Have you ever wondered why you go to the ZOO? If you were asked this question, most of you would probably answer that you are going to spend a pleasant day outdoors, see the animals and, in many cases, entertain the little ones in the house. All these reasons are very laudable, and respond to the playful and entertainment aspect that zoos have traditionally had. But attention, this is only one of its functions, because there is MORE. Spending a day at the zoo should bring much more than a day of fun, and the existence of the zoo as such, should also have other purposes than mere entertainment. A zoo should also have an educational component and inform the public about the species on display and biodiversity conservation. It should also facilitate scientific research, in this way, we know more about animals and we could use this knowledge to contribute more efficiently to their conservation. It is in our hands to make zoos take seriously the role they have in the conservation of biodiversity, it is not enough to say it, they have to do it! And. how can you know if a zoo contributes to conservation or not? If you want to know, the next time you go to the zoo do not look only at the “showcase”. Go further and try to find answers to the questions we pose below.
Steps to follow:
About the size of the zoo facilities Do animals enjoy welfare? Before answering, we must bear in mind that a zoo is usually a mosaic of accommodations, some old and outdated and others modern and updated, hence in many cases it is not easy to generalize. It is obvious to think that, just as people need a minimum space to live with dignity and thus achieve our welfare, animals have space needs that respond to the ecology of each species and the number of individuals that are in the installation. So, animals should not be limited in their movements. We must know the species to determine if its spatial and design demands of the installation respond to its needs. If a species is by definition arboreal, it would not be normal for it to develop all its activities in an installation without any tree, liana, rope or elevated space to climb. We must therefore be coherent and consistent with the needs of the animal, to know if the design of the installation, both vertical and horizontal, is sufficient or adequate. When designing an installation in addition, all the needs of the animal must be taken into account. This implies knowing their privacy needs and what kind of structural enrichment can be done so that these animals do not develop aberrant behaviors because of the facility in which they are. If we can pass by the same facility at different times of the day we will observe if the animals make full use of the facility and its resources and if the sites that offer them privacy are effective. If we observe that the animals do not make a profitable use of the facilities that are exhibited there, it is probably as a consequence of a bad design.
The five freedoms It is logical that the welfare of the species housed in zoos should first and foremost. If the animal is not in good condition, doubtful will be its contribution to conservation. On the other hand, we must not forget that the vast majority of animals that can be seen in zoos are wild animals (such as a parrot or a seal), that is, not domesticated (such as a dog or a cow) and therefore not adapted to live under human control. For this reason, wild animals kept in captivity require very specific housing and care to ensure that the animal enjoys the welfare and health it should. Well, getting an answer to this question is much more complicated than it seems, because it is an arduous task to assess all the factors that can intervene in the welfare of an animal leaving subjectivity aside, but what is indisputable, is that the animal in question, at least, should have: 1. Water and food 2. Adequate accommodation to develop each and every one of your movement patterns (e.g., running, swimming, digging, climbing, bracing. Etc.) 3. Veterinary care (including preventive veterinary care, the most important if we take into account that in many cases, once the animal gets sick, little can be done to make it better. Veterinary medicine of exotic species is not as developed as we may think) 4. Ability to express their normal patterns of behavior (this implies a social structure similar to that which would be expected in the wild, appropriate equipment and complexity of the enclosure, etc.) 5. Possibility of avoiding stressful or frightening situations (for this there must be a buffer distance between the public and the animals; visual barriers that the animal can use to avoid having to maintain constant eye contact with humans; escape routes to hide, etc.) These five principles are based on the “Five Freedoms” developed by the Farm Animal Welfare Council (UK).
The education of children and adults is one of the main objectives that a zoo must meet. When we visit a zoo, to know if it is a good center, we must ask ourselves: Does the zoo offer information about the species exhibited through the exhibition of posters? (e.g.: scientific and common name of the species, distribution area, habitat, social structure, behavior, nutrition, etc.) And about its state of conservation? Do you offer guided tours or organize activities on biodiversity conservation (whether colloquia, courses, conferences, etc.)? Are there educational talks about the animal species on display that discuss their biology and conservation status? Are they open to the general public or only to schoolchildren?
Do the facilities have environmental enrichment? The existence of environmental enrichment in the accommodations is stipulated in Law 31/2003, so it should be a daily fact that zoos hire technical specialists in the application of environmental enrichment programs. If we worry about knowing a little about the origin of the animal and the bioenvironment where it is found, we can establish if the naturalization that we have in front of us is falsified or responds to the behavioral and physical necessities of the species housed there. Many times, naturalization responds to the ideal image of seeing animals surrounded by plants, rocks and beautiful waterfalls, rather than to a real need or a coherence with their original habitat. In reality and although it may seem an arduous task, it results in many cases, the result of using coherence when designing and placing the objects that will form the installation. There are cases in which it may be more difficult to establish if there is a case of false naturalization, since the inaccuracies can be minimal and almost imperceptible to untrained eyes. This does not imply that they are not highly important, since certain plants, woods or objects can pose a serious threat to the well-being and health of individuals.
ABOUT ANIMALS obviously, the main thing and the reason why we go to the center is to see wild animals. That implies that once we have looked at all the things that surround it, from the design of the installation, to the naturalizations, the safety of the animal and the enrichment, we will look at the animal and observe what consequence everything is having in its welfare. If we observe an animal with aberrancies, with stereotypies, with behavioral problems or with recognizable health problems, it will be possible that any of the topics that we have previously commented, did not respond to the physical and behavioral needs of the animals contained therein. Many times, animal welfare also depends on some things that an ordinary visitor will not be able to observe: interior structures, bedrooms, food, etc. However, and since none of our perceptions can be argued absolutely, we must formulate our proposals conditionally. Despite this, the vast majority of cases respond to a common denominator that establishes that the interior parts are of lower quality than the exterior, since these are not in view of the general public, and therefore, marketing is not necessary in these situations.
Around the world thousands of animals in zoos are locked in artificial environments, with few stimuli, little enrichment, without the opportunity to escape the public gaze. They often develop patterns of abnormal behavior in an attempt to cope with their forced lack of life goals. Even in the so-called “best zoos,” anomalous behavior is present, and it can be animals we see walking up and down – pacing, rocking, vomiting, or even self-mutilating. In the assessment of UK zoos, carried out by Zoo Check (Zoo Health Check 2000), 80% of large zoos and safari parks in the UK had one or more animals showing stereotypical behavior. Some of the behaviors that bored and frustrated animals presented have a basis in the activities they perform when they live in freedom. They may start out as normal behavior, but in impoverished confinement, it can become compulsive and unnatural. Then they are already easily identified because often these behaviors are simplified and overrepresented, especially when the animals are more stressed.
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