Responding to Zoo Protestors

ZooElephantMan

ZooElephantMan

Well-Known Member
10+ year member
When I go to a zoo that I like and I see protestors outside, I always feel torn about what I should do. I feel I should either argue with them about why this zoo should not be protested against, or ignore them and refuse to let them bother me. I was curious what other people think is the best course of action in these kinds of situations.

Does anyone have examples of times they have interacted with zoo protestors before?

Have you tried to argue with them to change their minds, or do you usually ignore them?

If you have argued with zoo protestors or other anti-zoo individuals, have you ever been successful in convincing them to stop opposing zoos so vehemently? :eek:

What do you think is the best way to respond to zoo protests?

I look forward to reading your replies.
 
I think this is another thread topic that has been previously covered but in answer to your question yes I have interacted with anti-zoo individuals both in person and online.

However, I don't argue or engage with fanatics who cannot and do not want to engage in a debate / dialogue or try to think criticially about the issue at hand and just want to shout people down.

I would say people with that dogmatic and zealous mentality exist on both extremes of the spectrum and with both anti-zoo and pro-zoo people.
 
I’ve personally never seen any protestors at a zoo before, but if I ever encounter one, I would just ignore them. No matter what you say to them, their frame of mind probably won’t change anyway and it might just lead to a conflict. I already know that (most) zoos are great places for animals, since they provide a safe place for them to live and save a lot of species from going extinct in the wild. So frankly, I don’t really need some random person telling me otherwise.
 
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Ignore them. They want to talk to you, to change your mind. Engaging with them at a protest. is only going to make them think they made some headway. You aren't going to change their minds while they're in active protest mode. Walk by, ignore them, and donate some money to the zoo if you can (especially if they're within earshot).
 
I'm supportive of the general idea that people who support and oppose keeping animals in captivity should engage in discussion and try to understand each other's side. However, I don't believe a protest event is an appropriate or effective situation to attempt this. Such discussions are better off involving a small number of participants; people who are already familiar with each other and respect one another as individuals; and are either structured and planned conversations or at least take place in a relaxed environment without tension or pressure. A public protest event does not meet any of those prerequisites; it is a chaotic, tension-filled environment with countless strangers and no structure in place to de-escalate conflicts before they become critical. The idea that a positive outcome will arise from trying to reason with an emotionally charged crowd of people defies patterns of human behavior, and is much more likely to create a conflict than any kind of productive discussion.

Based on this, I would suggest *not* engaging with protestors during a protest event. Ignore them if possible. If they try to engage with you politely, politely decline their offer. If they try to harass or intimidate you, move away from them quickly and inform a zoo staff member.

Jude T said:
I think I’d struggle to not say anything as I’d be concerned that they were spreading false information and putting the general public off visiting zoos which would personally bother me.
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While this is a valid way to feel, I'd suggest being goal-oriented in this situation... that is, thinking about your objectives instead of your beliefs. Protestors can and often do spread false information and may intimidate or convince others not to enter the zoo, but it's highly unlikely that you engaging or challenging them would change that reality. As I said, it's far more likely to create a conflict that spirals out of control. Therefore, in that moment controlling your own behavior and avoiding the protest creates the best outcome for everyone involved.
 
Coelacanth18 said:
While this is a valid way to feel, I'd suggest being goal-oriented in this situation... that is, thinking about your objectives instead of your beliefs. Protestors can and often do spread false information and may intimidate or convince others not to enter the zoo, but it's highly unlikely that you engaging or challenging them would change that reality. As I said, it's far more likely to create a conflict that spirals out of control. Therefore, in that moment controlling your own behavior and avoiding the protest creates the best outcome for everyone involved.
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Yeah that makes sense, I think it’s just frustrating when they do convince people not to attend the zoo because it means they’ve “won” and I know that’s not a great way to look at it but it does frustrate me.
 
Jude T said:
Yeah that makes sense, I think it’s just frustrating when they do convince people not to attend the zoo because it means they’ve “won” and I know that’s not a great way to look at it but it does frustrate me.
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If one hundred protestors stand outside the gates of 10 zoos around the country and only turn away one visitor between them, they will view it as a victory, or at least portray it as one
 
I personally think that if you confront protestors you won't likely achieve anything but a headache yourself. That is when you confront people in person irl. Online I think you can do it much easyier and with less of a headache.
 
I thought i'd have a look at what Freedom For Animals latest gripe is (I think they organise an annual protest weekend in the UK) and see they are targeting Sea Lion shows. I admit, I don't enjoy them, but choose to believe some of the activity/training is good for the animals' health.
They have listed the ten zoos in the UK where you can find "performing" sea lions, held only for human entertainment and released a "secret" video to expose the horror.
Looks like they only recorded Flamingo Land torturing their sea lions with hoop catching, animal mimicking and flipper clapping.
 
littleRedPanda said:
If one hundred protestors stand outside the gates of 10 zoos around the country and only turn away one visitor between them, they will view it as a victory, or at least portray it as one
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There is a small difference post Covid.
Before this, every visitor turned away was a financial loss to the zoo, if they did not return on a different day, which I think most actually would.
Now, the visitor will have bought their tickets up-front, so if turned away the Zoo still has the money.
The (financial) loss would thus be the visitor's, not the zoos.
 
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Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I'm curious, do protests actually regularly occur outside the gates of zoos in the USA ?
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It isn't that uncommon, but it varies a lot by zoo. My local zoo doesn't have protests that often, and usually when there are protestors, there are usually just 3-10 people outside holding signs in the air. These protestors are not targeting my zoo for any one specific thing, but just are there because they oppose animal captivity in zoos in general.

Other zoos face much larger organized protests more regularly. These larger kinds of protests usually target a zoo for a specific controversy. For example, there is a huge movement to free Billy the elephant from the LA Zoo. From what I can tell, it is not uncommon for large groups of protestors to stand outside the zoo gates, rallying for Billy's freedom. Here is a picture of the protestors, posing, that I found online:

billy-the-elephant.jpg
 
ZooElephantsMan said:
It isn't that uncommon, but it varies a lot by zoo. My local zoo doesn't have protests that often, and usually when there are protestors, there are usually just 3-10 people outside holding signs in the air. These protestors are not targeting my zoo for any one specific thing, but just are there because they oppose animal captivity in zoos in general.

Other zoos face much larger organized protests more regularly. These larger kinds of protests usually target a zoo for a specific controversy. For example, there is a huge movement to free Billy the elephant from the LA Zoo. From what I can tell, it is not uncommon for large groups of protestors to stand outside the zoo gates, rallying for Billy's freedom. Here is a picture of the protestors, posing, that I found online:

billy-the-elephant.jpg
Click to expand...
A big part I’ve seen those same protesters argue about Billy is that he was alone and didn’t have interaction with other elephants. I’ve heard them argue that and they argue to send him to a sanctuary, which isn’t it also a form of captivity if we are to take them at face value? :rolleyes: they’ve died down much more compared to when Elephants of Asia had opened. But after years of hiring new crew and consulting with other zoos about their elephant programs, all of the 4 elephants at the zoo including our male Billy, are sharing the same space. They can choose to interact with one another or not, it’s up to them but it appears that it has gone smoothly and will be there this week to document the herd. It was one of the major points that Billy never was able to share the same space as the elderly females. I do think that actually engaging someone like these activists will only enrage you rather than make any valid points stick. They’re going off emotion rather than fact, it’s what captures the audiences mind especially here in the states.
 
ZooElephantsMan said:
It isn't that uncommon, but it varies a lot by zoo. My local zoo doesn't have protests that often, and usually when there are protestors, there are usually just 3-10 people outside holding signs in the air. These protestors are not targeting my zoo for any one specific thing, but just are there because they oppose animal captivity in zoos in general.

Other zoos face much larger organized protests more regularly. These larger kinds of protests usually target a zoo for a specific controversy. For example, there is a huge movement to free Billy the elephant from the LA Zoo. From what I can tell, it is not uncommon for large groups of protestors to stand outside the zoo gates, rallying for Billy's freedom. Here is a picture of the protestors, posing, that I found online:

billy-the-elephant.jpg
Click to expand...

They look like a motley bunch of PETA activists, but not intimidating or aggressive at all.

I would just walk straight past them and not even look in their direction, though the "captivity is not conservation" placard is kind of hard to ignore.

Oh I see, so they are not exactly hardcore ideologues then ?
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
They look like a motley bunch of PETA activists, but not intimidating or aggressive at all.

I would just walk straight past them and not even look in their direction, though the "captivity is not conservation" placard is kind of hard to ignore.

Oh I see, so they are not exactly hardcore ideologues then ?
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They’ve never been aggressive at all from my recollection of visits with them there and it is their right to protest, whether I agree or not. So many people ignore them and still have gone about their day, as I have countless times. But I remember the protests going on at SeaWorld San Diego during the time Blackfish came out and some of those much more vocal and in your face from what I remember. It’s all about emotions and their job is ruffle your feathers, not actually make actual arguments or pleas.
 
Julio C Castro said:
They’ve never been aggressive at all from my recollection of visits with them there and it is their right to protest, whether I agree or not. So many people ignore them and still have gone about their day, as I have countless times. But I remember the protests going on at SeaWorld San Diego during the time Blackfish came out and some of those much more vocal and in your face from what I remember. It’s all about emotions and their job is ruffle your feathers, not actually make actual arguments or pleas.
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Yes, exactly, I think it is best to just walk on by and not engage.

As you say it is in large part all about emotion and not logic so even if you stop and try to have an intelligent nuanced dialogue with them it is unlikely to work out constructively and doubtful if they will reflect on any argument that runs counter to their bias.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
Yes, exactly, I think it is best to just walk on by and not engage.

As you say it is in large part all about emotion and not logic so even if you stop and try to have an intelligent nuanced dialogue with them it is unlikely to work out constructively and doubtful if they will reflect on any argument that runs counter to their bias.
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That’s all they can get from you, to tug at your heart strings and get you charged up whether on their side or against them.
 
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