#zoo questions

[why-animals-do-the-thing]

hi there! love your work! i recently had a prof say that all zoos (USA) are bad (so we shouldn't support them) and sanctuaries are better because using animals for entertainment is morally wrong, most zoo profits dont go to conservation, and conservation efforts are bandaid solutions to capitalism destroying animal habitats, so the real solution is to return the land to indigenous stewards to manage/rewild. i didn't disagree with the last bit, but the argument as a whole felt a little off to me for a reason i couldnt put my finger on. am i off base here? just feeling really unsure about the whole thing.

You're not wrong! There's a mix of reality and personal opinions in those statements, and it's definitely something worth critically examining. A quick fact-check of what they said for you:

All US zoos are bad

There's a massive range of quality of zoological facilities within the US (and around the world). Some are stellar and some are not, and it's really just not accurate to lump them all under the same umbrella for almost any purpose. Unless, of course, your issue isn't with animal welfare, and it's philosophical, which is what it sound like in #2...

2. Using animals for entertainment is morally wrong.

This is one of my favorite things to talk about w/r/t how we exhibit animals. Entertainment has become equated with exploitation and implicit low welfare in the last couple decades, and so you get a lot of people saying using animals for entertainment is wrong. But those same folk will say that they enjoy seeing animals in other contexts, and they think that's okay. Where's the line between enjoying something and being entertained by it? What makes something one and not the other? Also, we know that people learn better from from situations which are enjoyable/entertaining - even just a fun teacher who jokes around vs a dry lecture - so how can that only be a problem when it's used to make viewing animals more impactful? I wrote a whole piece on this a while back (linked here) if you want to dig into this more. Some zoos (and accrediting groups) are shying away from "entertainment" type branding - shows are demos now, for instance - and others are leaning into "edutainment" that's done with good welfare and communicates actual education messaging. In short, this is a personal philosophical belief, and you're right to question if you agree. (Even if you decide you do think that too! It's always good to question why someone is arguing what they believe about animal use, and how they came to believe it).

3. Sanctuaries are better than zoos.

There's two reasons I think he's misinformed here. First, almost all exotic animal sanctuaries in the US are licensed exhibitors - just like zoos! I only know of a couple that don't exhibit to the public at all. It's an important part of their revenue stream, because gate take helps support paying for animal care. Also anything you see from a sanctuary on Youtube, Facebook, or TikTok? Also exhibition! They just message about it differently, and often have a different ethos about how they exhibit (e.g. tours to reduce stress instead of letting people wander, doing conservation or rescue messaging instead of just display). Second... look, most people assume that the word "sanctuary" means a facility is intrinsically more ethical than a zoo, and therefore they must be a good place. In reality, many sanctuaries get much less public and regulatory scrutiny (at the state level) than most zoos. There are good sanctuaries out there, but there are also sanctuaries where stuff goes on that would absolutely be unacceptable at zoos, and it slides because of the assumption that sanctuaries are inherently more moral and ethical and care for their animals better.

4. Most zoo profits don't go to conservation

This is correct! Direct conservation funding is often a small part of the money a zoo makes. However, that's because money goes to things like facility maintenance, new construction, paying salaries, etc. If zoos put all the money they made back into conservation programs, practically, they wouldn't have the funding to continue to operate. The question that I'd suggest asking instead is "where are they putting money into conservation" and "are they doing conservation work or just throwing money at something to display the logo of the program." Also, it's worth keeping in mind that a lot of what zoos do to support conservation isn't necessarily financial. Many facilities contribute "in-kind", by doing things like sending staff to assist with programs or teach specific skills, or by donating things like vehicles and equipment. Research zoos do also seriously contributes to in-situ programs, and breeding programs for re-introduction like the scimitar-horned oryx and the black-footed ferret are also conservation. Could many of the big urban facilities with huge budgets do more? Yes. But looking just at dollars spent on conservation programs is disingenuous and inaccurate.

5. Conservation efforts are band-aid solutions to capitalism destroying habitats / Returning the land to indigenous peoples to manage/rewild is the real solution to conservation issues

This is a little outside my scope so I'm going to only address the part that I know. First off, like, there's no One True Answer to conservation issues. That's reductionist and inaccurate. Conservation really is a human issue, though, and it often has to involve solving human problems that lead to negative results for animals. There's definitely an issue with what some people call "parachute conservation" where Westerners swoop in and try to tell people living in range countries how to best manage their animals and natural resources without recognizing their perspectives, needs, or what drives their behavior towards those animals. That's not just a zoo issue - that's an issue with a ton of traditional Western conservation work. And there is progress towards fixing it! In the zoo world, I've been very impressed with the work out of The Living Desert, where their conservation people spend a lot of time overseas teaching people in range countries to evaluate and improve their own conservation programs, so they can assess efficacy and also have data to apply for grants, etc. They provide support when asked, rather than trying to tell people who live with these animals regularly what to do. One of my favorite programs that TLD collaborates with (they don't try to run it!) is a group called the Black Mambas that reduces poaching by supporting entire communities to reduce the desperation for food/income, educating kids about animals, and running all-female patrols staffed by community members.

Overall, it sounds like your professor's view of zoos is really informed by their personal moral perspective, and possibly reinforced by a lot of the misinformation / misleading messaging that exists about the industry and about conservation work. They do have some specifics right, but not necessarily the context to inform why things are like that. It was a good catch to question the mix of information and approach it critically.

#zoo industry #zoo information #philosophy around zoos and what they do #conservation #zoo questions

[llamagoddessofficial]

I wonder… Zoo Siren AU but reversed? MC is the siren stuck in the zoo and the skeletons are the workers? How would that work out? 🤔

owHOOPS tripped and fell in love with the pretty local siren girl

Sans: He's a researcher studying siren communications. When the local aquarium offers for him to interact regularly with their resident siren for his research, he's delighted, and jumps at the chance. She's initially very hostile toward him but nothing can cool his absolute fascination with such a beautiful apex predator- he wears her down with his consistency, always visiting and giving her snacks and talking with her. He also wears her down with his obvious admiration and delight... it's hard to hate someone, when they think everything about you is perfect and worth its own individual peer-reviewed paper. She often finds herself blushing at his clear googoo eyes.

Over time, they do build a genuine connection. And Sans feels that. He's always visiting, and he's making great progress with his research. But... he starts to realise that he isn't even paying that much attention to his research anymore. A lot of his growing obsession with his field... well. It boils down to an obsession with her.

Red: He's her 'trainer' technically, but he dislikes the word. He's the one who spends the most time in the tank with her, his job description is pretty much just to make her do tricks for the crowd but he goes out of his way to try and keep her entertained and mentally stimulated, with tank games and complicated routines they can perform together underwater. If anyone else tried to get her to do 'tricks' she'd bite their hands off, but she allows it with Red, because he makes it really fun. She still does bite him every now and then- but it's much more playful. Much more flirty. Red seems chill... but secretly, he fucking hates the idea of anyone else being in the tank with her, because everyone else seems to treat her like a performing monkey.

She may have a little bit of a crush on him. He's always so confident, and he's always spending time with her. His teeth remind her of a big shark- a big predator, just like her. She trusts him.

Skull: He's in charge of her feeding schedule and health. Something of a vet and a chef, he makes sure she's healthy, stable, regularly eating nutritious food to keep her safe. She likes him a lot and not just because he's always bringing food- at first he was intimidating, but nobody can resist the Skull Rizz and she grew to consider him a close companion. She likes that he lets her gnaw on his hands... she also likes that if she offers to share some of her food with him he'll literally eat it on the spot. She admires the intense dedication- no one else will eat raw fish like him.

He'll sit on the edge of her pool, and she'll come spend time with him. Most siren doctors who try to give her checkups end up losing a few knuckles here and there, but Skull can simply hold out his hand and she'll let him examine wherever he needs to. He feels deeply responsible for her safety and health.

#llamagines #zoo siren mc au #siren mc has a much better time than the siren sanses #the sanses have 1 person who cares between the three of them #mc has 3 people who deeply care all to herself #better food... better entertainment... better overall treatment too #because who the fuck is going to question skull when he tells u she needs better water quality

[skunkes]

guy liker moment

#a doodley #once again very difficult times for the has never been touched community #also recently some fictional men have me questioning things further and its making me sooo miserable #in the sense of like. it wouldnt be enough to t**** a beautiful man i want to be one. too. #i want someone to feel the same way ykwim. eager excited. witnessing beauty. crawling into each others skin. #i want you and i want to wear your face and be desired too. #ugh ugh ugh ugh #i probably wont ever even draw it but the lino piece i want to try making is based off of like. lately... #my skin burns when i see even the imitation of a human body. When i think of it. its so dire #or like i love the human body in general i love studying it bc its so beautiful and interesting no matter what #but i do studies and its like ahh i wanna get closer i wanna get closer im at the zoo i want to jump into the enclosure and get clawed apar #t. (saying this as metaphor bc obviously humans are not things to be owned) but i want my own model to pose and study #closer. and closer. look and touch and examine. #<- 3 seconds away from drawing nefarious shit with talon in this nature but i didnt say that #talkys #🌺

[blujayonthewing]

pitched battle inside my brain between the part of me that's desperately shaking myself by the shoulders going "YOU HAVE GOT TO ACTUALLY LIVE THE KIND OF LIFE YOU IMAGINE INSTEAD OF JUST SITTING AROUND IMAGINING IT UNTIL YOU DIE!!" and the part of me that's clutching my face going "is this allowed? is this allowed?? is this allowed???"

#trying to plan a solo cicada pilgrimage and getting brainworms about it yeehaw #'making a lot of plans and never actually doing things in real life' has been a problem for literally as long as I can remember #but I also feel like I've developed a learned helplessness over the last several years that's gotten worse as I've gotten older?? #me age twenty: I think I'm gonna take myself to chicago next week because I feel like going to the zoo #me age thirty: am I allowed to go camping alone. am I allowed to do a solo road trip. I need a grownup #to be extremely clear I am very much allowed and this is not justin's fault and I don't know where it comes from #like I'll run things by him lowkey seeking 'permission' that I don't even need and he'll be like 'yeah that sounds good to me' #and then I STILL won't do the thing because like. my brain keeps insisting there needs to be a grownup in charge?? HELLO I'M GROWNUP #anyway I'm doing cicada trip solo BECAUSE-- the drive is so long I want to do five days because two of them will just be driving #and he can't get that much time off work right now #AND because I literally only want to Be Camping and Looking At Bugs but he'd get bored of a week of that he likes Activities #me this morning getting insecure and weird: what are your thoughts... on cicada voyage.... #him after at first not even understanding the question: I'm SO excited for you?? you deserve to get to go absolutely feral??? #I do.... ;n; 💕 why am I so scared to be a person....... #about me #cicada journey

[reality-detective]

An Elephant gets distressed about antelope in the water drowning 🤔

#pay attention #educate yourselves #educate yourself #knowledge is power #reeducate yourself #reeducate yourselves #think about it #think for yourselves #think for yourself #do your homework #do some research #do your own research #ask yourself questions #question everything #zoo #elephant

[thursdaysidjit]

spn//textposts

weird format time

#petting zoos Are pretty fucking tight. i’m posing the same question. #spn text post #spn #sam winchester #dean winchester #castiel #jack kline #chuck #bobby singer #destiel

[julianhuxley]

Caption reads: Half a cupful please: Compo, one of the famous London Zoo tea-party chimpanzees who visited Whipsnade for the birthday celebrations, gets some milk.

Source: Illustrated London News, May 31, 1952.

#chimpanzee #apes #primates #questionable animal ethics .... but history is history #whipsnade zoo #London zoo #1950s #1952 #newspaper

[marvelmaniac715]

Please can someone tell me why today, at the zoo, I turned to a goat who suddenly appeared beside me and said “oh, there you are”. Because this both implies that I had previously encountered this goat (I hadn’t) and that I’d expected it to be there when I really hadn’t. Am I just awkward and overly polite to barnyard animals?

#goat #animals #zoo #random #questions #confused

[albeeno-rheeno78]

New tumblr mutual meetup spot see you there 😘

#Akskdkdk #I just have so many questions #who named it this #did they know my blorbos and I go here #that’s where I keep my pretty boys #it’s my farm or their zoo #their containment unit

[namu-the-orca]

Regarding the anti-zoo post I have a question: wouldn't roaming be considered a form of enrichment tho?

Surviving, planning, hunting, thinking for themselves and having new experiences every day, family, herd dynamics, etc. I can't imagine an animal that is "built" to travel long distances and taking care of itself being happy with lying around all day with little to nothing to do. Prey animals might be content, but I can't imagine the same for predators.

Yeah for sure! But this is exactly why a strong enrichment programme is such a crucial part of any good husbandry plan. What kind of enrichment, and how much, depends of course on the needs of a species. But caretakers and trainers work very hard to make sure both the physical and mental needs of their animals are met.

To focus on cetaceans, this can start with the environment itself: some oceanic habitats have the influence of waves and tides, and are often filled with live fish and other naturally occurring wild animals. These provide ever-changing surroundings with lots of "entertainment" and even hunting options. But also a seemingly boring plain tank environment isn't always the same. The weather changes, birds may perch on the edge, there could be cleaning activities going on or special visits from groups/tours.

In a more barren environment the use of EED's (environmental enrichment devices) can be an important part of keeping its occupants entertained. At the Dolphin Academy in Curacao where I volunteered for a short while, the EEDs weren't very exciting and only seldom used because the dolphins could entertain themselves all day within their natural enclosures. But in other facilities, making EEDs for the animals has been turned into an artform. (See for example these contraptions!)

Training, husbandry sessions and shows are all a form of enrichment too! It allows the animal to get a physical workout, while putting their brain to work at the same time. It's also very rewarding for dolphins just for the social interaction of it: I've seen fully milk dependent calves desperate to join a session, without there being any food reward involved for them. And, not to forget: they still live in a social grouping. The interaction between their peers, social structure and hierarchy, play, fights, cooperation... this enriching aspect of social life still exists in a zoo or aquarium.

So in essence, animals under human care definitely "lose" some enriching aspects of their wild life. However, if cared for well, this void is filled up with new and different activities that keep them physically and mentally healthy. There's a whole science dedicated to making sure animals under human care lead interesting lives! Sea World Australia has a great page about all the ways they use enrichment to keep their animals happy and shows examples (plus many more) of the things mentioned above.

#I hope this answers your question a bit! #if not feel free to shoot another ask #also if anyone with more/better/actual experience working in a zoo or marine park wants to add to this - please do! #my knowledge of cetacean care and welfare is mostly theoretical and only a small bit practical #zoos #cetacean captivity #animal welfare #namtalk

[kyojurismo]

Do you think Kyojuro would be an Aquarium or Zoo kinda guy?

-❤️‍🔥

both. and i stand by that. lemme tell you why,

he really likes animals, he finds them fascinating, so he likes going to the zoo and watch all of these beautiful animals. he looks like a baby alright, he’s always so excited.

on the aquarium side, he finds it super relaxing and he enjoys going there with you. just holding your hands and staring in silence at the different kind of fishes, jellyfishes, etc. just there with you at peace

#📮 — questions !! #❤️‍🔥 anon #*mics drop* #he would walk around the zoo with a cute orange backpack 😭 #god i’m so soft for him #kyojuro rengoku

[valenchante]

Merry Christmas! A quick but beautiful drawing of a Zoo for you :D I hope you're spending a better Christmas than I do

#digital drawing #my story #species #digital illustration #marcs #my stuff #digital ilustration #questions #digital art #valenchante #zoos #original art #my artwork #my art stuff #artists on tumblr #art #merry christmas #deergirl #medieval drawing #medieval story #magical stories #forest

[lunar-years]

I am also very curious about when the switch happened from Capitol Academy students being mentors to former victors being mentors. Did they wait until every district had at least one Victor? Or was that something that didn't happen until Snow had gained sufficient influence to enact it, if not become President himself?

#and obviously his primary motive in enacting that measure is control of the victors but i think there's also an element of like #not wanting academy kids to get too close for fear that they'll realize how terrible the games truly are. as many of his own classmates had #and that's a springboard question to the 11th games because I am So curious about what they looked like #the capitol wanting to avoid the same 'mishaps' as the 10th games yet enhance the spectacle must've really made for a sinister year #and the tributes arriving and being shocked that they're being fed and are maybe kept in barracks instead of the zoo etc. #like. tricked into thinking the conditions are different this year almost. that it won't be like it's been in the past. #but then the games are more brutal than ever before #basically I'm thinking about Mags lol #tbosas #tbosas spoilers #idk sorry for the thesis in tags lmao #thg #hg

[burnttoastlife]

People who don't understand how a WALRUS is more surprising to see at your door, after knocking, than a FAIRY, regardless of belief, are INSANE to me. How do you not get it. If it's a FAIRY (which I do not believe in) it's like... okay. I guess I have to accept fairies are real. That's fine. If it's a MOTHERFUCKING WALRUS,

#I LIVE IN FLORIDA MOTHERFUCKER IF A WALRUS IS AT MY DOOR AND KNOCKED THAT IS SO MANY MORE QUESTIONS TO GO THROUGH THAN OHOK FAIRIES ARE REAL #DO YOU UNDERSTAND #HOW DID THE WALRUS GET HERE. WHY DID IT COME HERE. HOW DID IT KNOCK. WHY DID IT DO THAT #DID IT ESCAPE FROM A ZOO OR IS IT FROM THE ARCTIC #WHATS NOT CLICKING HERE A WALRUS IS MUCH MORE INSANE THAN A FAIRY REGARDLESS OF BELIEF #gaster speaks

[is-the-owl-video-cute]

Howdy! I think you mentioned that owls in cafes are captive-bred, but can you talk a little more about what that means, practically and ethically?

When a sperm-bearing owl and an egg-bearing owl tolerate each other very, very much—

#I don’t know what you want me to say here #owls are bred by putting two owls together #it isn’t inherently unethical or ethical it just is a thing that can be done #the purpose of breeding them is generally what comes to question #breeding for pets is bad breeding for zoos or falconry is fine

[sga-owns-my-soul]

11, 15, 24 and 39 for the ask game 🥰

fun questions to ask

thanks bestie!!

11. What do you consider to be romance?

mcshep has ruined me bc i think someone committing war crimes for me is peak romance and no one irl will ever do that for me so why even bother with it. if you're not bringing me my estranged fathers head on a platter i don't even want it

15. What do you think of when you hear the word “home”?

my boys 🥰 my partner and my kitty, as long as i'm with them i'm home (but also highkey i think of atlantis and i desperately DESPERATELY wish that was home)

24. What’s one thing you’re proud of yourself for?

honestly? i'm a damn good writer and i'm really proud of my ability to pack an overwhelming amount of emotion into such small amounts of words. i've got 500 word fics that regularly bring readers to tears or make them chew on the wall and i'm very proud of that skill

39. Youtuber you’ve been obsessed with and why?

daniel james howell is a plague on my life and i would not have it any other way. that man is a menace and directly responsible for 75% of my sense of humour. he's horrible and terrible and i am so insanely obsessed with him. i met him a few years ago and he is offensively tall and horribly awkward and he approved of my cursive fuck tattoo and it was one of the best days of my life

#thanks bestie!!! #good questions #fr tho dan howell is such a menace #i love him so much #he wrote fucking nord vpn fan fic in one of their latest gaming channel videos #like WHAT is wrong with you!!!!!! #i'm so obsessed #let me study him like he's a specimen in a zoo #anyways #asks #dan howell #if he finds this post now i'll have to die lmao #kinda stargate