What can I do to help animals in insufficient enclosures?

RenA

RenA

New Member
A local zoo (Zollman Zoo in MN) has several enclosures that seem far too small (area smaller than 50x50 ft) and very sparse for animals such as two grey wolves, a 2 year old black bear, and some big cats. The animals are displaying behavior such as repeatedly pacing the front/edges of their enclosure for a long period of time, and some seem still and lethargic.

I would like to see a better life for these animals. Does anyone know a course of action that I can take?
 
Welcome to ZooChat

Unfortunately due to the large quantities of subpar zoos all around the world and limited number of organizations which focus on such places being a voice for these animals won’t be easy. I tried contacting wild welfare and four paws to bring attention to some mediocre zoos back at Turkey but I got no response from the former. From the latter I got the explanation that there are limited resources and the organization is already preoccupied with other rescue projects m, making them unable to intervene.

That doesn’t mean, however that there are organizations out there who are willing to listen. If the zoo is state/county owned then bring this up to your elected officials/representatives. I wish you great luck being a voice for these animals.
 
So I decided to snoop around and found out that not only is this zoo county owned, but it also has a master plan which includes “zoo bear exhibit upgrades”. Unfortunately there isn’t much detail about what will be done or when it will be done. So the best thing you can do is to inquire your county officials and as ask them about the black bear enclosures.
 
Thank you very much for looking into it as well. I'll reach out to the county and find out more information.

PossumRoach said:
So I decided to snoop around and found out that not only is this zoo county owned, but it also has a master plan which includes “zoo bear exhibit upgrades”. Unfortunately there isn’t much detail about what will be done or when it will be done. So the best thing you can do is to inquire your county officials and as ask them about the black bear enclosures.
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RenA said:
A local zoo (Zollman Zoo in MN) has several enclosures that seem far too small (area smaller than 50x50 ft) and very sparse for animals such as two grey wolves, a 2 year old black bear, and some big cats. The animals are displaying behavior such as repeatedly pacing the front/edges of their enclosure for a long period of time, and some seem still and lethargic.

I would like to see a better life for these animals. Does anyone know a course of action that I can take?
Click to expand...
If you suspect there's a violation of the Animal Welfare Act, you can submit a complaint to the USDA here, which will prompt an investigation: File an Animal Welfare Complaint | Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

I will warn you, however, the Animal Welfare Act regulations are far lower than what many of us would like to see. You can view the regulations here: Federal Register :: Request Access

Based on what you describe, it doesn't sound like there'd be a violation, but if you can find an area they are violating then go ahead and do so!
 
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