What was the biggest lie that you ever heard from anti-zoo people?

- Most, if not all zoo animals are caught in the wild.
- Zookeepers "break" the animals's morale during training to make them tame and docile in their exhibits.
- Organs of dead zoo animals are sent to be used in chinese traditional medicine or black market.
- Extinction is preferable to a "life of suffering".
 
Anything relating to the concept that all animals in zoos would happier if they were released into the wild.

It’s surprising how many people believe that every animal in the zoo would survive in their natural habitat if transplanted there the next day.
A lot of people seem to believe that all animals live long and happy lives in the wild, and find it difficult to understand that most animals that are born (hatched) never survive long enough to ever breed.
 
The Indian government actually introduced a law to make it compulsory for zoos to keep animals in pairs.
A few questions here:
1. What does it mean by pair? Does keeping two females together count as a pair or does it have to be Male-female?
2. Can they keep more than a pair together? For a lot of species, keeping only two individuals together would be poor husbandry.
3. Does this apply to all animals, or just certain animals? Does it count for reptiles?
4. Is this an actual law or just a law that was introduced and hasn't passed?
 
A few questions here:
1. What does it mean by pair? Does keeping two females together count as a pair or does it have to be Male-female?
2. Can they keep more than a pair together? For a lot of species, keeping only two individuals together would be poor husbandry.
3. Does this apply to all animals, or just certain animals? Does it count for reptiles?
4. Is this an actual law or just a law that was introduced and hasn't passed?
I really don't know more than what I've said so can't answer your questions. I don't imagine the Indian politicians have much of an idea about any of this either.
 
The Indian government actually introduced a law to make it compulsory for zoos to keep animals in pairs.
Very strange, I’ve never heard of this law or seen it in place, there are plenty of isolated monkeys at every zoo I’ve visited. Did you hear this from somebody, or read it somewhere? If it is the latter, could you please tell me where if you don’t mind?
 
Where did you see/hear this? :eek:
@MRJ already replied, and for me it's a similar situation. It's always typical to find comments like this when a well-known zoo breeds a new species, no matter how endangered: "What's the point if the poor thing's gonna be locked behind bars its entire life" or "conservation is not a excuse to deny an animal its right to freedom".

Its cruel to keep [insert solitary species here] all alone in an Exhibit.
This one seems to be common not only among anti-zoo activists but also misinformed pet owners. I've met people that are unwilling to keep their hamsters alone because it would be "cruel", yet the hamsters would probably become more stressed precisely because of sharing their space.
 
Very strange, I’ve never heard of this law or seen it in place, there are plenty of isolated monkeys at every zoo I’ve visited. Did you hear this from somebody, or read it somewhere? If it is the latter, could you please tell me where if you don’t mind?
I read it in a reputable zoo source some time back. Of course it may have never been enacted, not enforced or repealed. It is an example how people put their values onto animal welfare, though.

Having said that, isolated monkeys are a serious welfare issue.
 
A lot of people seem to believe that all animals live long and happy lives in the wild, and find it difficult to understand that most animals that are born (hatched) never survive long enough to ever breed.

People who believe zoo animals would be better off released into the wild really don’t understand the whole picture. Obvious examples are big cats that haven’t been taught how to hunt; to humanised carnivores bears, cats etc. that would pose a danger to any surrounding villages due to their lack of fear for humans.

On a wider scale, you have species that depend on the support of their social group to survive e.g. male Orca that live with their mothers for life and are documented to rely on them for finding food etc. for the entirety of their lives; or lionesses who cooperate to hunt and defend their cubs.
 
@MRJ already replied, and for me it's a similar situation. It's always typical to find comments like this when a well-known zoo breeds a new species, no matter how endangered: "What's the point if the poor thing's gonna be locked behind bars its entire life" or "conservation is not a excuse to deny an animal its right to freedom".


This one seems to be common not only among anti-zoo activists but also misinformed pet owners. I've met people that are unwilling to keep their hamsters alone because it would be "cruel", yet the hamsters would probably become more stressed precisely because of sharing their space.
If we’re talking Syrian Hamsters, they don’t so much get more stressed, as kill each other:)
 
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