Ethics on the Ark

Onychorhynchus coronatus

Onychorhynchus coronatus

Well-Known Member
There is a very interesting book (fairly old now as I believe it was first published in the early 90's) called "Ethics on the Ark".

The book was a series of essays representing all sides of the zoo and conservation debate and had some very thought provoking chapters / essays about the future and purpose of zoos.

I actually no longer own this book as I gave my copy to a friend at Chapultepec Zoo so I unfortunately cannot re-read it.

However, I was wondering whether anyone else had read it and if so what they thought of some of the essays ?
 
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Somewhere I have a copy. From memory it was reasonably pro zoo and certainly contributed to the welfare debate.
 
MRJ said:
Somewhere I have a copy. From memory it was reasonably pro zoo and certainly contributed to the welfare debate.
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Yes, I thought it was quite a good book too.

A few of the essays and concepts were a bit "out there" though...

I remember one essay on future zoos having no live animals at all and just interactive tv screens that showed footage of wildlife. :confused:
 
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MRJ said:
That will never happen now in that experience is available to anybody with an internet connection.
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Yes, I agree, I think that is an example of how some essays of the book have aged badly.

I think that particular essay was probably written in that early 90's pre-computer in every household techno-utopia spirit of the times.

More audio / visual displays within zoos could be a good idea though IMO.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
New There is a very interesting book (fairly old now as I believe it was first published in the early 90's) called "Ethics on the Ark".

The book was a series of essays representing all sides of the zoo and conservation debate and had some very thought provoking chapters / essays about the future and purpose of zoos.

However, I was wondering whether anyone else had read it and if so what they thought of some of the essays ?
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The book "Ethics on the Ark" is a collection of papers that were presented at a workshop held in 1992.

I read the book when it was first published in 1995 and I agree with you that I found some of the chapters very thought-provoking although I haven't looked at the book for a quarter-of-a-century.

Two other interesting books on the ethics of keeping animals in zoos are:

Zoos and Animal Rights: The Ethics of Keeping Animals (Stephen C. Bostock; 1993). (The author, Bostock, was Education Officer at Glasgow Zoo.)

Zoo Ethics: The Challenges of Compassionate Conservation (Jenny Gray; 2017)
 
Tim May said:
The book "Ethics on the Ark" is a collection of papers that were presented at a workshop held in 1992.

I read the book when it was first published in 1995 and I agree with you that I found some of the chapters very thought-provoking although I haven't looked at the book for a quarter-of-a-century.

Two other interesting books on the ethics of keeping animals in zoos are:

Zoos and Animal Rights: The Ethics of Keeping Animals (Stephen C. Bostock; 1993). (The author, Bostock, was Education Officer at Glasgow Zoo.)

Zoo Ethics: The Challenges of Compassionate Conservation (Jenny Gray; 2017)
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Thank you for your reply @Tim May !

Yes, totally agree with you, some of the chapters definitely influenced my view towards zoos and particular those that dealt with species conservation and captive breeding.

I haven't read either of the two books that you mention but I really would like to have a read of these eventually so thank you for mentioning them. :) ;)
 
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