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orcinus-ocean · 4 years

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Zoos are frequently demonized in modern media and pop culture.

At worst, they are seen as cruel and degrading prisons for wildlife, where animals are abused and tormented for the sake of 'entertainment'.

At best, they are viewed as a necessary evil to keep endangered animals from going extinct, both as an "Ark" directly breeding animals, and as a fundraiser giving money to conservation work in the natural habitats of those animals, as well as giving the public direct contact with animals they would most likely never see alive.

But more and more, we hear phrases from zoo workers themselves, like;

"In a perfect world, zoos would not exist"

"It's not enough to keep animals in exhibits just for people to look at. There has to be a higher purpose." (Actual quote)

My question is: Why?

No one is demanding a higher purpose for us to keep dogs, cats, horses, cattle, pigs, rats, rabbits, even 'exotic' and non-domestic animals like snakes, parrots and aquarium fish.

As long as it's a 'typical' species owned as a pet, it seems it needs no justification (excluding livestock for food and clothing as that is an obvious 'higher purpose', even though not everyone likes it).

If someone wants to own any of those animals 'ust to look at it', almost no one will argue that there needs to be a 'higher purpose'.

"You can't just own a pet snake. You need to donate money to snake conservation, or you're a terrible human being!"

"You can't just walk your dog and rub its belly for your own enjoyment. You have to give to dog shelters, educate people on dogs and raise awareness of the hardships dogs face, or you're a hypocrite."

I have never heard anyone say anything even remotely like this.

Turn of the 20th century, polar bears at Belle Island Zoo.

There seems to be a common conception among the general public that zoos are still the bare 'prison cells' of the late 19th century to early 20th century, like the polar bear cage above.

Back then, the zoo owners and keepers were not trying to be cruel, they simply needed the enclosures to be practical and easy to clean, for the sake of the animals' hygiene and health.

No doubt they were ignorant about their animals' needs, compared to today, but they were not purposely cruel.

Bars look very bad to us, simply for being bars, bringing the mind to prisons. Bars were for keeping both animals and people safe, but they have in later decades been replaced by things like moats and glass, to make the zoo guests feel more comfortable looking at the animals (sometimes actually endangering animals and guests, when it makes it easier for guests to get inside the enclosure).

Still, no doubt, zoos have vastly improved in the past century, as much as (if not more than) our fields of modern healthcare and technology. Today's world is nothing like 1910, and the same is true for zoos.

The animal experts that work for zoos today, know so much more about diets, healthcare, enrichment, adequate enclosure size, material, and simply put, each species' needs to live a healthy and fulfilled life in an artificial environment.

Photos like these give the public the impression that these animals spend their entire lives in small, bare, prison-like enclosures.

...while in fact, they spend most of their time in large habitats like these, and the small enclosures are just night quarters for care and safety, just like a dog crate, a horse stall, or a child's bedroom.

"We don't lock people in unless they're criminals", some say.

First, I don't know any modern zoo that resembles any prison I've ever seen.

Second, we lock our pets in. We lock children in. Many animals can be roughly compared to a two year old child, in awareness and understanding of our world. Would you let a two year-old roam the streets at night, free to come and go as he wished? Of course not. He would get himself badly hurt or killed. Add to that a two year old that is potentially very dangerous to the public, like a lion or elephant.

This is something not many seem to consider, but pet owners have absolutely no business criticizing zoos. Or people who eat meat, or consume products that exploit or harm animals in any way (this includes vegans, as it is simply impossible to live in modern society and avoid engaging in industries that exploit or harm animals).

As a pet owner, whether your pet is a dog, cat, rabbit, budgie, goldfish, ferret, snake, or anything else, you are confining that animal. You are giving it an 'unnatural' existence. Exotic species like budgies and snakes recently came from the wild, and have barely changed - if at all - from their wild ancestors. It is impossible to replicate their natural habitat in a home.

If it is a domestic animal, like a dog or a rabbit, the only way it has changed from its wild ancestors, is being less afraid, more amenable to handling, making it easier to have loose in the house (dogs and cats), and their appearance being changed slightly.

It is still the same animal, with the same needs as its wild ancestors.

If you own pets like this rabbit, you have no ground whatsoever on which to criticize modern zoos.

And even if you live in a mansion where your little toy poodle has the run of the house - that is a confined animal in an unnatural existence.

There is nothing inherently wrong with this, at all.

I'm sure that little toy poodle gets plenty of exercise, company, great food and fresh water, and its mind is properly stimulated. I'm sure that little dog would rather live there, warm and comfortable with a roof over its head, than out in the forest, at the mercy of the elements and its own hunting skills.

I'm sure a snake has an easier life in a terrarium, its environment always controlled to the perfect temperature and humidity, and never having to go hungry or thirsty, let alone worry about being eaten itself.

Pets, when cared for by good owners who truly take the time to find out how to best care for their animals, have in general very good lives. Better than they would in the wild, or a 'natural' existence.

The same is true for zoos.

The animals don't have an endless wilderness to roam - because they don't need to.

Animals only need enough space to stimulate them physically and mentally, and get 'personal space' from other animals, if there are many of them, to avoid conflict.

They only roam vast areas in the wild to find enough food, and for some, to avoid predators.

In the wild, they have to struggle to find food, starve if they can't, fight for mates, fight with or live under constant stress from fleeing from predators or rivals, be exposed to nature and its elements, have to fight off disease and parasites, and almost always die young.

In modern zoos, they always have the perfect diet prescribed by experts of the species, readily available. They never have to risk bodily injury just to find food or mate. They never have to worry about being hunted. They never have to worry about finding a safe place to rest, or dying from exposure. They never have to worry about parasites.

If they get sick, a team of top veterinarians and animal care staff who have trained all their adult lives for this exact purpose, are right there to help comfort and heal the animal.

And when some zoo animals die young, it is either due to congenital conditions that no one could help, wherever the animal lived, or it was euthanized. Killed quickly and painlessly.

Killer whale at SeaWorld San Diego

Why would someone need to justify that?

Keeping animals in the equivalent of 5-star hotels, free for a lifetime, is not something you should lower yourself to have to 'justify'.

The claim is that "zoos need to exist only to save animals from extinction. If wildlife was completely safe, zoos would be pointless".

It is true that zoos play an important role in conservation. It is true that if you have the power, like the money zoos are making, and the outreach they have through their guests, it is moral and right of you to do something to help.

A zoo that did nothing but exist, would not necessarily be very 'noble'.

But the point of this article is that they don't have to. It is not an automatic obligation, anymore than you as a dog owner are obliged to give to dog shelters, just because you have extra money, or educate people on the street petting your dog, about dogs. And that if you didn't do this, you would have no right to keep a dog 'imprisoned'.

Maybe you just want to have a dog?

And maybe someone just wants to have their animal collection, and let paying visitors come and look at it?

That is how zoos started. Wealthy and powerful people have kept exotic animal menageries for thousands of years. It was only in the middle of the 19th century that the public zoo was created, where the public was allowed to view these menageries, of course for a fee which helps pay for the upkeep of the animals.

What zoos are doing, when they try to justify themselves, is telling the public "our critics are completely right. Everything they say about zoos being 'horrible animal prisons', is right. We wish zoos didn't exist, but we are a necessary evil. Please just let us exist a little while longer, then we will go away, when we no longer need to abuse animals for conservation."

That is what one hears, when these zoo workers are essentially apologizing for their work existing.

As long as zoos aren't doing anything to harm wildlife, by removing animals from the wild without giving anything back to the wild populations, or by mistreating the animals in their care, they don't have to justify a thing.

#zoos #pro zoo #anti zoo #animal rights #my articles

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acti-veg · 6 years

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Vegan Resources

I hope the following list will be of some help for existing vegans or those considering making the transition. It is an ongoing work and will be updated regularly, if you spot a link which doesn’t work or you have suggestions for additional resources to include here then please feel free to get in touch.

Videos and Documentaries

Earthlings (Animal rights, graphic)

Land of Hope and Glory (UK animal agriculture, graphic)

Cowspiracy (Environment, one short slaughter scene)

What The Health (Health, nutrition)

Meat the Truth (Meat production, graphic)

Farm to Fridge (Meat production, graphic)

Food Inc. (meat production, graphic)

Blackfish (Animals in captivity, some upsetting scenes)

Vegucated (animal agriculture, some upsetting scenes)

Simon Amstell’s Carnage (fiction, satire, graphic scenes)

Okja (fiction, some upsetting scenes)

Live and Let Live (Vegan testimonials)

Vegan: Everyday Stories (vegan testimonials)

Licenced to Kill (animal research, graphic)

Benjamin Zephaniah on Veganism (advocacy, some distressing scenes)

Melanie Joy: The Psychology of Meat (lecture, advocacy)

Melanie Joy: Effective Vegan Advocacy (lecture, advocacy)

Modern Warrior (TED talk, animal rights)

Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death (lecture, health)

Vegan 2015, Vegan 2016, Vegan 2017 (positive, short documentaries)

Reports and Studies

Livestock’s Long Shadow UN Report

World Watch Institute Report on livestock and climate change

The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness

World Bank causes of amazon deforestation report

Sustainability of meat-based and plant-based diets

CDC Report: Effect of animal agriculture on communities

Chatham House thinktank report on meat and climate change

Animal agriculture water usage report

The Role of Animal Agriculture in World Hunger report

Slaughterhouse workers human rights report

American Dietetic Association report

NHS on vegan diets

U.S National Library of medicine on vegan/vegetarian diets

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on vegan diets

Key findings of The China Study

UN report on impact of meat on health

WWF report on biodiversity loss caused by meat based diets

Bioscience report on animal agriculture water resource use

Water Footprint Network comparison of crop and animal products

Global assessment of water footprint of animal products

Science direct report on water footprint of poultry, pork and beef

National Academy of sciences biomass and gas emissions report

Report on well-being of slaughterhouse workers

Articles

Awakening from the nightmare of zoos

Study suggests processed meat a real health risk

Animal agriculture “a leading cause of everything”

Vegan prison reducing agression in inmates

Livestock methane pushes climate change

Meat and cheese linked to earlier death

UN urges move to global meat and dairy-free diet.

What is a vegan- beginner’s guide

Why I become vegan and why you should too

Why vegans always tell you they’re vegan

It’s time to stop apologising for your veganism

Black vegans step out, for their health and other causes

Abolishing meat: An idea whose time has come

Vast animal-feed crops to satisfy meat needs destroying planet

World largest meat company profits drop 80%

We are entering the post-milk era

Rise of the mega farm in Britain

ASA clears advert branding milk inhumane

Thousands of seals shot to keep salmon industry going

If we really love animals we should close all zoos now

Free range is a con: no such thing as ethical eggs

It’s official: Fish feel pain

Processed meat ranks alongside cigarettes for causing cancer

Meatonomics: Bizarre economics of meat and dairy industry

Rethinking the meat guzzler

Brazil's Indigenous Tribes Hunted by Cattle Ranchers

Budgeting Tips

Guide to going vegan on a budget

Cheap vegan groceries list

Tips for eating vegan on a budget

Plant based on a budget challenge

Vegan on a food stamp budget

Cheap vegan college meals

Vegan in college

Vegan college dorm food

The collegiate vegan

Cheap vegan meal ideas

Eating vegan on the cheap

Vegan on a budget

Cheap vegan blog

Vegan spoons and pennies

Low-cost vegan meal plans

$25 a week vegan meal challenge

Plant based on a budget

Health and Nutrition

How to be healthy on a vegan diet

Getting all of your nutrients on a vegan diet

How to lose weight as a vegan

Nutrition Facts

How to gain weight as a vegan

High calorie vegan foods

Vegan sources of iron

Iron in the vegan diet

Vegan sources of protein

Vegan sources of calcium

Vegan sources of fiber

Vegan sources of amino acids

Vegan sources of omega 3

B12 in the vegan diet

What you should know about B12

Vegan sources of fats

Training on a vegan diet

Recipes

Cheap vegan recipes

Vegan Recipe Club

Plant based on a budget

Vegan Sandra

Vegan Richa

Oh she glows

Vegan yack attack

BBC good food

I Love Vegan

100 easy vegan foods

Vegangela recipes

Vegan recipes for beginners

Jamie Oliver’s vegan recipes

Vegan recipes club

Vegan cooking

Vegan baking

Easy tofu recipes

Tofu dishes

Tempeh dishes

Beans and rice recipes

Raw vegan recipes

Vegan Society Recipes

Vegan starters

Vegan main dishes

Vegan desserts

Books

Eating Animals

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows

The Case for Animal Rights

Animal Rights: A Very Short Introduction

Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach

Animal Equality: Language and Liberation

A Plea For The Animals

The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory

We Animals

Uncaged

Project Animal Farm

Striking at The Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism

Bleating Hearts: The Hidden World of Animal Suffering

Dominion

Slaughterhouse

When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals

Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel

Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions

Keep it Vegan: Over 100 Simple, Healthy & Delicious Dishes

Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World

Vegan Pie in The Sky

Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

Oh She Glows Cookbook

The Rawsome Vegan Cookbook

The Happy Vegan

The Vegan Cheatsheet

Change of Heart

How Not to Die

V is For Vegan: The ABC’s of Being Kind

Websites

Vegankit

Vegan.com

Vegan health

Veganacious

Vegan Sidekick

Go Vegan

Live vegan

Busy Vegan

Minimalist Vegan

How Do I Go Vegan

21 Day Vegan Kickstart

The Abolitionist Approach

Veganuary

Live Kindly

Movement For Compassionate Living

Cruelty Free Kitty

Barnivore

Meat.org

Animal Rights About

Veganeasy

My vegan finder

Plant Based News

Great Vegan Athletes

Vegan Life Magazine

The vegan calculator

Happy Cow

Vegan Voices of Color

Vegan Parenting Network

Vegan Feminist Network

Veganic Agriculture Network

Organisations

The Vegan Society

International Vegan Association

Mercy For Animals

Vegan Outreach

Evolve! Campaigns

Surge

Centre For Animals and Social Justice

Cruelty Free International

Choose Cruelty Free

Animal Aid

Compassion Over Killing

Toronto Pig Save

Friends of Animals

Farm Sanctuary

Animal Place

Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary

Gentle Barn

Micro Sanctuary Movement

Animal Free Research

Animal Liberation Front

Sea Shepherd

Hunt Sabs UK Directory

Hunt Saboteurs Association

#vegan #links #resources #reference #masterpost #original

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