Animals should non spend their entire lives in captivity just to fulfil our want to run into them. Here are our height ten facts well-nigh zoos that you need to know...

one. Zoos are miserable places for animals

This dead wallaby was left to rot by staff at Tweddle Farm Zoo for two weeks and
the zoo refused to carry out a post-mortem to found why the animal died

In 2010, a Freedom for Animals cloak-and-dagger investigator filmed sick animals left untreated and dead animals to rot on floors atTweddle Farm Zoo. Liberty for Animalshad to accept rabbits to a vet to take infections treated and subsequently our expose local police confiscated a monkey who had been kept lone and given cake and other junk food to eat.

Think safari parks are better than 'traditional' zoos? Woburn Safari Park was keeping its lions locked into small-scale enclosures for 18 hours a 24-hour interval . A government zoo inspection written report in 2010 said: "The animals were very crowded and there was no provision for individual feeding or sleeping areas. There was no visible environmental enrichment. Some of the lions exhibited peel wounds and multiple scars of various age, some fresh, some healed."

In late 2012, some other safari park was shamed equally Due west Midland Safari Park was exposed for providing white panthera leo cubs to a notorious circus animal trainer , who sent them to a traveling circus in Japan. The Lions remain in the circus today.

A government-funded study of elephants in UK zoos found "there was a welfare concern for every elephant in the UK." 75% of elephants were overweight and only sixteen% could walk normally, the residual having various degrees of lameness. Less than 20% were totally free of human foot problems[one].

2. Zoos can't provide sufficient space

Zoos cannot provide the corporeality of space animals have in the wild. This is specially the case for those species who roam larger distances in their natural habitat. Tigers and lions have around xviii,000 times less infinite in zoos than they would in the wild. Polar bears have 1 million times less infinite[2].

3. Animals suffer in zoos

A government-funded written report of elephants in UK zoos institute that 54% of the elephants showed stereotypies (behavioural  problems) during the daytime. I elephant observed during twenty-four hours and nighttime stereotyped for 61% of a 24-hour period[3].

Lions in zoos spend 48% of their time pacing, a recognised sign of behavioural problems[4].

4. Animals dice prematurely in zoos

African elephants in the wild alive more than 3 times as long as those kept in zoos. Fifty-fifty Asian elephants working in timber camps live longer than those born in zoos[5].

xl% of lion cubs dice before i calendar month of age. In the wild, only 30% of cubs are thought to die before they are half dozen months old and at least a third of those deaths are due to factors which are absent in zoos, like predation[6].

5. Surplus an imals are killed

A Freedom for Animalsreport found that at least 7,500 animals – and possibly as many as 200,000 – in European zoos are 'surplus' at any 1 fourth dimension.

Animals are regularly 'culled' in United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland zoos. In 2006 the whole pack of wolves at Highland Wildlife Park were killed afterward the social structure of the pack had broken downwardly. In 2005 ii wolf cubs and an woman were shot dead at Dartmoor Wildlife Park. The vet reported: "Selective cull due to overcrowding and fighting in the pack" and "Further cull of cubs needed". In 2001 a DEFRA zoo inspection of Dartmoor Wild fauna Park in October 2001 establish that "several pregnant dead animals" were stored in a food freezer "for taxidermy in the hereafter".

The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) said in 2007 that member zoos were being actively encouraged to kill unwanted animals, including tigers, if other zoos did non desire them and if they were hybrids. It said that such animals take up space and keeper fourth dimension[7].

In 2010, zoo trade bodies rallied to the defence force of a German zoo which was prosecuted for breaching animal welfare laws after it killed iii tiger cubs considering they were not pure-blooded (hybrid)[viii].

In 2011, an exposé of Knowsley Safari Park led by Freedom for Animalsfollowing information provided by a whistleblower showed the safari park to be in contravention of legislation on disposal of carcasses as well as raising queries over treatment of firearms. A former employee of the safari park alleged: "culling was being used equally a means of groominginstead of being carried out in the kindest and most humane manner."

In early 2014, there was global outrage when Copenhagen Zoo killed a salubrious young giraffe chosenMarius. The upshot triggered a worldwide debate on alternative in zoos and it was admitted past zoo spokespeople that thousands of healthy animals are deliberately killed in European zoos alone each yr.

6. UK zoos are continued to animal circuses

These lions were sent as cubs from Westward Midland Safari Park to a circus trainer

Liberty for Animalsexposed a UK zoo in 2009 that was a member of the trade body BIAZA (which supposedly upholds the highest standards) as having aconvenance connection with a controversial animal circus. Noah's Ark Zoo Farm had been breeding camels from the Great British Circus for several years and in 2009 obtained three tigers from the circus.

A female tiger at the zoo had three stillborn cubs and another who died at three weeks onetime. The mother besides died.

The aforementioned zoo was constitute to doing concern withsome other circus animal trainerin 2013. This was the same trainer who had been sold lion cubs byWestward Midland Safari Parkand sent them to a traveling circus in Nippon.

7. Animals are trained to perform tricks

Many zoos train animals to perform tricks equally if they were in a circus. Performing sea lions, birds and elephants tin exist seen at many Uk zoos.

Some grooming of elephants has been done using electric goads. Freedom for Animals infiltrated a training session held at Blackpool Zoo in 1998 and filmed elephants being trained to lift their feet and caput, hold sticks in their mouths and jabbed with elephant hooks in the shoulder and head.

In 2010 it was revealed that an elephant at Woburn Safari Park had previously been trained using an electric goad [nine].

Blackpool Zoo proudly publicised its training of a baby sea lion for shows in mid 2013 [x]. This is in spite of the fact that the UK Government has agreed to ban similar shows in circuses on the basis that: "nosotros should feel dut y-bound to recognise that wild fauna take intrinsic value, and respect their inherent wildness and its implications for their treatment".

8. Animals are still taken from the wild

In 2003 the UK government gave permission for the capture of 146 penguins from a British territory in the South Atlantic (Tristan da Cunha). Those who survived the seven-day gunkhole journeying from Tristan to a wild fauna dealer in South Africa were sold to zoos in Asia [11].

In 2010, Zimbabwe planned to capture two of every mammal species found in Hwange National Park and send them to North Korean zoos. This included rhinos, lions, cheetahs, zebras and giraffes as well every bit two 18-month-old elephants. The plan was only stopped after international pressure by a coalition of organisations including Freedom for Animals.

70% of elephants in European zoos were taken from the wild [12].

A Freedom for Animals report plant that 79% of all animals in Great britain aquariums were defenseless in the wild. Sea Life aquariumsadmitted to taking animals from the wild as recently as 2013, but refused to provide information on how many of the animals held by them were wild-caught.

9. Zoos don't serve conservation

Zoos claim to brood animals for eventual release to the wild but breeding programmes are primarily to ensure a captive population, non for reintroduction.

Lions are popular in zoos, but the vast majority "are 'generic' animals of hybrid or unknown subspecific condition, and therefore of little or no value in conservation terms [xiii].

Keeping an intelligent, complex and social animal like a chimp in a UK zoo
does cypher to protect his relatives threatened in the wild

Zoo manager David Hancocks said: "In that location is a commonly held misconception that zoos are not merely saving wild animals from extinction merely besides reintroducing them to their wild habitats. The confusion stems from many sources, all of them zoo-based… In reality, most zoos have had no contact of any kind with any reintroduction plan."[14]

Captive breeding is considered by some conservation scientists to be a diversion from the reasons for a species' refuse, giving "a false impression that a species is safe so that devastation of habitat and wild populations tin can keep"[15].

Zoos spend millions on keeping animals confined, while natural habitats are destroyed and animals killed as in that location is insufficient funding for protection. When London Zoo spent £5.3 meg on a new gorilla enclosure, the chief consultant to the Un Great Ape Survival Project said he was uneasy at the mismatch between lavish spending at zoos and the scarcity of resources available for conserving threatened species in the wild.

"V million pounds for three gorillas when national parks are seeing that number killed every 24-hour interval for want of some Country Rovers and trained men and anti-poaching patrols. It must be very frustrating for the warden of a national park to meet".

Measures to protect giant pandas' habitat besides supports hundreds of species of mammals, at least 200 birds, dozens of reptiles and over half of the plants known to be in China [xvi].

In 2013, Freedom for Animals revealed that the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland'due south largest aquarium operator, Ocean Life, could traceless than three pence per visitor to in situ conservation projects.

10. Zoos fail teaching

A Freedom for Animals report of UK aquariums constitute that 41% of the animals on display had no signs identifying their species – the most basic of information.

A US study found no compelling evidence for the claim that zoos and aquariums promote attitude change, pedagogy, or interest in conservation in visitors. The study authors urged zoos to stop citing a zoo-funded study which claimed an educational benefit from visits "as this conclusion is unwarranted and potentially misleading to consumers."[17]

In 2010, a Government-deputedstudyfound that "Concerns remain, however, with regard to the lack of available show about the effectiveness" of conservation and pedagogy projects in zoos.

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[1]Yard Harris et al. The welfare, housing and husbandry of elephants in UK zoos. University of Bristol, 2008

[2]Wide roaming animals fare worst in zoo enclosures. Guardian, 2.10.03

[3]Chiliad Harris et al. The welfare, housing and husbandry of elephants in UK zoos. University of Bristol, 2008

[iv]Grand Stonemason & R Clubb. Invitee Editorial, International Zoo News, Vol 51, No one (2004))

[5]R Clubb et al. Compromised survivorship in zoo elephants. Scientific discipline, Vol 322, 12.12.08

[6]Chiliad Mason & R Clubb. Guest Editorial. International Zoo News, Vol 51, No 1 (2004))

[seven]Zoos kill healthy tigers for the skin trade. Lord's day Times, 22.7.07l

[8]Code of Ideals & Beast Welfare. World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, June 2010

[ix]Woburn admits it gave bull elephant electric shocks. Sunday Times, 27.half dozen.ten

[x]http://www.lep.co.united kingdom/news/local/blackpool-zoo-s-baby-sealion-follows-in-her-female parent-s-footsteps-ane-5750458

[11]Taken past force. BBC Wildlife, February 2004

[12]R Clubb and G Mason. 'A Review of the Welfare of Zoo Elephants in Europe', RSPCA, 2002

[xiii]Nicholas Gould, Editorial, International Zoo News, Vol 49, No 5 (2002)).

[14]Quoted in 'Who Cares for Planet Earth?' B Jordan, 2001

[xv]Snyder et al. Limitations of Captive Convenance in Endangered Species Recovery. Conservation Biology, Pages 338-348. Volume 10, No. 2, April 1996

[sixteen]Panda mating frenzy hits zoo. BBC News, 4 May 2007 )

[17]L Morino et al. Do Zoos and Aquariums Promote Attitude Change in Visitors? A Critical Evaluation of the American Zoo and Aquarium Study. Society and Animals 18 (2010) 126-138