Zoo’s Verses Sanctuaries
Sanctuaries may be our only hope for elephants but does that mean zoo’s are not qualified to contain these animals. In some cases that is true but there are credited zoo’s that are trained in every way to care for these animals. Sanctuaries do give their animals plenty of room to roam but what about their funding. Most sanctuaries are not steadily funded and are at risk to be shut down for lack of volunteers and employee’s to maintain the parks. The ideal solution to creating the best atmosphere for our animals is in the eye of the beholder.
Zoo’s generally are limited in size and space therefore the animals living quarters are also limited. In the San Francisco zoo there was a recent death of an elephant named Calle that developed degenerative joint disease and foot problems. They claim most of her problems were because of her history of circus performing, however there are three other elephants that currently live at the same zoo and are suffering from the same problems. The fact that this zoo has limited space for the animals to walk around and they are forced to stand in the same area for most of their time if not all. The ground at the San Francisco zoo is packet hard ground which is the reason the other three elephants are
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suffering as well. These animals are kept on a steady flow of pain killers to help but not much is done to prevent these problems or try to fix them. This could be avoided if the animals were sent to a sanctuary until the zoo expanded and improved the living area for the elephants.(Elliot M. Katz)
The AZA, or “American Zoo and Aquarium Association”, states there are many differences between zoo’s and sanctuaries but it depends on the person considering the two. Zoo’s that are accredited are fully capable of providing care for their elephants yet some still believe it to be “captivity”. “In true sanctuaries, which are either not open to the public, or are open only in a limited way, animals will be provided lifetime care and will not be bred or used for commercial purposes.” Zoo’s generally give off the impression that they are showing the animal like an attraction, which in sense they are but the public is gaining knowledge of this animal through the exhibit. Zoo’s also often have scientists and animal specialist studying the animals, and even attempting to breed the animals. This is not for the sake of research but for the sake of the animal and its species future. “Recognizing the moral status of animals requires more than information and rationality; empathy and imagination are equally vital. The AZA wants to believe that the problems of wildlife conservation will be largely solved by science.”. Science has furthered our knowledge of extinct animals maybe this could help stop the extinction of others. (Craig Brestrup)
There are zoo’s that are seen as educational and trying to help conservation but have no interest in helping the animals. Roadside zoo’s and aquariums often use their animals and dispose when they are either not needed any longer or they are too sick to
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care for. The animals that are stuck in these zoo’s are often lonely, unable to bond
with others, bored and cramped in little spaces. Too this day zoo’s are continuing to sell their “surplus” and older animals which they “end up in roadside menageries, breeding facilities, circuses, or even as "game" in canned hunt facilities.” This only leads to quicker death for these exotic animals and fish. Elephants especially are at risk due to the high demand in their shows because they are so rare. (Elliot M. Katz)
Can these accredited zoo’s prove they are trying to help awareness and conservation of the wildlife they care for? The AZA actually has many programs for elephants as well as other animals. “AZA members currently support no less than 56 elephant conservation, research and educational projects.” They also are very active in fighting against the international trade of wildlife like the “Bushmeat Crisis Task Force, a coalition of more than 30 major conservation organizations and zoological parks whose mission is to curb the illegal commercial trade in wildlife for meat in Africa” These members are even the primary supporters of the “International Elephant foundation” or IEF which is a non-profit organization that supports scientific and educational projects worldwide. They also provide a big portion of the financial support for a variety of elephant conversation efforts. (AZA) Zoos and sanctuaries both donate time, effort, and money to help conservation of our endangered species.
Why should we try to conserve these animals if their land is being naturally and unnaturally depleted? Conserving our animals is more moral then for reason. The food web would be disturbed but for most animals like elephants they are not one hundred percent food source for any other animals. However, “All living things are part of a
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complex, delicately balanced network called the biosphere. It is composed of ecosystems, the study of which includes the set of interrelationships between plants and animals and their physical environment. The removal of a single species can set off a chain reaction affecting many others.”(U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) The fact that these animals were roaming the earth before we were should arise some interest. These animals have battled for years against weather and sudden changes in their habitat and have been able to adapt to them. Now that the earth is full of humans and the problems we have created the habitats are being demolished at a rate that these animals cannot conform to. This is why these animals need our help, mostly because the cause can be linked to humans in most aspects. Without our help these animals will die off and never appear on the earth again. This should be a cause for concern for anyone because without nature we will turn into a world of industry and may even lose our sense of compassion for the environment as well. The earth has provided us will all the tools we need to survive and depleting the environment will, eventually, cause the death of our species. Lets keep our wildlife preserved by first acting by saving the animals who need our help.
Are sanctuaries capable of upholding the standards of these AZA accredited zoos that have elephant exhibits? The answer is still un-answered since the two elephant sanctuaries in the united states have not been studied by the AZA. Some believe that when an animal is sent to a sanctuary that the animal is being set “free”, although they are technically just larger zoo’s. Sanctuaries are not open to the public, but may have some
viewing times for certain animals. The AZA believes that “the only difference between a sanctuary and zoo is that sanctuaries do not breed animals and may or may not have well-
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organized conservation, research and education programs.”(AZA)
Works Cited:
1.) Elliot M. Katz Wild Animals in Zoos or Sanctuaries?, San Francisco Chronicle; April 1st,2004;p://www.sfgate.com/cgibin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/04/01 EDGJK5TTBV8.DTL
(Elliot M. Katz is a veterinarian and founder of In Defense of Animals www.idausa.org), an international animal rescue and advocacy organization ased in Mill Valley.)
2.) Craig Brestrup “Zoo’s aren’t Sanctuaries” Animal Issues, Volume 35 number 4, Dec. 15th, 2004, http://www.azaelephantconservation.org/faqs/index.htm#6
API is pleased to bring our readers this Guest Commentary by Craig Brestrup, Ph.D., a Board Member and former Executive Director of TAOS (The Association of Sanctuaries).
3.)U.S Department of the Interior-U.S Fish and Wildlife Service(Federal Consumer Information; “Why Save Endangered Species” http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/whysav.htm
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