Thoughts on: Zoos

Today I read an article on Copenhagen Zoo killing 4 of their lions because the zoo thought they were too old and did not fit into their breeding program so in other words, they no longer had any use to the zoo and had to be put down. As I was reading this article I could feel my blood boiling, I did not understand why killing these animals was the only option. They did not try to seek other zoos or sanctuaries to re-home these lions, at the end of the day, to them these were just old animals who cannot bring anymore profitability to the zoo and therefore needs to be gotten rid of. So it didn't surprise me to hear the public outcry that came after this event, after all, the reason why zoos exist is to protect animal, right? Well, after this I'm not so sure anymore, I've always thought the purpose of zoos and sanctuaries is to protect endangered species and to reserve gene pools for breeding programs, that's why zoos around the world swap animals to breed and save them from extinction. But I guess that's only a small part of the existence of a zoo, the real reason is pure and simple, profitability. It's quite sad if you think about it, these animals which have been taken from their natural habitats and then locked up in small enclosures (clean ones if they're lucky), live an very boring and demeaning life. They're there solely for the entertainment of people. This is not the first time Copenhagen zoo has seen a backlash from the people, it decided to kill off a perfectly healthy young Giraffe called Marius because Marius again, did not have a place in the zoo anymore. He was no longer a cute baby giraffe and they did not want him to breed because they already had other males with genes similar to his. Marius was lured to a secluded spot in the Giraffe enclosure with his favourite food by his caretakers and shot in the head. His body was then cut up and shown to the crowd as a educational autopsy show. The zoo still decided to kill him even though several other zoos offered to take him off of their hands. To me, none of this made any sense. Marius did not have to die, he could've lived out his life in another zoo, had a mate and was allowed to have offspring. Instead, he was betrayed by the people he learnt to trust and died because humans were too lazy and stupid to take care of him any longer. 

While some zoos and caretakers actually deeply care about the welfare of their animals because it is hard work taking care of these animals, other zoos like Copenhagen zoo simply places profits over what zoos are supposed to be doing and that is protecting and caring for ALL animals they own. These animals did not choose to be in zoos, they don't belong in any man made environments, they belong in their natural habitats to live as they wish. It is truly saddening to read such articles, especially from a developed country like Denmark. What makes us humans is that we have compassion towards our own kind and other species, we know how to differentiate the right from wrong, the good from bad. So it really baffles me to see that the zoo still proceeded to kill their animals even though the public clearly did not agree, I mean after all, you want the public to keep supporting the zoo don't you? 


http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140326-lions-copenhagen-zoo-killing-animals-world-science/#close-modal