Should Zoo Directors Defend Zoos Against Activists?

Z

Zoo Visitor

Well-Known Member
Okay, well my answer is YES.

I would like to see all zoo directors do what Stuart Strahl did in response to last year's International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos (IDAEZ).



And I think zoo advocates should speak out also.

In response to this published on the IDA website:

"On Saturday, June 19th, 2010, pro-elephant advocates will turn out en masse at their local zoos, holding outreach events and demonstrations to educate the public about the tragic effects of keeping elephants in small, impoverished zoo pens where they are suffering and dying prematurely."

I say:

The elephants I have seen in zoos are living good lives. They are not living in small, impoverished zoo pens. They are not suffering. And they are not dying prematurely.
 
Zoo Visitor said:
Okay, well my answer is YES.

I would like to see all zoo directors do what Stuart Strahl did in response to last year's International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos (IDAEZ).



And I think zoo advocates should speak out also.

In response to this published on the IDA website:

"On Saturday, June 19th, 2010, pro-elephant advocates will turn out en masse at their local zoos, holding outreach events and demonstrations to educate the public about the tragic effects of keeping elephants in small, impoverished zoo pens where they are suffering and dying prematurely."

I say:

The elephants I have seen in zoos are living good lives. They are not living in small, impoverished zoo pens. They are not suffering. And they are not dying prematurely.
Click to expand...

If only this were true. The fact is many zoos DO have inadequate facilities for their elephants. Many are attempting to remedy that by expanding or building new exhibits. Some have conceded their financial inability to do so and are sending elephants to other zoos.

The premature dying question is a little less certain, but there is no question that many zoo elephants suffer foot and joint maladies, and the vexing herpes transmission issue is of serious concern as well.

I support efforts to raise the standard of housing and management of elephants in zoos, and am encouraged by the changes that are being made in many places. But to say that no zoo elephants are living in substandard conditions is myopic, and ultimately will backfire as an argument to support the continued exhibition of elephants.
 
reduakari said:
... But to say that no zoo elephants are living in substandard conditions is myopic, and ultimately will backfire as an argument to support the continued exhibition of elephants.
Click to expand...

I didn't say no zoo elephants are living in substandard conditions - I said the elephants in the zoos I visit regularly are not living in substandard conditions.

The elephants in the Bronx Zoo, the Maryland Zoo, the National Zoo, and a few others I visit less frequently are living good lives.

Of course the elephants who used to live in the Philadelphia Zoo were living very good lives. I saw those elephants at least once a week for almost forty years so of that I am sure.
 
reduakari said:
... Some have conceded their financial inability to do so and are sending elephants to other zoos..
Click to expand...

They should have tried harder to raise the necessary funds ...


reduakari said:
... there is no question that many zoo elephants suffer foot and joint maladies, and the vexing herpes transmission issue is of serious concern as well...
Click to expand...

I know for certain none of the Philadelphia Zoo elephants had foot problems. They were given daily baths and pedicures by the keepers ... oh ... writing about this issue really gets me upset. Every time I visit the Zoo, I hear at least one child say, Where are the elephants?

(Well, they should be where they always were for all those years.)

I don't know for certain about the herpes problem. I never heard of that being a problem at the Philadelphia Zoo, though.
 
There are indeed elephants that have foot problems in captivity, but also, what about elephants who die of starvation in the wild once their sets of teeth have worn down?
 
Stuart Strahl is the Director of Brookfield Zoo and President of the Chicago Zoological Society.

To counter a 25 person IDAEZ protest the Brookfield Zoo held a coincident Rally for Elephants Day. Some informative elephant leaflets were given to visitors by a Zoo staff member. A Zoo representative filmed the protesters and police monitored the protesters.
 
What is dying prematurely? As if in the wild every elephant lives to their seventies. Humans can also reach an age of 80,90, 100 years, but how many actually accomplish that? Indeed, very few.

The foot-problem is well-known, but zoo's are combatting that with medical care, and increased knowledge. According to new insights, elephants need a sand-floor in their stable instead of concrete. And a lot of zoo's are indeed trying to adapt their stables to the wishes of the elephants. And for the rest, I think activists should be fed to the tigers or lions, let's see how they think about nature then.....
 
I do think that measures should be taken so there is a fair argument and the public are made aware of all the different arguments, when protesters atttack a zoo.

I do not think any zoo should casually discard the arguments of zoo protestors, If this means controlling the prtestors then this is what should be done. I am certain that over the years zoo's would not have developed to the high standard (mostly in developed countries), they are had it not been for pressure from protestors. (I dont think this is the only reason that has improved zoos but a contributary factor). I beleive that zoos should take on board what a protestor is saying and then decide whether that is a reasonable judgement or not. eg not all protestors will be "destroy all zoos!" some will be campaigning to get elephants out because they geniunley are in dire conditions in which case this needs to be considered by the zoo management.
 
Regarding the Philly zoo, Petal had terrible arthritis - maybe not in her feet, but in her hips and knees so bad that she couldn't rise after collapsing.

Since the zoo only released selected details of her necropsy, we don't know whether she suffered from foot problems. We do know that they admit she suffered from arthritis, which is never found in wild elephants.

It is foot AND joint problems that elephants in captivity suffer from (not just foot) and it is documented that Petal (and earlier, Kutenga and Peggy) suffered from severe joint problems. So there is a long history at the zoo.

Zoo Visitor – Have you received any updates on how Kalle & Bette are doing? There has been very little news of them since they were sent to the Pittsburgh ICC.
 
Regarding the Philly zoo, Petal had terrible arthritis - maybe not in her feet, but in her hips and knees so bad that she couldn't rise after collapsing.

Since the zoo only released selected details of her necropsy, we don't know whether she suffered from foot problems. We do know that they admit she suffered from arthritis, which is never found in wild elephants.

It is foot AND joint problems that elephants in captivity suffer from (not just foot) and it is documented that Petal (and earlier, Kutenga and Peggy) suffered from severe joint problems. So there is a long history at the zoo.

Zoo Visitor – Have you received any updates on how Kalle & Bette are doing? There has been very little news of them since they were sent to the Pittsburgh ICC.
 
I think that upgrading to modern standards or closing out an elephant exhibit are the way to go. As for herpes, it accounts for much of the high mortality in captive born elephant calves. Interestingly, the disease is also found in the Thai lumber camps, which I see as a good reason to figure it out in zoos, in case it becomes a serious problem in the wild. The foot and hip problems are connected, relating to the hard surfaces elephants are sometimes kept on. Zoos are moving to sand, floor mats, and other substrates, the sooner the better!

Truth is, all elephants are managed by people, all too often through gunsights. The wild is increasingly dangerous. I'm on a couple of elephant news services. There's a lot of news and it's mostly bad--elephants hit by trains in India, elephants killing farmers, farmers poisoning elephants, and of course, poaching. Lots of poaching. Hard to read.
 
Personally I think Zoo directors should invite protesters in and actually ask them what is wrong with the zoos enclosures, becuase I really dont think they will have many points to put across, especially if its a zoo like Woodland Park, Chester, San Diego etc.

I questioned my dad ( on why it is wrong (as he said it was wrong) for Mercedes at HWP to be kept in the enclosure she is, which in my opinion couldnt be anymore natural. He could not actually give any good points and in the end his conclusion was...

"Its a wild beastie, it cant be kept in an a small enclosure like this" in which I replied... "But the golden eagle at that Birds of Prey Centre can be tied down to a post all day in a shed can it?"
 
Most Birds of prey in zoos have injured wings or their wings have been clipped so they can't fly. It is wrong to tether a bird of prey and if that is happening at your zoo, then you should work with zoo to have it stopped.
 
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