Jane Goodall on Zoos

I have respected that woman for around 20 years, since I first learned about her after being given for Christmas an illustrated children's book by her on 'her' chimpanzees in Gombe Park. I would have been 10-12 at the time. Now that I'm older and about to enter the world of wildlife conservation in one form or another, I respect her even more, now that I know for a fact that she sees the difference between good zoos and bad zoos and what a vital role the former have, and doesn't simply regard zoos as a concept as evil.

On a side note: would anyone know what was Dian Fossey's view on zoos? I think she was against them for the most part, but she was reportedly impressed by the gorilla exhibit that opened at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo in 1979 or so, 6 years or so before she was brutally murdered in her sleep.
 
Thank you Zooplantman for this great interview, jane goodall is one of my favorite scientist writers, which is a tough combination. Most scientists are lousy writers, we are trained to write only for our peers. and find it difficult to communicate with the general public. Her opinions on chimps in zoos,medical labs, entertainment shows are not only right but also can influence many people. Since Jane Goodall is compared so often to Dian Fossey it is interesting to remember that Louis Leakey was such a great influence on both of them. The Leakey family has been so important, not on studying humanity´s origen but also in wildlife conservation in africa.
 
Baldur said:
On a side note: would anyone know what was Dian Fossey's view on zoos? I think she was against them for the most part, but she was reportedly impressed by the gorilla exhibit that opened at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo in 1979 or so, 6 years or so before she was brutally murdered in her sleep.
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I don't recall ever seeing anything that specifically addressed this question, although there were still "reputable" zoos buying "orphaned" gorillas from the wild around the time Fossey was working in Rwanda.

It has been written that when Woodland Park Zoo was planning their gorilla exhibit, Dian was brought in as a consultant. As she was being driven in to Seattle from the airport, and asked what natural gorilla habitat looked like, she pointed out the window at the dense evergreen fern-covered forest along the roadside and said "just like that." Her comments and photos were used to help guide the design of the exhibit (by Jones and Jones). I don't know if she ever actually saw the finished product.

One thing is for certain: she was vehemently against the gorilla tourism that eventually became the salvation of the little pockets of Mountain gorillas now thriving in Rwanda and Uganda.
 
Re Dian Fossey & zoos. In 'Gorillas in the Mist' she is very disapproving of how Cologne kept its short-lived Mountain Gorillas.
 
FBBird said:
Re Dian Fossey & zoos. In 'Gorillas in the Mist' she is very disapproving of how Cologne kept its short-lived Mountain Gorillas.
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I saw that film a few times but it's been probably a decade since last time. I think she was against them getting the apes in general but never knew how they were kept. Sorry if it seems like nitpicking though :)
 
I don't have a source for this, but I was told that she liked the Gorilla enclosure at Howletts. Apparently she told Aspinall that his was the only gorilla group in a zoo that she had seen, that behaved like in the wild.
 
Baldur said:
I respect her even more, now that I know for a fact that she sees the difference between good zoos and bad zoos and what a vital role the former have, and doesn't simply regard zoos as a concept as evil.
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The talk I attended was when she gave the keynote address to the annual AZA conference 2 years ago. She was fully involved working with zoos and seeing good zoos as her colleagues in the work of conservation and conservation education.
 
Saro said:
I don't have a source for this, but I was told that she liked the Gorilla enclosure at Howletts. Apparently she told Aspinall that his was the only gorilla group in a zoo that she had seen, that behaved like in the wild.
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I have heard that too. I think it was mentionned on Aspinall's Animals, which was a short lived show on Animal Planet UK if I remember corrcetly.
 
Zooplantman -- I'm sure you're right about the Cologne Mountain Gorillas. Dian Fossey had hoped to return them to the wild, as a small recompense for their entire natal groups having been killed in their capture. The fact that she was not able to make this happen, must have coloured her attitude to their continuing captivity. Them dying young at Cologne was [not in a good way] the icing on the cake. I don't think she necessarily had it in for zoos as such. Nowadays, when there is no regular trade in wild infants, and zoo Gorillas routinely live long and do well, she would probably feel about most Gorilla enclosures as she did about Howletts' [which were ahead of their time]
 
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