Zoos have been a topic of heated debate for as long as they have existed, but that draws the question: are they truly ethical, or are they accepting animal mistreatment? The institutions are all equally flawed in their own ways, which makes them subject to different opinions.
In order to conclude whether or not a Zoo or Aquarium is ethical, it needs to be certified by an organization called the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), a non-profit organization that accredits animal-harboring facilities. The AZA is a trusted organization with rigorous standards that must be met in order to receive its certification. Ultimately, any zoo or aquarium with its certification is ruled ethical by standard. However, that doesn’t mean they haven’t had their own flaws or backlash. For example, SeaWorld has certainly had its own faults over the years.
One of the most well-known examples of unethical animal treatment is detailed in the documentary “Blackfish,” which explains the deaths of three people by one of SeaWorld’s orcas named Tilikum from 1991 to 2010.
This isn’t the only time the park has had an incident involving orcas, nor is it close to the number they’ve reported. Over their 61 years of operating, they’ve had 156 collective incidents spread across their four main parks in Orlando, Ohio, San Antonio, and San Diego, although their Ohio location is no longer in use as a result of trouble from operating in the harsh winter environment. It’s worth noting that SeaWorld no longer uses orcas in entertainment shows.
Incidents similar to Tilikum’s have happened all across the world. Polar Bear attacks in Alaska, Gorillas being euthanized in Cincinnati, Lions turning on their handlers in South Africa, and much more. But why do they happen?
A lot of factors come into play when analyzing why an animal may “turn” on a human. Zoo conditions are one of such. In the case of Tilikum, he was denied food when he did not perform right and sustained aggressive behavior from the female whales he was living with. With the case of lions in South Africa, there was an unfamiliar scent in their enclosure, which sparked an instinctual attack on Mike Hodges, their handler.
Whenever incidents like that happen, they tend to end up twisted in different ways depending on whether or not the reporter is for or against the event. This happens a ton with organizations like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and In Defense of Animals (IDA) since they are typically against anything involving animals and humans. The two activist organizations rely heavily on emotion based storytelling, editorializing and personified views on animals. We, as humans, don’t have the same emotions and views as animals do, especially wild ones. PETA especially relies on this with its attention-grabbing headlines and misleading information, which tends to sway readers’ views of what is actually happening.
However, there is a way for Zoos to practice ethically. They just have to put in the effort. The Georgia Aquarium, located in Atlanta, is a wonderful example of such. The Aquarium holds more than 11 million gallons of water and is the largest aquarium in the world. Their team works rigorously to “improve husbandry methods, develop innovative and exciting new exhibits, contribute to the understanding of the underwater world and apply new discoveries to the conservation of aquatic life,” per their website. They also engage in conservation efforts in order to keep animals happy and healthy. Every day, researchers in the Aquarium’s exhibits and labs are learning more about marine life in order to develop new methods of animal care and veterinary medicine in order to promote true, ethical zoology.
Zoos need to more closely police their enclosures in order to promote quality animal health and establish good temperament in the animals. But in order for zoos to do that, the public needs to understand that while bad zoos are typically the ones brought to light, not all establishments are harmful. Some can bring genuine good to the world of all things zoology.
