to place the two 4 year old adult males and Sundays newborn to the Bowmanville Zoo, has upheld its euthanasia policy. This was extended this year to include the reindeer but has been used in the past to dispose of Mara (Pantagonian Cavvy), Capybara and Muntjac Deer. In theory it is neither a cruel policy or without merit BUT in the case of the Reindeer it was not the most appropriate action to take and will harm the zoos reputation in the public eye at least.
The issue of Roadside Zoos in Ontario has been a hot subject now for a few years. In the case of Metro Toronto Zoo, they are a CAZA accredited facility and they are in the position of being held as the gold standard for levels of care and accomodation. This accreditation limits the manner in which they can dispose of surplus animals but to simply euthanize the over population is not the answer. While the surplus reindeer were said to have been listed on a publication available to other accredited zoos, the next zoo closest to them is the new home. I have seen no evidence of them making any contacts with breeders to arrange either a relocation or a swap to alter bloodlines in the herd which would have been advantageous to the Zoo. Last year, I purchased a Reindeer bull that was declared surplus from another accredited zoo in Manitoba. He is now my herd senior sire. This option was available to MTZ either through me or by contacting the Reindeer Owners and Breeders Association. We are not a secret society, as I believe CAZA to be, and many members carry more accreditation than the zoos.
On the subject of Artificial Insemination and Electroejaculation, I can't say that I know too much about it but I do know that the President of one of the Canadian based Reindeer Associations is on the leading edge of AI and teaches it to the European herders. The procedure is, as I understand it, similar to collection of a horse stallions semen. They are not probed electrically or otherwise. This process should also allow or lead to gender selection in offspring where males are not required/desired. Personally, I am happy with what I get. In the case of endangered species I have to side with the zoos if the only way to perpetuate the species is to sedate the animals and ';probe'; them to collect semen then it is justifiable until a more humane method is found. Some animals don't have the luxury of time.
For anyone who is against zoos please consider this: Animals on this planet are being erradicated systematically and completely. While the populating of Zoos in the last century may have been a contributing factor, they now must be in the lead on conservation. People by nature will be upset with a story and a picture but real action and interest requires interaction. I have witnessed this personally and believe this to be a truth. To do this the animals must be kept and some species only exsist today because they are in zoos. Repopulation in some cases is spearheaded by zoo based programs but this isn't an option for all animals. Herd management is necessary but killing off the animals isn't the most expeditious method to meet the goals.
I sawmention in this subject of people in cages. The Metro Toronto Zoo which opened while I was still in school opened on that premise that the visitor areas would be the primary cages and the animals would have a free run of their habitats. While that was a wonderful idea, people go to zoos to see the animals. This method rarely afforded the opportunity and a rethinking of the concept was required.
One closing thought, I attended a meeting last year of the WSPA talking about a proposed set of legislation to be brought into place in Ontario. One of the presenters made the comment that the public does not want these zoos and that the animals bred their are substandard leading to a glut of unwanted animals on the market. His solution was to close all these places and euthanize the animals. Great position for a Anti Cruelty agency. If the public does not want zoos, then stop going to them. As long as you pay the gate fee and they have the operating capital to stay open they will. Going there and paying the admission so you can complain about them only perpetuates a problem.
There are many more ways to kill an animal than simple cruelty. Neglect, Apathy, and all too often kindness are equally effective.
(I think they already have a Blonde Breeding Program, I think they refer to them as Chicken Ranches in the south!)
they should kill all the animals,, thsy suck.
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