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nilesh@pawsasia.org Sad Eyes & Empty Lives Introduction There are over 400 zoos in the UK today, ranging from small farm parks and Zoos are a relic of a bygone age – a Victorian concept which, as our An increasing number of people are concerned about keeping wild animals The Captive Animals’ Protection Society is totally opposed to the In the wild, animals react to their surroundings, avoiding predators, Frustration and boredom are commonplace amongst animals in zoos and can lead Studies by Oxford University scientists found that lions in zoos spend 48% Even diets are unnatural, with zebras in zoos becoming overweight as the CAPS have filmed adult gorillas in zoos repeatedly eating their own vomit. A Some animals suffer such serious behavioural problems in zoos that they are Zoos often refer to the animals they confine as being ‘ambassadors’ of their [image: Lions pacing] “Birds are finely tuned matabolic machines designed for flight. In zoos they Space in zoos rarely, if ever, matches the animals’ natural range. Animals A study published by CAPS revealed that enclosures in UK zoos and safari Another study of zoos worldwide found that lions and other big cats have For fifteen hours a day, many animals may be shut away in their night Some zoo enclosures prevent the inmates from enjoying even their most basic However, it is not just a matter of space, but also the quality of the Chimpanzees are our closest relatives in the animal kingdom, their Reptiles need complex thermal ranges, variation in humidity, special phases Zoos rarely have the numbers to match the natural social interaction of herd Solitary and shy animals are often in enclosures with viewing from all [image: Jaguar cub in zoo] A quarter of British zoos don’t keep any threatened species Lions are popular ‘exhibits’ in zoos, but according to an international zoo Even many of the high-profile co-ordinated breeding programmes amongst zoo When reintroduction programmes do take place they are often initiated by The Arabian oryx is seen as the flagship of zoos’ conservation image. Hunted Captive-bred animals often lack survival skills, especially those normally Releases of captive animals also pose a significant disease threat to native Zoos still take animals from the wild. Throughout the 1990s over 1,000 Aquaria are even bigger culprits, particularly due to the short life span of The very nature of most zoos would doom any conservation efforts to failure. Animals become threatened because of a variety of environmental factors – It is estimated to be 50 times more expensive to keep an elephant in a zoo Surplus animals are a problem for zoos. The sad truth is that in many cases, In the past, British zoos have sold animals to vivisection laboratories and In 2002 a zoo in Cambridge sold four rare marmoset monkeys to a Belgian When an Essex zoo closed down undercover reporters were able to buy a [image: Sealion performing in zoo] [image: Elephant performing in Blackpool zoo] Zoos claim that seeing a live wild animal gives an unparalleled appreciation TV wildlife programmes have ensured that our understanding of these animals Signs on zoo enclosures can often give little information, or even incorrect Studies have shown that most visitors spend less than three minutes looking We don’t need to be wealthy to see animals in the wild. Wildlife is all Zoos claim that they afford people the opportunity to see something that Some zoos even present animals performing little more than circus tricks to As if zoos weren’t bad enough for the animals they incarcerate, there is Capture from the wild, handling, transportation and captivity all cause In 2005, six children received hospital treatment for a stomach bug after British zoos have been implicated in outbreaks of the dangerous e-coli Several British safari parks slaughtered hundreds of monkeys after they Psittacosis (‘parrot fever’), West Nile Fever, tuberculosis, salmonellosis While visitors and staff are more likely to be at risk through direct Avian influenza has created worldwide panic, and in one Indonesian zoo alone [image: Puma enclosure] [image: Orangutan enclosure] Zoos are governed by the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 and EU Zoos Directive 1999, In principle the law is policed by zoo inspectors but these are often zoo Zoos are given advance notice of inspections. Roger Cawley, husband of CAPS want to see an end to the keeping of animals in zoos. Animals should Remember: Zoos will close once people stop paying to see animals – Don’t visit zoos and safari parks – your money keeps them in Click here to watch clips from our Sad Eyes & Empty Lives video |