A Taste of Captivity for Visitors to the Bronx Zoo July 11, 2008
Posted by Marta | Permalink | Comments ( 8 ) | TrackBack
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Thinking back, as a former zoo-goer, I remember feeling a little bad for all those wild animals who are forced into captivity for people to stare at for "entertainment." I mean seriously, what's up with that? You know how it's uncomfortable when a group of people are just staring at you? Imagine having thousands of people stare at you day-in and day-out—pointing, sometimes laughing or oohing and ahhing, and likely being fairly obnoxious. All while you're, like, sleeping, eating, peeing, or trying to have a private moment with your gentleman friend.
There were some visitors to the Bronx Zoo that got a 5 hour glimpse into captivity Wednesday night when the Skyfari gondolas high above the zoo halted after a wheel on one of the cars slipped off the overhead cable. Needless to say, none of the 30 adults or seven children that were trapped seemed to enjoy the experience too much.
Check out my favorite comment from The New York Times article (from one of the visitors who was trapped in a gondola, about the animals in the zoo):
"At least they have a bigger running area than we did," said Ms. Pang, 26. "I could feel their pain, but we only had a 5-by-4 cell."
Are you kidding me?! Animals in zoos are kept there 24/7 and these people were trapped for up to 5 hours. Hopefully those that were trapped will think twice before visiting a zoo in the future.
Read the full story for yourself. For more info on why you shouldn't pay others to keep wild animals captive, check this out.
♥ Marta
Comments
I managed to convince my Guide group not to go to the zoo, they're going shopping and swimming instead!
Zoos just don't have the money or space to give wild animals the care and freedom they need. Go on safari and see the animals in their natural habitat!
Posted by: Little_Lotte at July 12, 2008 4:52 AMOmg. That lady has got serious problems. She definitly had it better than those animals at the zoo. But even worse, animals who are in captivity for testing. It's disgusting. I cried when I watched testing 1, 2, 3. :'( Poor lil zoo creatures. Poor lil animals all over the world. :(
Posted by: keely at July 12, 2008 8:07 PMI could probably spend 24 hours up in one of those things if allowed to have a radio. xD
Posted by: King of Fiji at July 12, 2008 8:58 PM"All while you're, like, sleeping, eating, peeing, or trying to have a private moment with your gentleman friend."
This seriously made me LOL. Thanks, Marta!
Posted by: shan at July 12, 2008 10:42 PMI have a question. Is a wild animal park alright? the one in our neighborhood takes in sick an hurt animals. Plus, none of them are in cages. they have collectivly like 20 acres of land to roam free. The have a couple of tours, in which you can see the animals, but mostly this place is just for rehabilitating animals and releasing them into the wild. Is this a good place to give money to?
Posted by: cc at July 13, 2008 10:05 PMI agree...I would much rather be out in the wild running from predators and having to worry about where my next meal was coming from than live in a habitat and be fed.
Who cares that people are looking at them? Kids love animals and why should we not let a HUMAN child enjoy seeing an elephant?
Animal Cruelty is wrong, no question. If a zoo is caught hurting and animal or intentionally being cruel, they should be closed and all management imprisoned. That being said, most zoos are very concerned about the safety of the visitors and the animals. You can show your videos and the zoo could show it's videos you would not agree with theirs and they would not agree with yours.
To say all zoos are wrong or cruel is no different than me saying all people on this board are crazy people that would kill doctor's and cause harm to others. Both sides have lunatics and immoral people.
Support your local zoos, but if concerned, make sure you know what their practices are.
Posted by: at July 18, 2008 11:04 AMAll Zoos in the United States that are accrediated by the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) follow strict guidelines and are forced to adhere to rules that allow for the safety of the animals.
Zoos are conservation facilities. In case you haven't noticed, wild habitats are being destroyed. Most of these animals would not be able to survive in the wild! Like the Golden Lion Tamarin, for example, which is now only found in a small part of the Brazilian Rainforest due to deforestation. Zoos are surviving as a location for animals to safely and healthily breed in order to sustain these species. If it were not for Zoos, many species would already be extinct.
Sure, there are horrible people that go to visit Zoos. But without visitors, there is no way that Zoos would be able to generate enough income to support so many animals. I know from personal experience, and my own feelings, that Zoo Keepers definitely take offense to rowdy visitors, and tell them to stop, with the threat of leaving. Several times I day I have to stop what I'm doing and tell Kids, and their parents, to stop banging on the glass, as it bothers the animals.
Most Zoos, especially in the past 5 years or so, are now doing something called "Behavioral Enrichment". The animals are given objects, and different things that stimulate their natural instincts, so that they're not just sitting bored all day. For example, after cleaning the exhibit, the keepers will rub some different scents on the logs and rocks in the Ocelot exhibit so when the cat's come back in, they're interested, alert, and have something to do. For the Mandrills, keepers will put food items inside paper bags and bury the bags underneath mounds of hay. Mandrills are foragers by nature, so when the go back into their exhibit, they immediately search for the food! These food items are given on top of their regular diet, because regular diets do need to be given so keepers can be sure of each animals eating habits in order to ensure their health and to notice a problem if it were to occur.
Any Zoo Keeper that you might ask would definitely say that they wish they had more space and a nicer home for their animals. However, because of the world we live in, it's just not possible. At Zoos, we do the best with what we have, and if it wasn't for Zoos, many species would be extinct.
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*snicker*
Posted by: Mitzi at July 11, 2008 9:47 PM