Zoo Barcelona Barcelona municipal council and Zoo XXI initiative

[JigerofLemuria]

Interesting and rather bizarre attempt at interpretation / "divination" of what I said , but no , no es lo que quise decir.

Actually what I was trying to articulate was an observation that there are gradations of negative changes made to zoos and the most catastrophic IMO would be/ is the scrapping of programes for the conservation of native biodiversity and endangered species.

Why ?

Well , self evidently because these programes are the most immiediately relevant and pertinent to the reality of the conservation of Spain's fauna. Many zoos worldwide have ex-situ programes for the exotic species such as elephants, oryx etc. , but how many institutions have programes for the Iberian wolf or the Montesny brook newt ?

Furthermore, how many have achieved what Barcelona zoo has managed to achieve over the years in terms of supporting In-situ conservation of ecosystems and species in Catalonia ?

There are a lot of interesting endemic species in Spain and (as I've seen in first hand experience) the Iberian penninsula is one of the most biodiverse rich regions of Europe. It would therefore be a far greater tragedy IMO if programes for the ex-situ conservation of these species were shut down even in a single Spanish zoological institution.
In essence it would be a significant loss for Spanish conservation due to the feckless knee jerk stupidity of animal rights activists.

I see and understand your point, and I agree that doing conservation work for local wildlife is a vital role for Barcelona Zoo to carry out. However, what I oppose is their reasons to phase out endangered species, such as Sumatran tigers and Rothschild's giraffes, which have the space to be properly exhibited and bred, just because they're foreign. A petty, childish reason that bears no scientific reasoning.

 

[Onychorhynchus coronatus]

I see and understand your point, and I agree that doing conservation work for local wildlife is a vital role for Barcelona Zoo to carry out. However, what I oppose is their reasons to phase out endangered species, such as Sumatran tigers and Rothschild's giraffes, which have the space to be properly exhibited and bred, just because they're foreign. A petty, childish reason that bears no scientific reasoning.

Well , I agree that it is unacceptable to have these kind of changes forced on an institution from parties such as animal rights activists. Particularly considering that these people do not have a clue about the importance of ex-situ conservation and don't seem to even want to inform themselves of the other side of the argument either because they are fanatical ideologues.

But in terms of the wider situation of zoos exhibiting exotic megafauna my view is a little more nuanced and coloured by what I have observed in Latin America. In Brazil , for example , I do largely support the phasing out of exotic species such as tigers , giraffe , elephant and rhino in favour of focusing predominately or entirely on native biodiversity.

Of course , the situation is markedly different in Europe and Spain from that present in Brazil though in regards to finance / infastructure and simply the fact that biodiversity is richer in the latter country than the former region and therefore at greater risk.

To be clear, I've always thought that the model of the European zoos in captive breeding of endangered species from areas such as Africa and Asia to be a largely positive one. I just wish they would focus much more attention on the smaller species which require ex-situ programes as opposed to the emphasis on "charismatic megafauna" and exhibiting species which are not endangered.

Conversely Brazil unlike Spain is a megadiverse country in terms of its biodiversity and due to the enormity of the threats posed to native ecosystems and species I believe that these must necessarily be the priority of zoos in the region and their main focus.

 

[tigris115]

So is the Barcelona Zoo or the EAZA doing anything to stand up for itself because this all sounds awful.

 

[JigerofLemuria]

for the zoo.

It looks like overall the stance has been moderated. While some animals will be fased out, others previously threatened with eviction, such as the giraffes, lions and elephants of the Sahel, will be kept. They describe three focuses of animal husbandry: native wildlife, endangered species and animals currently in conservation projects. Their most pointed out projects are:
- The completion of the Sahel area
- A Mediterranean Zone
- An invertebrate pavilion
- A marine biodiversity center
However, as primates are greatly focused on during the video, and they mention confiscated animals, the primates, reptile house and aviary will most likely remain, especially that first category.
You only need go to the comment section on the Facebook post to see the obvious truth; "activists" waving their torches and pitchforks and demanding it should all be shut down with no why's or wherefores beautifully illustrates how pointless it is to try to make them happy. And I have the strong feeling that the Barcelona Zoo is finally growing some pride and won't allow itself to be pushed around by these bullies. (Although they don't censor their ugly comments, which they should)
Zoo de Barcelona

 

[TeaLovingDave]

And I have the strong feeling that the Barcelona Zoo is finally growing some pride and won't allow itself to be pushed around by these bullies.

I dearly hope this is the case - when I visited at the start of the year I liked the place a lot despite the fact it had obviously been the victim of a lack of financial stability, investment and support from the local government and as such was a little disheveled and behind-the-times...... and of course, they are involved in a lot of very important local conservation projects, so anything which means they are able to continue doing so is a massive plus!

 

[tigris115]

I think something that could help is getting more engaged with the local communities, especially families. If you have real support from people who really love the zoo, you're gucci (theoretically).

 

[SivatheriumGuy]

I hope everything turns out well for the zoo. It's one of my favourite zoos and the hate it recieves for being outdated is outrageous. I'm really looking forward to how it turns out, the zoos future looks promising!

 

[Loxodonta Cobra]

I liked Barcelona Zoo when I visited over Christmas, and despite some outdated areas there was a good of nice exhibits with a large and diverse collection and it overall has lots of potential for improvement. If the nearly complete Sahel area is anything to go by, the zoo has a very promising future if given the chance, and remains vital to many current conservation programs. I also hope they do get the community support that is needed as this is the strongest support that zoos can get to help them move forward, and I hope that the zoo itself grows a spine and sends the message to the animal rights idiots saying “No, it’s our choice to move forward”.