Zoos and Captivity

There is a lot in the news right now about exotic (non-domesticated) animals in zoos and other forms of captivity.  Costa Rica is apparently closing all of it's zoos and several countries are banning dolphins in captivity.  I'm reading a lot about how exotic animals, especially large ones, would be happier in the wild.

My opinion?  It's complicated, and many of those commenting on the situation are anthropomorphizing.

[Anthropomorphizing is putting human characteristics in a non-human "my computer hates me" or "my dog KNOWS he's not supposed to poop on the rug"]

I've been considering this issue for a long time and, being a scientist, I decided I needed more data.  

So I've volunteered at zoos and animal sanctuaries, I've worked with wildlife and I've studied a lot about how animals live in the wild.  And my conclusion?  It's complicated.

I think we CAN (and probably SHOULD) have exotic animals in zoos.  But we have to pick and choose the species and make sure the habitat and enrichment are high quality [enrichment is entertainment and exercise, so the animals don't get bored].

Let's talk about cats.

No, not those cats, THESE cats.

DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME - I helped to bottle raise this still very young tiger from infancy.  This is the last time I went in the cage with him.  He was getting too large and too potentially dangerous after this point.

I've done volunteer work with several species of exotic cat and I've observed a few species in the wild.  Lions and tigers?  Easy to do in captivity.  They do well in the right situation.  Small cats like the fishing cat?  Not so much.  Exotic cat species that are the size of a house cat are very nervous in captivity and do not like people looking at them.  

Image via Wikimedia Commons thanks to Cliff for posting it there

Lions and tigers?  They either don't care or enjoy interacting with people (I know of one place that had to reinforce their glass viewing area because one of their tigers liked to jump out of hiding at people and slam against the glass - great reaction from the people, entertainment for the tiger, but we don't want that glass breaking!).

So smaller is not necessarily better.  

How is the average person supposed to form an opinion on the subject? I really don't know.  I have opinions about certain species, those I've worked with or know a lot about through research but other species?  For example I don't know if giraffes do well in captivity or not but I hate seeing bears in zoos (I have seen ONE place that does bears right.   ONE).

Then there is the idea that animals are happier in the wild.

Snort.

I've studied and worked with wild animals, too.  Life in the wild is not a Disney movie.  It's hard, often painful and very often short.  Are wild animals happy?  Maybe some are but I don't think that happiness is the appropriate word for how they feel.  Most of them they're just trying to survive day by day.  I'd be willing to bet the tiger in the above picture is "happier" in captivity than if he were in the wild.  His life is certainly easier.

Let me leave you with an anecdote.  

There is a facility in Florida that has captive dolphins.  Their enclosures are set up so that water flows freely from the "wild" into the "pens."  When a hurricane is on track to hit this facility they open the pens and let the dolphins out.  The dolphins can then swim out to deeper water or away from the direct path of the storm where it is safer.  After the storm the dolphins come back on their own.  

Now tell me they're happier in the wild than in captivity.

Photo by Faraj Meir from Wikimedia Commons