Why SHOULDN'T we support zoos and their conservation work?
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- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2021
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Today’s video:
When I was growing up, a day out at a zoo was one of my favourite activities. I loved seeing all the different animals and I never once questioned whether or not zoos were ethical, or if they actually did benefit the conservation of animals in the wild.
Interestingly, I stopped going to zoos before I became a vegan, with the last zoo I visited being Barcelona Zoo. I had recently seen the movie Blackfish and had become passionate about the captivity of marine animals, but I hadn’t yet extended that concern to the captivity of terrestrial animals as well.
However, as I was wandering around Barcelona Zoo I came across a bear enclosure, inside of which was a bear sat forlornly looking around. I followed the gaze of the bear as they looked at each of the walls of the enclosure and it suddenly hit me, these are wild animals being held captive. They have no agency, no chance of escape and no freedom.
We are often sold the idea that animals are well-cared for and happy in zoos and that zoos do important conservation work, but is this actually true? As is the case with farmed animals, we often mistake the fact that the animals are given food, water and medication as constituting care. However, providing the basic requirements for an animal to survive hardly constitutes genuine care and appreciation for the best interests of the animals.
It’s time to recognise zoos for what they really are, animal prisons that exist for the primary reason of making money.
Today’s video is an in-depth look into the ethics of zoos, and the arguments that they use to justify their existence.
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All sources + transcript: surgeactivism.org/zoos
Huge thank you to @ryuji_chua and Karla for their amazing work at Surge Media! / kfxanimation
Today’s video is an in-depth look into the ethics of zoos, and the arguments that they use to justify their existence. Are animals happy in zoos? And even if they're not, isn't it all justifiable anyway because zoos do so much for conservation?
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It’s jail for innocent animals
SIaves.. |||||||😈💵💷💴💶.....
.. Hitler and Stalin and Pol Pot, were Killing innocent souls. Bludgeoned to death... 👈 Hint hint 🤥🦠🍖🔴.... 🙄. Over a frigging 5 minute burger et cetera !!! 🐅🦒🔴🔫😈... CuIt🔴foIIowing !!!!! What a world we live in !!!!! Sick !!!! 🖕🔴.
@@VeganV5912 were socialists, like mussolini, the communist party of china was created in france, in Shangaï by socialists. Far right, doesn't exist.
You pretty much cover all of the things that i think about as i evolve as a vegan, the unethical veganism thing where so many people call themselves vegan but they arent actually and now the zoo thing
Next it would be great to talk about pets, pets are unethical unless adopted since they are bred and sold as products, stealing babies from their parents over and over, i killed so many pet fish as a child and i could simply get a refund for them, their lives did not matter unfortunately
Ultimately the goal is to not have any pets left to adopt after we stop breeding them
"People have never seen a humpback whale or a blue whale in captivity, and yet feel no less strongly about their protection than the animals they see in zoos." Well said.
I like to use a similar argument with dinosaurs. Dinosaurs have been extinct for 65 million years and yet kids are always excited to learn about them, view them in museums and if you presented photos, even most adults would have no problems recognizing different species. Most people probably know as much about a giraffe as they do a t-rex. Captivity for entertainment sake is purely selfish and unnecessary.
@@AB-ft7ng this is why I view museums as the second best alternative to zoos or aquariums besides sanctuaries, I’d argue museums are even more educational than zoos because people aren’t focused on looking at the exhibit as much so they may be more akin to reading about it instead.A skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex isn’t moving around as opposed to a giraffe in the zoo so people generally just gawk at the animals and don’t bother learning about them anyways and instead just munch on popcorn
Many zoos use the charismatic animals (big cats, African animals, bears, apes, etc) to fund conservation for less likeable animals, (toads, insects, bats, salamanders, snakes) which people are less fond of.
I disagree with the conditions many animals are housed in in zoos, but I do believe they're an important part of conservation efforts. They should absolutely do better though.
If zoos hadn’t built that connection to nature in general among kids, I kinda think people would absolutely give zero fucks about whales
@@Limemill The question to ask then is if zoos are the only thing that gives kids or people a connection to nature?
Hello, a zookeeper here from Europe! :) You have made a very interesting video with some good points, but I personally think you have lot of misleading information here too and you are not right about everything said here. For example, I think it's a bit unfair that you kept talking mostly about elephants, which are known to be one of the hardest zoo animals to take care of, due to their size. There are hundreds of other species that have much longer lifespans in captivity - around 80% of zoo animals live longer than the ones in the wild. So, to have a fair argument, perhaps you should have mentioned this in the video? I haven't worked with elephants personally, so I can't speak too much about their lives in zoos, but one thing I do know: the EAZA zoos are definitely trying their best to help elephants in captivity and all elephant-related research done at zoos, is made to find answers to problems like this. How do we make the life of elephants better in captivity? Is it okay to keep some of them in captivity, if it helps saving their kind in the wild? How do we educate people better, so that elephant-related conservation projects will get more support from people, thus helping the elephants in the wild, reducing the amount we need in captivity to save them? The problem with these kind of things is often the fact, that these things take a lot of time. I'm talking about years and years, which is why the impact of things can be really hard for people to see.
It's true that not all zoos are "good", and there are a lot of "bad" ones, which are more focused at being entertaining rather than educational. This is why it's good that you mentioned EAZA on your video. Most guests who I've talked to at zoos, have no idea about these kind of conservation programs, which is a big part of the problem. You mentioned some terrible things in this video, like the one where they shot the giraffe or how some zoos have given wrong-kind of medicine for their animals. These kind of things are very extreme events and doing something like this is definitely against the rules of being part of something like EAZA. Don't want to support horrible things like these? Don't go to these zoos. Lot of zoos mention on their websites if they are part of EAZA or other conservation programs. Doing a bit of research before visiting, is one of the best ways to stop supporting these kind of horrible events. Though I definitely understand, that it's not this black and white and not always easy to do. You mentioned that only around 8% of European zoos are part of EAZA, which sounds weirdly low. There are around 700 insitutions that are considered "zoos" in Europe, and over 300 of those are a part of EAZA. So that would be around 40%, not 8%. There isn't really an exact way to determine this though, since the definition of a zoo is variable.
I should also mention, that zoos have evolved a lot very fast. Only around 15 years ago things were much worse, and currently there is a huge spike in the "quality" of zoos. But like I mentioned, it's unfortunate how slow these kind of things are. For example, you talked about how bad it is that zoos kill healthy animals. Let's imagine that there is a young elephant who's perfectly healthy, living in some zoo. Couple of years pass and more research is done - the keepers and vets realize that the current enclosure is bad for the elephant. It should be much bigger with more water and more plants! However, to renovate the enclosure, there can't be any animals living there during that time. The renovation takes so much time, that we can't put the elephant into a smaller spare-habitat during it, because that way the animal would have to live in a too small space for too long. The keepers ask around other zoos, yet there is no space for this elephant. So, the question is: do we leave the enclosure how it is and get comments from guests telling us that the enclosure is "bad" and "terrible", even though the elephant has gotten used to live there and is perfectly healthy otherwise. We would eventually renovate it after the elephant either moves to another zoo or dies of old age. Or do we put down the elephant - donate it to a vet for research? Perhaps save its sperm or ovums for possible important use for later? Or maybe feed the elephant to some carnivores at the zoo who would naturally eat elephants in the wild too? A decision to just kill an animal at a zoo, is never made just like that. It's a very tough thing to think about and keepers and vets go through all these possible options before making a decision. Lot of you might think that keeping the elephant alive is the better option. Yes, it could definitely be so! But that would mean that it would take years for the zoo to be able to renovate the enclosure. It could look like nothing is being done for outsiders. Guests might wonder why is the elephant in this enclosure, even though the keepers know it should be bigger and better. These are the kind of things that are happening at zoos all the time. More research is done every day and we learn better ways to help these animals all the time. But it takes time. It takes a lot of time and this is something a lot of people don't realize or understand. So, I hope that this example of mine brought some light to some of you wondering about this. :)
Anyways, thank you for reading! It's AWESOME that people are concerned about zoo animals. It's so lovely to see so many people care about this! However, always do your research before you start spreading information. The internet is full of misinformation and it can never compare to a info a person has, who has worked with animals at a zoo for multiple years. This message of mine was not supposed to be any kind of rant or anything, I just wanted to mention a couple of things and it turned out super long. In short, the best way to help zoos and animals is to do your research. And by the way, if you're interested to know about more of this, you can always contact a zoo and ask them questions. Lot of them like to answer! :) (Also, pardon my bad english!)
Thank you for such an informative yet polite response. To me the video felt needlesly hostile which lead to the feeling that this isn't probably the whole picture.
I've experienced this before with videos about the horrible conditions of animals raised for food where they present the findings as if it was a fact that it happens everywhere when actually the footage was gathered from only a few places in another country with less laws to regulate the animals' conditions and with even those laws being violated.
I'm definitely not saying that Ed here is that extreme in the slightest, my point is that people need to be careful about forming opinions on things based on taking just one source at face value. The feeling I got from this video combined with your reply simply reminded me of my experience with a much worse example of the concept
Hey Zookeeper from Australia want to say thank you for your response, honeslty some people just like to go "all Zoos are evil" without actually putting in the effort to research what Zoos are actually doing in the 21st Century, it would be a great day when I'm out of a Job but for the moment the amount of just Australian Animals that have been negatively affected by humans who are now critically endangered that I work with is just terrible
Thanks for this response! It's a good reminder that there are lots of people that do want to make sure that zoos are high quality. While yes, it is understandable that animals would be best off living in their natural habitats, there's also just something magical about seeing one up close, especially for children! I hope we can come up with solutions for quality enclosures and enrichment for the animals so that people can have an opportunity to meet these animals that would otherwise live on the other side of the planet. And protect the species in their natural habitats where captivity would be too stressful, like cetaceans and probably elephants.
Let's do a little exercise. Imagine, for a moment, that starting tomorrow you can no longer leave the zoo. And I don't mean a sine enclosure, I mean the entirety of the zoo. You can go everywhere you want in it, and you have access to everything you might need in terms of sustenance, hygiene and comfort, but you cannot, in any way whatsoever, leave the zoo for the rest of your life. How long do you think you could last before suffering severe depression and various other mental disorders? Now keep in mind that most animals in the zoo are restricted to their single enclosure and need way more space than you and me to be happy.
Being mad and flashing poorly researched articles to generic tech ad music is as old as RUclips itself.
As a kid I went to a zoo and saw a "dancing" elephant and thought it was cute. As you might guess, it was not a dance, it was a display of a mental disorder. Knowing what I do now, my memories of the few times I visited a zoo are traumatising and sickening rather than heartwarming.
And oh boy, don't get me started on the wild bird rescue centres in my country...
i have a similar memory of the elephants. i thought it was hilarious at the time- i was with my aunt who is super judgmental and germaphobic as hell, and she always treated me like i was repulsive. so we're eating dipping dots next to the elephant exhibit, and all of a sudden they start throwing poop at each other- picking it up with their trunks and hurling it in the other's direction. my aunt had a complete meltdown because of the smell, but me and my cousin were cracking up.
i still think its funny that my aunt didnt get to eat her dipping dots, especially now that im vegan. but all those happy memories are tainted by the fact that the animals were showing clear signs of distress and suffering, and my oblivious ass was having the best days of my life. i dont blame myself, i didnt even know "vegan" was a word at that point. but its so horrific to think about it that way. every time my family tries to talk me into going to the zoo, its all i can think about
What's the problem with bird rescue centres ?
@@debbied.9763 It probably depends on the country entirely. I visited a local one recently and all the birds were thriving there.
@@debbied.9763 Maybe wild birds in small enclosures? Not being with a flock? Idk
when i was little, i saw a travelling elephant, that soon after became the last circus elephant as the nz government made it illegal. she was taken and sent to a zoo a few months after i saw her. just a few years later, at the zoo she was sent to because of the ban, she crushed a worker to death in her trunk. she was surrounded by an electric fence in that zoo, and it is theorised that she got shocked, then out of panic tried to protect the worker (who entered to calm her down when she shouldn't have, but was fatigued from overwork) but accidentally crushed her chest by grabbing her, then rolling her head on the ground with the worker in her trunk, the weight suffocated the woman.
it turns out that the elephant had ptsd and constant panic attacks. shows the pure cruelty that led to the tragedy. luckily, the zoo saw the elephant as not responsible, and she wasn't killed. just 4 years after that attack, she died in san diego zoo, which is where she was sent after the attack. a sad life, and sad death due to human cruelty.
My mom just asked me if I wanted to go to the zoo with the family tomorrow. I said no and showed her this video. Her response was “well their enclosures have actually gotten a lot bigger.” You just can’t win.
Then she goes, “propaganda “
Yeah. My mom had me go to a rodeo with here I think about 1 year, and a half ago. I thought it would be an opportunity to educate her, and then she refused to believe taking a calf by the horns, and throwing it to the ground with full body strength, and then tying it’s legs together with some rope was painful. It’s really quite sad that people just don’t care for others. We have been in this state of apathy for far too long. We really need to start putting ourselves in other people’s(animals are people, too) shoes.
@@AxelBertilDahlstrom That sucks, no empathy. Btw, do you know if Safari Parks are also bad?
@@atti_odyssey Some safaris are like sanctuaries, and others allow hunting, and abuse. They are better than zoos, and aquariums to an extent. Also the animals become to the point where they cannot survive the wild as well. They also risk disease transferred from people.
@@AxelBertilDahlstrom hmmm, thanks
One would've thought that, after several lockdowns worldwide, the public in general would have a slightly better grasp of how it feels to be caged. Great video as always, Ed!
There are MANY lessons people should have learned from COVID that didn't. It's very disappointing.
So did I!
You overestimate people...
I think we should be very careful about comparing spending quality time in our beautiful homes with the horrific experience of being caged for your whole life.
@@expertphotoart9308 very true- I just hoped that maybe people would make the connection. Sadly not
Given how smart elephants are, the infanticide is much more disturbing. Perhaps they realize the life of captivity that their newborn faces and instead chooses to end it right away?
Just like in the slave days...
@@jessievans2405 lmao there is still slaves today, something tells me your thinking about one specific small example.
You really might be onto something
@@servesyourightformuscat1219 yes, I was referring to that time of TransAtlantic slave trade. And for the human trafficking that goes on today, at least they have the decency to hide it. And at least, our governments evolved just enough to abolish and illegalize it.
Infanticide in elephants would more likely be due to post traumatic stress disorder which elephants have been know to display. Personally I don't feel like elephant's should be in captivity because of how problematic they are in captivity. The only reasoning I could argue is that they would be useful to study stress behaviour and see if any of the research could be applied to wild elephants that experience stress from poaching
I grew to hate zoos as a child when it became blatantly apparent to me that animals there were unhappy, but I never could have fathomed that they were on psychiatric drugs as well.
Good lord, the story about Marius the Giraffe is sickening.
Marius the giraffe is well explained from the director of copenhagen zoo at the time, Marius is a genetically common giraffe, the animal collections which offered to take marius in got denied because the director felt as if the spaces offered could have been taken up by a more genetically diverse giraffe, which in turn creates a more healthy genetic population instead of creating a bottleneck genetic pool.
Plus marius got fed to the big cats at the zoo, how is this any different to a horse or cow being culled for being fed to the big cats? both the cow and giraffe has equal intrinsic value, why is there not an uproar of the millions of cows slaughtered every year but instead to one individual giraffe?
@@johnho9546 bruh how the fuck are you possibly defending shooting a giraffe, in a zoo, by zookeepers.
@@kevinsaviro2708 Because if you want a healthy genetic pool in this species, then culling can be essential to prevent inbreeding depression which results in unhealthy population for the future.
Culling marius isn't pleasent, I also like giraffes, but what different was this to shooting a cow to be fed to a lion?
@@johnho9546 you dont need to shoot it in front of the public though
@@johnho9546 maybe because a giraffe is an endangered species, and even if they aren’t a suitable spouse I don’t see the need to murder them, imagine if the same standard was applied to humans.
Basically:
-The confined animals in zoos go mentally insane, only for our entertainment (is it worth it?)
-Donating to direct Wildlife conservation orgs is more effective than donating to zoos, cause zoos profit from exploitation
-If you want to learn about wild animals, you can also watch a nature documentary
Good summation
Wildlife conservation groups are mostly comprised of HUNTERS.
A university in my country is starting a zoo in the kampus. I hate it. We are campaigning against it bit who know what will happen
A good summarization of the cherry picked lies that this guy is feeding y’all lol
@@harveyplantharvester1502 Yeah, and I’d argue hunters care more about the natural world than anybody else lol. Not to be confused with poachers which is entirely different xoxo
Zoo's are the only prisons where all the prisoners are innocent. When I was a child I used to go to zoo's because I loved animals now I avoid zoo's because I love animals
definitely gonna steal that last sentence. powerful
@@cherch4625 feel free to " steal " it 😂. Yes Its powerful because at one time you were lied to and after that you have awakened and can see the truth
Well, couldn’t confinements of farm animals also be considered such prisons? Except I guess that all prisoners there are abused even more and are on a death row…
@@makarios5946 not really since In animal agriculture animals are enslaved for short period of time and the purpose is different than a prison. But all these innocent beings as you said are on death row without doing anything wrong
Well said. I feel the exact same!
We see this in humans too. Self soothing actions like rocking, swaying, shaking. It’s amazing how many qualities we share, and how we blatantly, purposefully ignore these similarities so that we can go on enjoying our outings and our burgers.
They do be tasty tho
Yes. We're meant to be in much more tribal conditions
Zoos do indeed need to be talked about more
Hypocrite
@Assassin 9958 found another cult drone
About how great they are lol
@@AM-tb4fn educate yourself instead of being extremely gullible
@@alipetuniashow why don't you educate urself first?
I work at a bird of prey centre, everything done at said centre is for the animals. We have a small gift shop, all the money made in there goes directly back to the animals. The birds are flown regularly and cleaned out every day. We educate people on vultures and endangered birds.
without fail after every vulture talk we do someone tell us that they never knew about vultures, and want to donate to save them. We all put our whole heart in to the centre. For many zoo keepers their work is their entire life. Not all zoo's are bad
💖💖💖 represent
Sure, but I think the birds would rather fly miles free anytime THEY want. Just watch a documentary, no need to lock up the animals unless they can't be released.
@@wolfiemix if a person never works with a bird of prey that is kept for education, how will they know how to help a wild bird of prey that’s injured? Having hands on experience with an educational raptor could help someone get trained to be able to help raptors that need rehab.
@@wolfiemix most raptor centers only keep injured birds (limbs/wings that are amputated, eye problems, neuro problems) or have been imprinted (where they bond to humans and can never be released). These birds can’t live in the wild, they will die.
@@wolfiemix They will be dead if they are released since most of them are bred in captivity and has no experience of surviving in the wild , that’s why training is needed before releasing
Ed probably is the BEST vegan activist who can explain the truth well and discusses the situation with good knowledge and arguments.
All love Ed
His videos are top notch in every aspect it's wild
Yeah not like the extremes
When you’re extreme
You make everyone in your group and your cause a joke.
Alan’s he does all this and still manages to be a hypocrite.
@@peterbigo9951 how? You can't make such a claim and then just leave without evidence.
When I was younger I went to the zoo because I loved animals, now as an adult I won't visit a zoo because I love animals. What is a zoo but a prison for those who have done nothing wrong.🌱 Informative video, I remember on a school trip seeing a Polar bear in Dublin zoo that had gone mad in captivity, was heart breaking.☘
The year before I went vegan I visited the local (very small) zoo in my new city, and was heartbroken seeing the seal exhibit with three of them in a pool smaller than the swimming pool I grew up with. One was going in circles and another was just staring at a concrete wall floating in place. That's when I knew I was done.
@@vegronica9006 Never nice to see, fair play for going Vegan and aligning your ethics to actions!☘💚
😭
maybe because they fed the bear a vegan diet..
I hope the guy that shot and dismembered the giraffe gets kidnapped.
I’m battling the Mayagüez Zoo here in Puerto Rico where animals are dying as a result of neglect in an environment for which they’re not suited. These prisoners are sentenced to this perpetual jail for simply being non-human. This is no way to live. Please do not sponsor and rebel against zoos. #UntilEveryCageIsEmpty
If there is a donation page for your cause please let me know
I just subbed to your YT. I have a series called Vegans across the World, on my channel. I interviewed Nataly (the AV Organizer for Guaynabo) and we talked about that zoo. I also just interviewed Georges Hayek (Lebanese Vegans) and he was talking about working on shutting down their zoo, in Lebanon. Please watch those if you can! I think you all might be able to strengthen your campaigns if you strategize, together? Thank you for battling the zoo!
@@trashcarcass Very cool! Happy to have you. I'll be dropping a HUGE video tomorrow on which I've been working on for a week. Nataly is great. Wish I could go cubing more often!
They should show this video in all schools
Yes and then let the children out to be free too. 🙏
they should show all of Ed's videos in schools! they're so good.
Absolutely
They should put it in front of zoos while pople are coming in the zoos.
It’s too bad one of the first field trips they take school children is to a zoo... either that or a supermarket
Horses also exhibit zoochosis in barnyards and stalls. We don't talk about horse riding enough as vegans. Some vegans even think horse riding is fine and ok
its definitely not
Then they’re not vegan.
This makes me feel impatient, deeply sad ,and helpless. And I know part of what Ed knows via his videos. I can't imagine how you manage your mental state as you read and research for these videos, Ed. Much Respect!
The more I realize how many people don't care, the more depressed and hopeless I feel. It is encouraging though to know how fast veganism is growing🌱💕😘
@@AdelineCowgirl Same here...
My thoughts and feelings precisely.
His whole channel is built upon this "coming of end" idea that many of us are very sensitive to.
It is your everyday sensationalism as we see, say, with Greta Th. and so on. Pick something, make a one-sided end of day report on it and get views.
That being said, I am not dismissing his infos completely but I also don't agree with much of what he has to say, just from a common sense point of view or as someone who just happens to know about the other side of the coin.
Oh well… in a 100 years climate change has us all killed. Just 100 years and animals have to suffer no more. The sad part is, they will die due to climate change as well.
The same people who won't accept that zoos aren't good for animals are the same people who get pissed off when you tell them that you shouldn't feed ducks bread.
At least the ducks are free.
Today's people are like zombies, they don't know who they are, Who is their Supreme Father, what they do here, where will they go soon, no any important thing of life they know, they threw that piece of bread to the swans and ducks and instantly, they forgot that they threw it.. Poor they...
And probs the same people who got sick of being stuck at home. That was all of us
Weird equivalence. Anytime I've told someone not to feed ducks bread they thank me for the information.
Just because it’s not very nutritious for them doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feed them, we all eat stuff we shouldn’t. What’s the difference.
I used to work at a well known, accredited AZA zoo in a quarantine department with critically endangered toads. One year we had an unplanned mating and we began to raise up the tadpoles into toadlets to release back into the wild. But the vet decided that they werent wanted because they hadn't planned that pairing and there just wasn't the funds to raise them up over a month( would have only cost a few bucks) so the toadlets were dumped en masse into a cup filled with toxins...they were dead within a minute. A critically endangered species that we claimed to be trying to help, killed because they took nature into their own hands in a department so poorly funded and out of the public eye that we couldn't get a replacement squeegee, but it's okay the zoo found money to get all the chimps new ipads
Loved the zoo as a child but once I became a teenager I could see how depressed these animals were and how unnatural it was and it pissed me off that people were making a profit from it. Haven’t been to a zoo since. Wonderful video as always Ed 💜
in well managed zoos animals have huge naturalistic areas and do pretty well.
There have different type of zoos in the world. I have seen several bad zoos in my travel. They can fall into two camps. Some zoos are bad though commercial ‘penny pinching’ and some are bad though ignorance (Dickinson, 2022). Fortunately, These zoo are changing and fewer and fewer exist nowadays. Closing zoos or not going to zoos may not be the best solution. The main solution is education. Zoos and aquariums have the opportunity to educate the public and inform them the plight of the animals in their original habitat and instill wildlife appreciation sense.
We can not deny that zoos have do a lot of animal conservation.The animals can be ‘parked’ at the conservation zoos until they have ability to return back to the wild or have a chance survive in the natural environment (Science Daily, 2011).Every year the World Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s members have spend roughly US$350 million on conservation projects on the wild (Wild Welfare, n.d.). Additionally, Los Angeles Zoo and San Diego Zoo have strengthen endangered California condor population after 10 years working (Dickinson, 2022). Beside, to ensure survival for many threatened and endangered species in the planet, Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) participate in Species Survival programs. For example, reintroduction programs, captive breeding, public education etc (Bove, 2021).
So, you're pissed that conservationists are making money?
William Oscar Garvin: the problem is the animals don't have freedom because of the hunters killing them. That's why now people are keeping them in zoos to keep them safe from the hunters And if we didn't , I guarantee we We'll never get the chance to see the animals which I think that will happen And what do you have to say about that And what do you think about that.
I’m going to add this: it *depends* on many factors if a zoo is good or bad. In fact, there is no black and white answer. (Imagine that!)
Zoos can be bad if the enclosures are way too small for the animal (like if you put a lion in a small kennel or a snake in a container where it can’t stretch out), and if there’s no enrichments in their area (like rocks and plants according to the animal). It can also obviously be bad if the animals aren’t properly taken care of as well as if the animals were just captured from the wild (unless for exceptions).
Zoos can also be good for many reasons. Zoos can help stop extinction in a species which has happened many times before. They also are the best option for captive-bred animals since that’s all they know and if you put them in the wild, they will most certainly die. And animals can be happy and healthy (which in many zoos actually are) if they are being properly taken care of and have a sizable living environment. Zoos can also be very educational for children and adults.
Of course there’s more that could be discussed but you shouldn’t take something and give it a black and white answer since that’s just not the reality. Zoos can be very bad and zoos can also be very good. It *depends*
@@okayum This video is extremely bias and by someone with no authority to be speaking about conservation. Do you really think that bringing back animals, such as the Guam rail and California Condor, from extinction in the wild isn't a good enough reason? Do you think bringing back hundreds of insects and herps came from extinction in the wild or from being critically endangered isn't good enough? Do you think having programs to teach farming to people in places where poaching is happening due to people needing to find a way to pay for food for their families isn't good enough? Do you think taking in animals that were raised in apartments or in bathtubs that could never be returned to the wild isn't good enough? Do you think taking in injured animals that wouldn't survive another day in their natural environments isn't good enough?
Every argument in this video was bias. I agree there are terrible zoos in the world and that it's important to target those zoos. However, bashing places that are making a difference hurts them. Zoos, even accredited ones, get little funding and all of it goes back to the animals, education programs, and conservation. We need visitors to make a difference! That is why there is money involved.
It's quite sad that you believe points made by an amateur with no credentials over the biologists, zoologists, and wildlife scientists that work in and with zoos.
@@ipurpleu1668 I've been thinking about this all day and yeah you're right, shouldn't have commented
@@okayum nah hes right.
very true
@@ipurpleu1668 Oh wow i agree with you a 100%
I get more and more depressive every year when i see how in generell animals suffer and especially elephants. I spend money every year to elephant organisations but it seems like even with all the years the organisations cant handle the decrease of elephant deaths. In the near future Elephants are the most in endangered animal on the plant. And the fact that these animals are so intelligent makes it even more hard because imagen you lost your family member or you are stuck in a mudwhole and you will die. And all the suffer because humans, i can understand people who hate other humans.
WilliamOscarGarvin:guess what Even if animals get depressed, but guess what One thing I don't realize is that there already been hunted out in the wild by the poachers, if it wasn't forther zoos.I guarantee if we don't see animals alive todayWell, guess what? Even if animals get depressed, but guess what? One thing I don't realize is that there already been hunted out in the wild by the poachers, if it wasn't for the zoo I guarantee we don't see animals alive today So is that the way we want that to happen and release them out back out of the wild.
William Oscar Garvin: plus animals will be extinct out the wild anyway, if it wasn't for people putting them in the zoo. So I guess that's the way we are going to go that way, allowing hunters to Hunt them if that's what you people argue about the zoo's being bad for the animals and what do You have to
Say about that people. What do you at think about that? What should we do about them hunters
I really appreciate this video. I have had a complicated relationship with zoos for most of my life. I'm studying wildlife ecology, so for a long time it was my dream to work at a zoo. Until one day I went to an interview for an internship at one. It is the largest zoo in Wisconsin. It looked amazing from an outside perspective, but I was taken on a tour through the whole zoo. The overwinter cages were tiny, I walked into one of the buildings containing the animals and they were in cages the size of horse stalls, screaming. I looked to my left and saw body parts of a deer in a barrel (captive deer were free-ranging the zoo just outside the building..). After the whole tour I was shown the area in which rats were bred for food. They asked me if I would be comfortable killing rats each day by whacking their heads on the counter until death. I said no. That shook me a bit. Out of curiosity I wondered how anyone could stand doing an internship there, I mean, my professors recommended it to me. I emailed a previous intern and she told me that the whole thing was a horrible experience. She said the walk-through parakeet garden often had problems with guests stepping on the birds. The interns were told to stomp the birds to put them out of their misery if they were injured.
After that whole experience I decided it is much too hard to figure out which zoos are "good" zoos and which zoos are exploitative and in it for only the money. Many of them look so beautiful from the outside, but the nature of capitalism encourages exploitation. Perhaps captivity is not inherently bad, but I cannot trust zoos anymore.
Omg, that's a horrific story.... I can't imagine doing that job either. 😢😢😢
That makes me genuinely sad. Thank you for sharing.
You make some really good point but i also think you take it to the extreme:
Not all zoos prioritize the captive breeding over the wellfare of the animals and many take care of the animals even if they can no longer reproduce: my local zoo keept his old rhino until it pass of old age; they even save some springbok that were going to be shot down because of incompatible gene pool; the same zoo have a successful breeding programm for their cople of bearded vulture whose chicks have been successfully returned to the wild.
The reason many zoos can’t reproduce ad many critically endangered animals its because of their critically endangered and not easy to obtain or maintain, because of certain features or diet
Yes, many animals kept in zoos are not threatened, but they are also individual that are injured or can’t be released in the wild
Also i dont think its fare saying that captive breeding program have low success, there are many animals saved from extinction by captive breeding: California condor, Addax, Scimitar oryx, Spix’s macaw and Père David’s deer that are extint in the wild and only survive in captivity
Heck, look at giant panda and the result of their captive breeding program
That been said, i agree that certain animals are not suited for the life in captivity, especially intelligent animals like whale, dolphins, elephants, and the majority of the big ape (or at least they have to be kept in a suited habitat), but i don’t think national reserve are impeccable either, a poacher can sneake easily under the radar of ranger in a vast area even if its a protected area, and protected area can’t save animals from climate change, drought or illness
So I think we SHOULDN’T antagonize ALL zoo but begin to distinguish which ones really care about animal protection and the one that are open only to take profit
All zoos are bad cuz the animals Wana be free.
Injured animals can go to a rehabilitation center who only keeps animals who are so sick or injured that they will likely die quickly if released, and try to fix the animals so they can be released.
Breeding animals shouldn't be allowed. They don't Wana be locked up. They often do not want their private parts touched. If an endangered animals wants to breed it should be their choice free in the wild, not humans choice.
just cuz a species isn't as intelligent doesn't mean it's ok to lock that species up.
would u rather be locked in prison for life for your own safety? No.
Would u rather live a long life locked in a prison cell, or a short life free? Most probably choose short free life. No one likes being locked up against their will...
I prefer they be free than be saved from extinction.
Why do u care if they r extincted or not?, Especially if they r just going to sit in a zoo, they arnt benifiting the environment or ecology in a zoo.
If putting them in a zoo to protect them from poachers then your going to release them back into the wild, it's better to just protect the wild endangered animals from poachers and from people damageing the animals wild habitat they need to live in the first place.
Donate to wild life rangers who do that instead of supporting zoos.
Promote veganism cuz animal agriculture is a leading cause of animal endangerment and extinction by farmers taking over and damageing the animals wild habitat and killing endangered animals who may eat their livestock or crops.
Don't lock up the victim which is the animal. Lock up the criminal which is the poacher.
But many zoos have no intention of ever putting them back into the wild cuz they care about money cuz zoos are for entertainment, plus they sometimes make up excuses like the animal is to dumb or tame torward humans to put in the wild, but it can be trained to live in the wild, there r various cases of people training animals born in capitivity who were socialized to humans to go live in the wild successfully.
@@bvegannow1936 I wouldn’t use ‘farmers take away native animal’s habitat to farm animals’ as an argument to go vegan considering some of the ‘essential’ vegan foods like avocados and almonds are notorious for this.
@@bvegannow1936 zoo can be beneficial like example pandas. Pandas is bad at breeding yet parenting. They breed once 2 year and Give birth 1 offspring. If they give birth twin they only care 1 of it and ignore rest. Without zoo this can drive them to extinction.
To be fair, there are hunters that snuck in a zoo for some trophies a few years ago in France.
@@bvegannow1936 I think you're missing the point here... I understand what you mean about an animal not wanting to mate and reproduce, but if it means the extinction for them not to do so, it must be done to ensure they are there in the long run. And I understand your point of them not effecting the ecology from within a zoo, but the reintroduction of their offspring will effect the environment. Repopulation efforts are already being done for grey wolves, black bears, and mountain lions in missouri to curb the deer population. When humans first fully settled in the area, these large carnivores and omnivores were hunted and displaced. Thus deer have become a pest to us as they arent able to be trimmed down all the way, even with yearly hunting. So, the reintroduction of a species is vital. It is also being done with animals that were bred in captivity but released into the wild. And I think that's a great thing. Not only for the large predators, but for the deer as well. Over population leads to illnesses spreading more easily and famine spreading quickly. Not to mention public safety, especially when it comes to car accidents caused by the deer. So a lower population means the remaining population will be happier. And all of this can happen due to captive breeding programs.
This is such important knowledge. Zoos are not happy places and I can't believe people still view them as such. But that's why information like this must be spread far and wide. Thanks for making this.
You really are delusional, educate yourself on zoos and facilities before making dumb statements
I am so ashamed with my earlier pictures with dolphins in captivity (((😥
Excellent video, very informative. Ed is the gift to humanity!
Don’t beat yourself up. When you know better, you do better. 😊
Great video as usual Ed. Animal exploitation and cruelty in zoos is often ignored.
I appreciate the sentiment here but I just can't agree. A HUGE problem that occurs when people speak about zoo animals is the anthropomorphisation of the animals. Apes aren't "sad and depressed" they just have a face that looks like that, and the videos you showed at the start of animals pacing are almost all from non-accredited roadside zoos. Additionally, whilst yes some enclosures may not be good enough, zoos have changed fundamentally in the last 30 or so years, with enclosures being upgraded and made better.
The nature documentaries are great but how many people support conservation charities as a result of watching a David Attenborough? I garuntee those documentaries do less for raising money for wildlife charities than a zoo does.
Every animal is losing habitat. If you don't see that then you must be blindly optimistic. Yes, not every animal is critically endangered, but cheetahs are listed as vulnerable and there's only 7000 left in the wild with 500 cubs poached a year. Lion populations have halved in 30 years.
Breeding programmes are there to have a population in reserve to supplement the wild population. The Amur Leopard numbered 35 about 15 years ago, now it nears 100 but with a risk of inbreeding going on. Carefully managed breeding programmes help eliminate the risk of inbreeding in zoos, animals can't do that in the wild! Imagine the island of Sumatra got hit by a tsunami, and all the wildlife was wiped out. Without zoos all those animals are gone forever.
Yes in an ideal world, zoos wouldn't be necessary, but the world is one hell of a mess right now with poaching rife, climate change ruining ecological cycles, humans doing whatever the hell they want. If there's no wild for them to be then they'll go extinct!
Let the accredited zoos get better, and target the roadside zoos and private collections before you go after places that do raise money, and don't tarnish them with the same brush.
@Sleazy Humanity depends if we are an endangered species or not, if we were bound for extinction at the hands of these robots then yeah. I completely agree not every species needs to be kept in captivity. Orcas, meerkats, anything listed as least concern etc. However the threatened species on this planet are being cut down in swathes, and that is ONLY down to humans. We are at fault for putting animals in the situation where a life in a good and enriching zoo is safer than in the wild
Finally someone who knows what they are talking about
It's obvious like almost all zoo animals are often sad and depressed. So u also think human inmates r not sad and depressed? But even if u can't see that, they want to be free. Just like u would want to be free. If u gave them the choice they would choose freedom. That's all that pretty much matters thats why zoos should be shut down.
I've been to zoos, the animals looked depressed. They were large exspesnive zoos. They never encouraged anyone to donate to wildlife chairties. If wildlife chairties are better than zoos, then the zoos shouldn't exist. U don't need a zoo to get people to donate to wildlife chairties. Zoos should just shut down, put their animals in the wild, and if they want they can encourage the public to donate to protect animals in the wild instead.
They r loosing habitat mostly cuz animal agriculture. So if u care u should encourage everyone to eat plant based and do so yourself.
It's better to just protect them in the wild so they can breed in the wild.
The animals don't Wana be locked up and often don't want their private parts touched. U probably wouldn't Wana be locked up with someone u don't Wana breed with who's trying to breed with u. Wild Animals should have the choice if they Wana breed or not in the wild, it should not be the humans choice.
Zoos r not nessicary. But if they were it better to just let the animals go extinct. Why not? Animals have been going extinct maybe before humans existed and still r going extincted, yet humans population keeps going up.
I prefer they be free than be saved from extinction. Why do u care if they r extincted or not?, Especially if they r just going to sit in a zoo, they arnt benifiting the environment or ecology in a zoo.
If putting them in a zoo to protect them from poachers then your going to release them back into the wild, it's better to just protect the wild endangered animals from poachers and from people damageing the animals wild habitat they need to live in the first place.
Donate to wild life rangers who do that instead of supporting zoos.
Promote veganism cuz animal agriculture is a leading cause of animal endangerment and extinction by farmers taking over and damageing the animals wild habitat and killing endangered animals who may eat their livestock or crops.
Don't lock up the victim which is the animal. Lock up the criminal which is the poacher.
But many zoos have no intention of ever putting them back into the wild cuz they care about money cuz zoos are for entertainment, plus they sometimes make up excuses like the animal is to dumb or tame torward humans to put in the wild, but it can be trained to live in the wild, there r various cases of people training animals born in capitivity who were socialized to humans to go live in the wild successfully.
Thank you very much I fully agree with you
@@bvegannow1936 How would you identify a depressed or sad animals from the opposite side of a barrier? You see an animal sleeping, it is sleeping. You see an animals resting, it is resting. Animals do not run around all day. They are active when they are hunting, being chased by predators, or, with some species as young, playing around. Besides that, they rest or bond with group members if they are an animal that belong in a group. Also, most animals are active in the morning and when it's chillier out. Most zoos don't even open until 9 or 10 and most guests don't come until noon, when most animals are already having their mid-day naps.
Stress-levels of animals in zoos have been studied to be significantly lower than animals in the wild. If they were 'depressed and sad', that wouldn't be the case.
And what do you mean 'most zoos don't have any intention to putting them back in the wild'? Accredited zoos have put 100s of animals back into the wild! Hundreds of animals have been saved from extinction due to zoos. Just one example, the Guam rail went extinct in the wild over 20 years ago, but zoos were able to reintroduce them. They became the second bird to ever be saved from extinction in the wild. And there are tens of species of insects and herps that have also been. People just don't care about insect and herps so they don't know about how much zoos are actually helping them and their environments.
Are you seriously saying you would rather just have them extinct? And that you don't care? You should care! There is a difference between an animals naturally going extinct and humans forcing them to, which is what is happening with every species of animal in the world. Even animals on the 'least concern' list are still at great risk due to deforestation, agriculture expansion, poaching, pollution, and many other things! Each species on this earth is a part of the ecosystem and affects it, including affecting people. The health of the environment affects humans and the same goes the other way around. You are clearing extremely uneducated. This is the problem with most people today, they don't care about saving the only planet we have!
The last time I was at the zoo is when I was in about 3rd grade. I never heard of anything called "zoochosia" then but I faintly remember some of the other animals were pacing around but of course I didn't understand then. Seeing videos like this is really an eye opener. It's like the animal version of a mental hospital/jail Saddening.
I never realized how much conservation washing zoos did. With all the recent advances in animatronics, we really have no excuse to continue torturing real animals (not that we ever did).
Hypocrite
Not only can we use animatronics, we can also use virtual reality.
@Assassin 9958 more cult drone nonsense
@Assassin 9958 nice projection cult drone
@Assassin 9958 more vegan cult insanity
Next week i'll celebrate my 1 year being vegan anniversary . So much thanks to you for all your amazing work, which was a big part of me getting there. Love your work Ed, so looking forward to your book, which i've pre ordered.
Honestly a lot of this video sounds more convincing as an argument against the keeping of animal species that don't do well in zoos rather than an argument to get rid of zoos. After all it's been well documented most animals live longer and healthier lives in captivity than in the wild, yet the video focuses on a select few species that don't.
The species that live longer in zoos are typically those with a short life span, high reproductive rate and high mortality in the wild.
Species with a slower pace of life (i.e. a long life span, low reproduction rate and low mortality in the wild) benefit less from captivity in terms of longevity; in such species, there is probably less potential for a reduction in mortality.
Besides that, it was mentioned in the video how they are medicating animals due to the intense stress of the supposed "wellbeing" that is being given to them by the zoos. I would argue that saying "longer _and_ healthier" is not really accurate considering mental health is more complex than the simple removal of threats in lieu of a sanitised and caged environment.
I think also the main reason Ed focuses on these animals, is because those are the ones which attract the most people to zoos, and the footage speaks for itself.
@@cornsockgabz certainly, but claiming zoos deny an animal mental health ignores all the ways good zoos address this through variousforms of enrichment and exercise. Not to mention all the stresses of life in the wild that animals in zoos don't have to deal with.
I am so happy this video was made. More videos and awareness on the cruelty of zoos and aquariums need to be made and shared
I'd be so happy if Ed got a Netflix deal or sth similar to further the reach of these important messages!
This broke me, I want to cry for these poor animals 💔
I’ve heard of the horrors these captive animals endure, but still didn’t know the half of it - the truth is even more horrific than I could’ve imagined. Wtf is wrong with people, treating animals in these disgusting, degrading and damaging ways? When will we learn to leave the animals TF alone? 😓😓😓 That day cannot come soon enough.
I teared up too
Not all zoos are bad, I know a list of zoos which its animals exhibit normal behaviours as seen in its wild conspecifics. A lot of zoos provide environmental enrichment which help stimulate naturalistic behaviours and increases its activity time budget. Furthermore, I've seen an abundance of zoos which its enclosures are well designed and have done a great job of replicating its wild form.
Zoos have come a long way from its first generation of enclosure design of metal bars and concrete floors - these can still be seen in many countries where the main focus of terrible conditions are. But currently, lots of modern zoos have come a long way in their enclosure design in which their as naturalistic as possible and helps meet the behavioural and physiological needs of the animals in its collections.
Zoos do not treat animals in disgusting, degrading, and damaging ways. At least accredited institutions don't. These animals have better care, food, and healthcare than most humans do. They have more room than what is even seen by the public and live very stress-free lives. Studies show that most animals live longer under human care and that they have lower stress-levels under human care. Professional human care!
And here is also the thing, there is no wild for these animals! Everyone keeps saying things like 'they belong in the wild', 'put them back in the wild', etc. There is barely a wild to put these animals back into. And if there is, they do! Zoos are responsible for bringing back MULTIPLE species from extinction in the wild. For example, the Guam rail has been extinct in the wild for over 20 years and thanks to accredited zoos, they are back in the wild with a sustainable populations. Same with California Condors and many other species. Of course there are bad zoos, I am 100% for speaking out about places that harm and abuse their animals. But simplifing it into this black and white situation is just wrong.
not all zoos are bad
@@johnho9546 watch the video again. Every good point of a zoo can be done with a sanctuary instead. Zoos are just for human entertainment, exploiting animals
I want to point out several things:
1) At 1:29 the giraffes at that zoo are only in that place 24/7 during the cold weather months, but come the warm weather months those giraffes are always outdoors with PLENTY OF space to roam around.
2) Speaking of giraffes, in the case of that one giraffe that was killed at the Copenhagen Zoo, other zoos in Europe offered to take in that giraffe, but officials at the Copenhagen Zoo still decided to put the giraffe down. What followed after the giraffe's death was in a way educational to the visitors that day for they must have learned about the Anatomy and Physiology of giraffes and how they work, and instead of letting all that meat go to waste, was given to the lions to also educate people that nothing goes to waste in nature.
3) In the case of those four lions being killed at the Copenhagen Zoo in order to make way for a new male lion for breeding purposes, this DOES happen in the wild whenever male lions take over a pride after defeating the resident males. The first thing that they do afterwards is kill the cubs of the previous males in order to get the females to sire their own cubs, and seeing as how 2 of the lions that were killed at the Copenhagen Zoo were cubs, that explains everything. If Copenhagen Zoo officials were to put the new male lion with the current male lion and his cubs, you bet that all hell would've broken lose where the former resident would have been severely injured and his cubs killed by the new male; and let's not forget that nobody wants to see animals killing each other in accredited zoos.
4) The thing with inbreeding in zoos goes way back before animals were properly kept in captivity in ways that denied inbreeding, for this was a time when zoos were viewed more as having as many animal species as possible in order to boast their menageries; and the time that I'm talking about is prior to the 21st century. In order to to aquire as animals as possible, zoos in the past kept their animals in exhibits that were no bigger than many people's bedrooms. But when we started to learn more that were more to animals than just having them on display for people to gawk at, the exhibits at zoos became bigger and appeared more natural to where they are today. Unfortunately, the decades, or even centuries, of inbreeding are still being felt, and will take many more years, even decades to correct.
5) Although the vast majority of animal species in zoos aren't endangered or critically endangered, the purpose of zoos is to show people how biologically diverse the world that we live in is, even if not every animal species is endangered or critically endangered.
6) In regards to animals being taken out of the wild, what are reasons why those animals had to be taken out of the wild and placed in zoos. What if they were causing problems to local communities or if their habitats were about to destroyed, and if they weren't placed into zoos would have either died or have been killed. But once those animals are placed in zoos, they ambassadors for their species and to educate people about problems that got them placed in zoos in the first place, with the hope that others like them won't meet the same fate, as long as people have becomes educated and made aware of their plights in the wild and make reasonable choices to preserve what we have left on this planet.
7) In terms of the amount of money that zoos give to conservation organizations, zoos still need money to care for their animals by providing them with nutrition, health, and removing their waste products, which of course requires people to do, which also means that the employees ( zookeepers ) must be paid for their services or else the animals won't be properly cared for.
8) As for animal species that you don't see in zoos, like Humpback and Blue Whales, which were mentioned in the video, when people are inspired to see the animal species that you DO SEE in zoos in their natural habitats, that is when they see the ones that you DON'T SEE in zoos, and those people then become inspired to help preserve those animals too.
9) This I feel is the MOST IMPORTANT REASON WHY WE HAVE ZOOS. For most people, they will never have the time or money to see many of the animal species that they see often in zoos in the wild, considering that many animal species in zoos are naturally found half a world away ( on the other side of the world ). So zoos offer people a chance to see these animals up close and in person all while not spending a lot of money and traveling very far; and I know that this comes at the cost of the animals' freedoms, but seeing a wild animal up close and in person can be very life changing, as it has for me. So much so that zoos are what actually inspired my love and desire for the natural world. So in hind sight, zoos are what I call a necessary evil. It is only hoped that the animals in zoos actually inspire people to care about our world. Now true watching nature documentaries also inspires us to converse the natural world, it still doesn't beat seeing those animals up close and in person.
Thank you for being SMART!! I could kiss you!
I'm not defending the video, but why was the giraffe put down instead of being sent to a different zoo? That sounds odd to me
@@quetzilla762 It would seem as though that Copenhagen Zoo officials wanted to give zoo visitors an educational lecture on the Anatomy and Physiology of giraffes. Which is why they dissected the giraffe in front of all of those visitors, and instead of letting all that meat go to waste, was fed to the zoo's lions, which are the only known natural predator of giraffes.
@@athreetoeds1oth21 You could do the same thing with graphs and models lol
@@shaydenismat7786 True, but then again, they wanted to give visitors a more immersive, hands - on experience by actually seeing the inner workings of a giraffe in person. Sometimes graphs and models don't do justice when learning about the Anatomy and Physiology of a living thing.
Chilling. Thanks for educating us.
NOT ALL ZOOS ARE BAD. I think it all depends on what country you are from. If you are from somewhere where the general state of most of their zoos are very unacceptable, then I can understand why you might have this view on them especially if that is all you have seen of them. But a hell of a lot of them, especially in Britain and Ireland, are for conservation purposes, like donkey sanctuaries & monkey world in England, and Belfast zoo in Northern Ireland where I’m from, they are literally all rescue animals from neglected backgrounds & circuses and laboratories. Would you have the same views about them?
Not all animals in zoos go ‘mad’ or ‘insane.’ Most of them are there for people to be educated about the animals & to help people that see them in person, especially young kids understand the importance of being kind to all animals & nature. It’s not a bad thing to have animals in zoos, but it all depends on how the zoo is run. If they are kept well fed, and they are stimulated with toys and play, and they are seen by vets on a regular basis, and they are treated like actual animals then I see no problem with zoos. There I’ve said it.
Is keeping an animal in a cage justified because you can be educated about them?
Would you want to be in a cage?
@@straberryshinigami15g97 did you lit not read anything I just said? The first paragraph: they are RESCUED animals from people’s homes & so-called ‘acceptable’ zoos where they’re treated poorly & have tiny enclosures with poor quality nutrition and no stimulus. obviously you need to do your research better. There are thousands of monkeys in monkey world in England where they were rescued from being beach photographer’s assistants & made to take pics with tourists & wear stupid clothes & treated like crap, then they are rescued & go to the sanctuary where they are basically in a smaller version of their natural habitat & they’re properly cared for by people who acc love animals
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How can a human not be moved by animals suffering like this? This is really sad. Full stop.
Brings me such sorrow I just don’t understand how you could be aware of this suffering, see it, know it’s happening, yet still participate and contribute to the suffering.😔
Ed never stop your work. 🌱
People do similar things when they're locked up in jail.
thank you so much for this video Ed!! It’s super important information, and definitely something that’s not super obvious. Thanks so much for exposing these industries, and educating the public!
Lying to the public*
« Oh hey, let'z go having fun watching depressed individuals in prisons and then let's have dinner eating other individuals while having so much fun! :D »
This is the logic of the majority of people... and most of them don't even realise it. I'm so done with life...
I feel you. :c
Another efficient, visually stunning, and expertly put together edit. Learned a lot from this, and definitely want to check out that book. Thanks. 💚👏
Ikr, his videos are beyond professional. It feels a huge crew made this.
Not really it had a lot wrong that I already addressed As someone studying zoology, animal behavior, animal husbandry, and welfare you have either misrepresented or downright not given full information on most of the topics of concern you covered in this video. This is disappointing to say the least considering you have such a large platform and people looking to you for accurate perspective .
I and going to Andrews some of the topics of conversation brought up and address them in a full light so you as well as the audience can revaluate the conclusions you have drawn here
Starting with “zoochosis” which is not even a realistic term to describe stereotypical behaviors as they happen for wildly different positive and negative reasons for various animals it’s not just the same for every species and it’s not just “cause captivity”
Have you ever noticed that most animals seem doing these behaviors are in poorly designed or ill structured/outdated habitats, or belong to small for profit zoos that aren’t welfare accredited facilities. It’s because stress related stereotypical behaviors aren’t simply a issue of a animal not in its natural habitat but of poor habitat design. Their are many animals that live lives free of stereotypical behavior in properly designed habitats
But shockingly enough many stereotypical behaviors aren’t even necessarily negative. Many stereotypical behaviors are actually associated more with excitement or keepers interaction pacing or running is also behavior synonymous with keeper interaction and yes as I said excitement or even curiosity
As for reintroduction and conservation programs and contributions it’s not just the direct conservation programs and reintroduction programs zoos fund directly but the ones they co fund, supply research for, and supply specialist to assist with.
Also reintroduction that were either started or contributed by zoos are not rare in fact AZA zoos contribute or aid most of the larger integration conservation efforts the USA participates in
As far as education not only are they educating the public, but with education of specialist, and the education value of research they are doing and public resourced made available to larger conservation institutions.
As far as lifespans go I will agree not many facilities keep elephants or cetaceans well. In fact only a select few do it anywhere near properly.
However have you looked at the captive lifespans for animals such as lions, tigers, bears, primates, and ungulates? They are much higher than wild lifespans some are doubled even tripled.
Even with elephants and cetaceans not normally meeting Their wild lifespans in zoos their are many zoos and aquariums that have these same animals exceeding their lifespans under new care guidelines and standards.
“Elephants roam large distances in the wild” yes they do, but not as a physics need to exercise, elephants roam to follow seasonal food and water supplies. Areas that have dense food and water supplies have generations of elephants staying in the same smaller area without ever migrating.
Also it has been proven that enrichment programs are better for animals physically and mentally than just large spaces.
There are elephants in sanctuaries with insanely large areas to roam, and they show more stress related stereotypical behavior than elephants in zoological facilities because of poor enrichment programs.
The same goes with cetaceans in sea side sanctuaries and sea pens, many even die due to complication and self harm related to poor mental health due to a lack of enrichment programs.
“Elephants are taken from the wild”
They have been for zoological facility programs in the US it’s true, but the animals involved were problem males, males taken from games reserves, and females and caves that were seized from the animal illegal trade or separated from their herds.
They didn’t just fly in and take random wild elephants most of the animals they took would have died if left were they were
As far as inbreeding goes. I can’t speak of the EAZA but the AZA has a dna track and register for all animals they breed. Inbreeding hasn’t been a factor in decades.
Same goes to killing animals the AZA doesn’t do this they have locos relationships with sanctuaries when surplus animals are to be had, but normally breeding programs are highly regulated
Alter and only done when approved by a board of animal welfare specialist.
“Most animals in zoos aren’t endangered” true however many of not all have endangered and critically endangered populations that face local extinction
“1$ to a conservation is better than 1$ to a zoo”
Not necessarily true or entirely the entire story. When someone buys a AZA zoo ticket they aren’t just supporting conservation organizations the zoos donate to they are funding rescue vet programs, conservation, rescue, and rehab programs the zoo takes on as a independent facility, local research, local conservation, and the education and research he of student biologist, ecologist, vets, and animal behaviorist.
Also most of the footage shown here were from smaller or poorly ran facilities. I don’t want to believe this was intentionally manipulative imagery to assist your side of the debate, so I will say this it is on us to advocate for proper zoological and marine zoological gardens.
This means not only AZA/EAZA accredited, but welfare accredited facilities, that have open information regarding all rescue work, rehab work, donations to conservation/research, have their own educational programs, conservation programs, and public research, are constantly improving animal care standards as part of their stated mission, and ones who have a legitimate history in doing these things.
In short zoos are not what they used to be if you lion at zoos 60 years ago you will see abuse, and exploitation, but that isn’t what the necessarily are today and defiantly not what they hope to be in the future.
Be a advocate for improvement, change, and evolution zoos and aquariums are on a decent track and do a lot of good if we can push them to become something h even better and even more than they are now the possibilities are endless
Look up the wilds in Ohio they are a sister location of Cincinnati zoo they keep large mammals and carnivores in open sanctuary like conditions, look up Nashville zoo who has some of the best animal care standards for the species they keep in the us including all sanctuaries and zoos.
Give Tennessee Aquarium a look they have immense natural environments for even their smallest animals many of their local fish species are in a bio dome that is a Appalachian riverside that has a weather system and seasons, most of their larger animals are rescues, and many of the smaller ones are bred in house for research active programs
Once again, this series is phenomenal in it's execution, and I fully support it. Unfortunately it results in me feeling more and more hopeless for humanity and my place in it. I guess it's the price I pay for being informed about the nature of reality.
Not really it has a lot wrong
Here’s a list I addressed
As someone studying zoology, animal behavior, animal husbandry, and welfare you have either misrepresented or downright not given full information on most of the topics of concern you covered in this video. This is disappointing to say the least considering you have such a large platform and people looking to you for accurate perspective .
I and going to Andrews some of the topics of conversation brought up and address them in a full light so you as well as the audience can revaluate the conclusions you have drawn here
Starting with “zoochosis” which is not even a realistic term to describe stereotypical behaviors as they happen for wildly different positive and negative reasons for various animals it’s not just the same for every species and it’s not just “cause captivity”
Have you ever noticed that most animals seem doing these behaviors are in poorly designed or ill structured/outdated habitats, or belong to small for profit zoos that aren’t welfare accredited facilities. It’s because stress related stereotypical behaviors aren’t simply a issue of a animal not in its natural habitat but of poor habitat design. Their are many animals that live lives free of stereotypical behavior in properly designed habitats
But shockingly enough many stereotypical behaviors aren’t even necessarily negative. Many stereotypical behaviors are actually associated more with excitement or keepers interaction pacing or running is also behavior synonymous with keeper interaction and yes as I said excitement or even curiosity
As for reintroduction and conservation programs and contributions it’s not just the direct conservation programs and reintroduction programs zoos fund directly but the ones they co fund, supply research for, and supply specialist to assist with.
Also reintroduction that were either started or contributed by zoos are not rare in fact AZA zoos contribute or aid most of the larger integration conservation efforts the USA participates in
As far as education not only are they educating the public, but with education of specialist, and the education value of research they are doing and public resourced made available to larger conservation institutions.
As far as lifespans go I will agree not many facilities keep elephants or cetaceans well. In fact only a select few do it anywhere near properly.
However have you looked at the captive lifespans for animals such as lions, tigers, bears, primates, and ungulates? They are much higher than wild lifespans some are doubled even tripled.
Even with elephants and cetaceans not normally meeting Their wild lifespans in zoos their are many zoos and aquariums that have these same animals exceeding their lifespans under new care guidelines and standards.
“Elephants roam large distances in the wild” yes they do, but not as a physics need to exercise, elephants roam to follow seasonal food and water supplies. Areas that have dense food and water supplies have generations of elephants staying in the same smaller area without ever migrating.
Also it has been proven that enrichment programs are better for animals physically and mentally than just large spaces.
There are elephants in sanctuaries with insanely large areas to roam, and they show more stress related stereotypical behavior than elephants in zoological facilities because of poor enrichment programs.
The same goes with cetaceans in sea side sanctuaries and sea pens, many even die due to complication and self harm related to poor mental health due to a lack of enrichment programs.
“Elephants are taken from the wild”
They have been for zoological facility programs in the US it’s true, but the animals involved were problem males, males taken from games reserves, and females and caves that were seized from the animal illegal trade or separated from their herds.
They didn’t just fly in and take random wild elephants most of the animals they took would have died if left were they were
As far as inbreeding goes. I can’t speak of the EAZA but the AZA has a dna track and register for all animals they breed. Inbreeding hasn’t been a factor in decades.
Same goes to killing animals the AZA doesn’t do this they have locos relationships with sanctuaries when surplus animals are to be had, but normally breeding programs are highly regulated
Alter and only done when approved by a board of animal welfare specialist.
“Most animals in zoos aren’t endangered” true however many of not all have endangered and critically endangered populations that face local extinction
“1$ to a conservation is better than 1$ to a zoo”
Not necessarily true or entirely the entire story. When someone buys a AZA zoo ticket they aren’t just supporting conservation organizations the zoos donate to they are funding rescue vet programs, conservation, rescue, and rehab programs the zoo takes on as a independent facility, local research, local conservation, and the education and research he of student biologist, ecologist, vets, and animal behaviorist.
Also most of the footage shown here were from smaller or poorly ran facilities. I don’t want to believe this was intentionally manipulative imagery to assist your side of the debate, so I will say this it is on us to advocate for proper zoological and marine zoological gardens.
This means not only AZA/EAZA accredited, but welfare accredited facilities, that have open information regarding all rescue work, rehab work, donations to conservation/research, have their own educational programs, conservation programs, and public research, are constantly improving animal care standards as part of their stated mission, and ones who have a legitimate history in doing these things.
In short zoos are not what they used to be if you lion at zoos 60 years ago you will see abuse, and exploitation, but that isn’t what the necessarily are today and defiantly not what they hope to be in the future.
Be a advocate for improvement, change, and evolution zoos and aquariums are on a decent track and do a lot of good if we can push them to become something h even better and even more than they are now the possibilities are endless
Look up the wilds in Ohio they are a sister location of Cincinnati zoo they keep large mammals and carnivores in open sanctuary like conditions, look up Nashville zoo who has some of the best animal care standards for the species they keep in the us including all sanctuaries and zoos.
Give Tennessee Aquarium a look they have immense natural environments for even their smallest animals many of their local fish species are in a bio dome that is a Appalachian riverside that has a weather system and seasons, most of their larger animals are rescues, and many of the smaller ones are bred in house for research active programs
Look up how much zoos help insects. Then look up how much guys like this donate to help insects. You will realize that people like him are full of shit.
Stop blindly believing a yt video and do some critical drinking for yourself
ive asked this question several times on the discord. thanks for addressing it and blowing it out of the water with information as usual. the veil has been lifted.
So well researched, it is a long video but well worth the time!
Yet another brilliant video Ed, well done to you and your team xxx
This channel is why I went vegan 5 years ago, but I cannot begin to describe how far this channel has come since. It is absolutely the greatest educational resource for any new and aspiring vegan. It tackles such a host of issues, every myth / argument against veganism, and presents it in the most logical, rational, and factual manner. Ed, I'm just so proud of you. I don't have vegan friends, and my family doesn't support my decisions at all, but I find solace in this channel. Thank you for all you do for the animals. I can't wait to read your book
Thank you for being vegan, my friend🙏💚
Why are you believing points made by an amateur with no credentials over the biologists, zoologists, and wildlife scientists that work in and with zoos?
@@ipurpleu1668biologists, zoologists and wildlife scientists aren’t saying anything different, they’re just keeping there mouth shut about this topic.
@@ipurpleu1668 There's a really good animal planet show that shows 2 of the many many many many many many good zoos. This video is definitely cherry picking zoos to try and make you think all zoos are bad, ie; " They're killing animals that they considered surplus" is most likely not that true in many zoos, In the show they actively show what a zoo did to transfer animals they couldn't house anymore to a different zoo which put them in a new exhibit where you can still see them today. His book title which I've just learned 'This is Vegan Propaganda (And Other Lies the Meat Industry Tells You) ' pretty much sums up this video ( the first part only ) This guy is just spitting his own ideas with thin facts layered on. Yes zoos like he describes do exist, but he's using data from these zoos to compare it to all zoos, if you stepped foot into the san diego zoo, hell the phoenix zoo and looked at any of the animals they would be happy and content.
Hats off to the efforts taken to put up this video
Thankyou for educating on this issue....this was much needed...
In 2005 I took my grandson to London Zoo at Regents Park.
The only thing I really remember was when we were beside the thick glass barrier of the gorilla enclosure. We were surrounded by a large group of schoolchildren and some adults. On the other side of the glass was a gorilla sitting against a climbing structure no more than 3 metres away.
The gorilla was staring at a fixed point some 4 to 5 metres in front of him.
The thing that got me was the expression on his face. He was obviously severely depressed. I've never forgotten that!
Most zoos keep track of the individuals they are breeding, in order to prevent inbreeding and take related animals to other zoos if there’s a threat of inbreeding
Fantastic video Ed. Hope this gets shared widely. I was always torn about zoo's since i was taking on board what the zoo's themselves would say about their own ethics. Think i know which side of the fence i'm on now
So well done, thank you! I kept my daughter home today from a zoo field trip. We just watched this together and learned so much. We'll be following up with letters to the school. This afternoon we're visiting a farm animal sanctuary instead and we'll be bringing home some rescue hens so it will be a special day ✨ thanks for being part of it
I understand that the general public is unaware and unconscious about animal agriculture as its practices are carried out in a closed system or “in the dark” but it’s disappointing that people don’t recognize the obvious and literal confinement and exploitation of animals when it is happening RIGHT IN FRONT of them at zoos. Activists and people really need to spread this message and awareness to break this moral hiatus in humanity.
In many conversations I’ve had with people they are always under the impression that zoos operate for the benefit of conservation, or at least it’s the common “justification” they use, propaganda runs deeeep.
@@justroberto5052 How do you think the California Condor and the Guam rail came back from extinction in the wild? How do you think tens of insects and herps came back from extinction in the wild or from being critically endangered? Who do you think has programs to teach farming to people in places where poaching is happening due to people needing to find a way to pay for food for their families? Who do you think takes in animals that were raised in apartments or in bathtubs that could never be returned to the wild? Who do you think takes in injured animals that wouldn't survive another day in their natural environments? Who do you think is basically the only people in the world that actually do something to help animals, their environments, and the ecosystem?
Accredited zoos.
@@ipurpleu1668 a lot of that is government run programs.
@@justroberto5052 in zoos. Where else do you think they do it?
@@ipurpleu1668 At national parks and actual legitimate sanctuaries. Facilities built for the wellbeing of the animals, not the entertainment and profit of humans.
Nowadays, I still like zoos and I think they should be maintained in our society, but mostly as a place where we can do breeding programs to save and endangered specie or/and be the home of animals that had some some injury and can't live by their own anymore. There are good zoos out there, but of course, they are few when compared to the "zoos" that take advantage of their animals.
True
The informational videos Ed puts out are SO VALUABLE
So stoked for the book Ed!
The human being is the craziest animal that ever was and will be on Earth
Zoos are such a sad place. Why do humans have to be so selfish.
Hypocrite
@Anon Anon that’s about as intelligent as it gets from the vegan cult
@Anon Anon 😂
1:35 I remember hearing about those chimps last year, made me sad their lives had to end that way. It's so weird seeing you quote a news article about the city I grew up in, which normally doesn't really get talked about outside the NL. Small world indeed! Makes me feel that much more connected to your content and its relevance.
Really good information on the realities of animals in captivity! Thank you for all you do!
Thank you Ed for everything you do, you made me vegan!
Meet the real enemy: The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖
Share far and wide!
@@pacmanmcgavin7034 lol, educate yourself
I think the amount of money per visitor spent on conservation by zoos maybe isn't the best way of illustrating the effect that this does or does not have. It would've been more interesting to know how many percent of the zoos profits go towards conservation. I mean 80cents per visitor could be 5% or 90% of their profits, so it's hard to judge their actual efforts in that. I guess those numbers were probably hard to come by. Great Video as alway @Earthling Ed
Thank you Ed for raising this awareness! It’s so important
Those animals are so beautiful
Absolutely brilliant video! Been looking for something to share about zoos for years. Thanks Ed, loving that you are back doing these informative videos.
Why are you believing points made by an amateur with no credentials over the biologists, zoologists, and wildlife scientists that work in and with zoos?
@@ipurpleu1668 Hi there, thanks for asking - I am not going by Ed, I just happen to know he’s right - never assume things!! I only endorse what I have properly examined (both sides) Years of talking to such people and looking hard at the arguments. It’s a slam dunk no brainer - you only have to spend a few hours with an animal to see that cages and zoos are wrong. We have so many problems that conversationists zoos etc say they are helping to solve because of what humans have done to the earth, destroying the habitat of many animals for example. If you truly know animals and money isn’t involved it’s clear as day. Why don’t you do a quick google search find some peer reviewed studies and the like and see what you think. If you have already and believe zoos to be acceptable then we will have to respectfully agree to disagree :)
@@JM-ze2nh As a guest, you can’t understand anything about an animal. I have studied animal behavior for six years and worked with them for longer, and I still couldn’t claim to understand an animal I met “a couple hours ago”. I also fail to understand how you don’t believe in their conservation work. The Guam rail was literally put back into the wild and became the second bird taken off the extinct in the wild list thanks to zoos, same with the California Condor. Hundreds of insects, fish, and herps have been saved from extinction also because of zoos. It’s just because its not the “big cute” animals that people don’t care. If you cared about conservation, you would support AACREDITED zoos!
@@JM-ze2nh Maybe you have been to rodeside zoos
In AZA zoos animals have naturalistic huge areas. most animals are usually just sleeping.
also most leading animals exierts such as Jane Goodall Sir David Attenborough and Dian Fossey agree that zoos play an important role in conservation.
Thank you for the comprehensive breakdown. I hate zoos! The very first protest I ever organized as an activist was a zoo protest.
Was it a roadside zoo? Please don’t protest the proper ones that actually look after and care for their animals
@@theotheseaeagle They are all technically roadside zoos. Perhaps you didn't watch the video? There are no "proper" zoos/jails for the innocent.
@@trashcarcass I did watch the video and he’s just pointing out the super crappy roadside ones. I have NEVER seen big cats pacing or elephants “dancing”. People put zoos in one box thinking that they are all bad. I’ve been to flipping zoos before and made enrichment toys for the primates when I was younger. All of them were loving life. The whole “elephant calve mortality rates are higher in captivity” is false apart from in roadside zoos, in fact they actually only posses a mortality rate of 25%. Meanwhile in the wild it’s 35% and in roadside zoos it’s 40% mortality rate. And the giraffe incident? Yes that was a massive tragedy, but not all zoos are like that, which is what you supposed “activists” can’t seem to understand. Zoos certainly aren’t ideal, but they are necessary for the preservation of rare or endangered species, and while in the video he did argue that, most of the species in zoos aren’t even endangered, but the thing is, they are on the verge of becoming endangered and are near threatened. It would be nice to see them out in the wild, but at the moment that’s simply not possible. And it’s fine, if you don’t want to go to zoos, but trust me, don’t believe everything told to you in this video
@@theotheseaeagle All the BS you just commented makes me believe you either did NOT watch the FLIPPING video, or perhaps you are just too dense or human supremicist to comprehend. I happen to live up the street from where Harambe was killed. Zoos exist for REVENUE, first and foremost. And btw, bees don't make honey for you, either. Leave them the f*ck alone!
@@trashcarcass “human supremacist”? Let me spell it out real clear. I’m an animal lover, I’m fascinated by insects, birds, reptiles, mammals sea life. And I care about our environment greatly. I don’t have anything wrong with vegans, I think it’s perfectly fine if you people don’t want to eat eggs or meat or honey or dairy etc, but don’t force your beliefs onto other people, and don’t go believing all the propaganda about zoos. Yes it was tragic that Harambae was killed, but that was because he had hold of a child. Now I understand he may have been no threat to the child, in fact video evidence even shows he was trying to protect the child from the other gorillas, but how were the people who unfortunately shot Harambae supposed to know? I’m sure they don’t speak gorilla right? They were simply following what they had been told to do. I’m sure they didn’t want to shoot Harambae and were just as gutted about it as the rest of the public was
Great video, really summarised some things I already believed and opened my eyes to other things that I didn't.
Great video, hope it reaches a lot of people.
You are such a good public speaker. I would love to see you take on some other social issues as well, such as environmental justice or civil rights. A ton of people were influenced to go vegan because of your very convincing tedtalk, I think you could really make a difference in many other issues as well if you chose to.
As a vegan of over 3 years I've always had my doubts about zoos. I've never paid admittance for one since turning vegan, but shamefully I have allowed others to pay for me to visit as part of a family outing.
I've always struggled to explain why as a vegan visiting zoos is against our beliefs. The issue I have is that when you visit the likes of Longleat here in the UK, they're very heavy on the whole 'conservation' idea and when you arrive everyone else does the whole "look, they're a friendly, honest zoo". It's hard to argue, when you compare to the likes you'd find in poorer parts of the world, where conditions are much worse for the animals. However, this video has completely convinced me not to accept any excuse for what goes on behind the scenes.
People don't see past the beauty of the creatures in front of them. They take a photo and move on, not considering how the animal feels about being confined for life.
An excellent video, as always.
🌿
the examples used in this video are cherry picked to show you the worst examples from the shittiest zoos lmao, go to an aza zoo and see how happy the animals are there, how well they’re cared for. don’t let this poison dilute your mind lol
What’s the alternative to zoo’s, there’s no mention in this video. Just pointing out the obvious with no solutions. Dumb video.
@@LeafProductions triggered.
@@peterbigo9951 Sanctuaries?
@@peterbigo9951 Is having an alternative to enjoying looking at animals, really more important to you than the cruelty that happens to them for it? That's extremely selfish and harmful. These individuals deserve to not be exploited just for entertainment, whether there's an alternative or not. The solution is to stop funding them so they shut down.
We really need to talk about {insert here another form of animal abuse that people often don't realize that this is abuse}.
Meet the real enemy: The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖
Share far and wide!
Abuse tho
Hypocrite
Just read your book "30 Non-Vegan Excuses and How to Respond to Them" and loved it! Please make it an audiobook!!!
Zoos are ethical, well some are. Some aren't this video talks about the bad ones, or Roadside zoos. And applies it to all zoos.
Thank you Ed for just being you and doing what you do!❤💚
perfect!! my daughter's teacher has a field trip to the zoo this year.. and i was looking for a video i could show him to change his mind. I"m hoping we can instead take the kids to an animal sanctuary. This is exactly what i was looking for! as always, the best speaker for the animals!! Thanks Ed!
Love how well you present and make it so easy to understand
A very well done job on this video, I hope it reaches many.
Thank-you, Ed, for this great info.
So grateful you took the time to approach this!
This is the most comprehensive argument for this point I've seen online. I had to do a lot of research before choosing not to attend an AZA zoo with my friends about a month ago. This would have saved me, and surely will save many others, a ton of time.
He was entirely wrong about AZA zoos
All animals in AZA facilities are either rescues, rehab cases, members of vital research programs, or members of accredited species survival programs
The funding these facilities raise goes to conservation efforts, research, rehabilitation, rescue, animal care, sprocket medical expenses and the education. And did if. Of future professionals in these fields.
As for the video he had a lot blatantly wrong
See here
As someone studying zoology, animal behavior, animal husbandry, and welfare you have either misrepresented or downright not given full information on most of the topics of concern you covered in this video. This is disappointing to say the least considering you have such a large platform and people looking to you for accurate perspective .
I and going to Andrews some of the topics of conversation brought up and address them in a full light so you as well as the audience can revaluate the conclusions you have drawn here
Starting with “zoochosis” which is not even a realistic term to describe stereotypical behaviors as they happen for wildly different positive and negative reasons for various animals it’s not just the same for every species and it’s not just “cause captivity”
Have you ever noticed that most animals seem doing these behaviors are in poorly designed or ill structured/outdated habitats, or belong to small for profit zoos that aren’t welfare accredited facilities. It’s because stress related stereotypical behaviors aren’t simply a issue of a animal not in its natural habitat but of poor habitat design. Their are many animals that live lives free of stereotypical behavior in properly designed habitats
But shockingly enough many stereotypical behaviors aren’t even necessarily negative. Many stereotypical behaviors are actually associated more with excitement or keepers interaction pacing or running is also behavior synonymous with keeper interaction and yes as I said excitement or even curiosity
As for reintroduction and conservation programs and contributions it’s not just the direct conservation programs and reintroduction programs zoos fund directly but the ones they co fund, supply research for, and supply specialist to assist with.
Also reintroduction that were either started or contributed by zoos are not rare in fact AZA zoos contribute or aid most of the larger integration conservation efforts the USA participates in
As far as education not only are they educating the public, but with education of specialist, and the education value of research they are doing and public resourced made available to larger conservation institutions.
As far as lifespans go I will agree not many facilities keep elephants or cetaceans well. In fact only a select few do it anywhere near properly.
However have you looked at the captive lifespans for animals such as lions, tigers, bears, primates, and ungulates? They are much higher than wild lifespans some are doubled even tripled.
Even with elephants and cetaceans not normally meeting Their wild lifespans in zoos their are many zoos and aquariums that have these same animals exceeding their lifespans under new care guidelines and standards.
“Elephants roam large distances in the wild” yes they do, but not as a physics need to exercise, elephants roam to follow seasonal food and water supplies. Areas that have dense food and water supplies have generations of elephants staying in the same smaller area without ever migrating.
Also it has been proven that enrichment programs are better for animals physically and mentally than just large spaces.
There are elephants in sanctuaries with insanely large areas to roam, and they show more stress related stereotypical behavior than elephants in zoological facilities because of poor enrichment programs.
The same goes with cetaceans in sea side sanctuaries and sea pens, many even die due to complication and self harm related to poor mental health due to a lack of enrichment programs.
“Elephants are taken from the wild”
They have been for zoological facility programs in the US it’s true, but the animals involved were problem males, males taken from games reserves, and females and caves that were seized from the animal illegal trade or separated from their herds.
They didn’t just fly in and take random wild elephants most of the animals they took would have died if left were they were
As far as inbreeding goes. I can’t speak of the EAZA but the AZA has a dna track and register for all animals they breed. Inbreeding hasn’t been a factor in decades.
Same goes to killing animals the AZA doesn’t do this they have locos relationships with sanctuaries when surplus animals are to be had, but normally breeding programs are highly regulated
Alter and only done when approved by a board of animal welfare specialist.
“Most animals in zoos aren’t endangered” true however many of not all have endangered and critically endangered populations that face local extinction
“1$ to a conservation is better than 1$ to a zoo”
Not necessarily true or entirely the entire story. When someone buys a AZA zoo ticket they aren’t just supporting conservation organizations the zoos donate to they are funding rescue vet programs, conservation, rescue, and rehab programs the zoo takes on as a independent facility, local research, local conservation, and the education and research he of student biologist, ecologist, vets, and animal behaviorist.
Also most of the footage shown here were from smaller or poorly ran facilities. I don’t want to believe this was intentionally manipulative imagery to assist your side of the debate, so I will say this it is on us to advocate for proper zoological and marine zoological gardens.
This means not only AZA/EAZA accredited, but welfare accredited facilities, that have open information regarding all rescue work, rehab work, donations to conservation/research, have their own educational programs, conservation programs, and public research, are constantly improving animal care standards as part of their stated mission, and ones who have a legitimate history in doing these things.
In short zoos are not what they used to be if you lion at zoos 60 years ago you will see abuse, and exploitation, but that isn’t what the necessarily are today and defiantly not what they hope to be in the future.
Be a advocate for improvement, change, and evolution zoos and aquariums are on a decent track and do a lot of good if we can push them to become something h even better and even more than they are now the possibilities are endless
Look up the wilds in Ohio they are a sister location of Cincinnati zoo they keep large mammals and carnivores in open sanctuary like conditions, look up Nashville zoo who has some of the best animal care standards for the species they keep in the us including all sanctuaries and zoos.
Give Tennessee Aquarium a look they have immense natural environments for even their smallest animals many of their local fish species are in a bio dome that is a Appalachian riverside that has a weather system and seasons, most of their larger animals are rescues, and many of the smaller ones are bred in house for research active programs
Why are you believing points made by an amateur with no credentials over the biologists, zoologists, and wildlife scientists that work in and with zoos?
I used to love going to zoos and never thought about how bored the animals must feel slowly going insane in captivity. I would like to see some economic solutions for how the money generated from zoos could be made elsewhere.
Animals in zoos are not bored. At least in accredited zoos. One of the main pillars of an accredited zoo is using enrichment, which keeps animals stimulated, both physically and mentally. There is also no evidence that shows animals, with proper enrichment in accredited zoos, 'going insane'. We need to stop anthropomorphizing animals. We see too many people see an animal laying down and claim they are "bored". No, animals just lay down sometimes. Most animals are pretty inactive, even in the wild. If they are not hunting or running for predators, they are usually resting or bonding with their group members. But people think they are more active because we only see the 'active' parts of their lives in documentaries because that's the interesting part. Many animals are also more active in the morning, when the zoos isn't even open yet or when no one is there because the zoo usually gets busy around noon, when most animals are already onto their mid-day naps.
The closest thing to 'happiness' we can objectively study is stress levels. And studies have shown that animals in accredited zoos have SIGNIFICANTLY lower stress levels than in the wild. Of course it is not ideal to keep animals in human care, but it's also the only choice. Even though people love to cry about 'putting them back in the wild', there is NO wild to put animals back into. Even all of the 'wild' people see in documentaries in Africa are wildlife reserves the majority of the time, which work with zoos to protect animals and their environments. You should trust science over a random person point-of-view.
Amazing video. Thank you for your work 🙏
I must say, even though I switched to HFPB diet a week ago exclusively for health and longevity reasons, your videos make a really strong case for the ethics viewpoint. Amazing presentation and production quality.
Great reporting Ed! Yeah, indeed, horrible confined spaces for animals that need to roam FREE! But, I see the day coming where they all finally be closed and where the youth of tomorrow will see and learn about exotic animals through holograms, as this technology is rapidly improving. Costa Rica, a small nation in central America, has already banned animals to be in captivity, like zoos and circuses! So, a step in the right direction. And when it comes to conservation, we need to put our resources together to fund the protection of Earth's natural habitats, a more kind and natural way to preserve our beautiful creatures! Let's maintain HOPE!
Wow :) That is so cool about Costa Rica :)
There we go, I’m never stepping foot into a zoo again!
Elephants are so intelligent, I wonder if the in captivity infanticide happens because they don't want their child to grow up there
You're the best of us, Ed!
I hate zoos and circuses and stupid petting zoos in fares. These poor innocent animals deserve to be free.
Such a great expose, thank you for bringing this subject to light, Ed. Heartbreaking to watch, makes me want to investigate further into these appalling places. Obviously since going vegan I will never set foot in a zoo or other such establishment. I give my money to animal sanctuaries that are run by vegans, and where I can see that animals are treated with dignity and respect.
This had a ton of misinformation and half truths that were poorly cherry picked from poor sources or outdated ones.
I addressed this as a zoologist as follows
As someone studying zoology, animal behavior, animal husbandry, and welfare you have either misrepresented or downright not given full information on most of the topics of concern you covered in this video. This is disappointing to say the least considering you have such a large platform and people looking to you for accurate perspective .
I and going to Andrews some of the topics of conversation brought up and address them in a full light so you as well as the audience can revaluate the conclusions you have drawn here
Starting with “zoochosis” which is not even a realistic term to describe stereotypical behaviors as they happen for wildly different positive and negative reasons for various animals it’s not just the same for every species and it’s not just “cause captivity”
Have you ever noticed that most animals seem doing these behaviors are in poorly designed or ill structured/outdated habitats, or belong to small for profit zoos that aren’t welfare accredited facilities. It’s because stress related stereotypical behaviors aren’t simply a issue of a animal not in its natural habitat but of poor habitat design. Their are many animals that live lives free of stereotypical behavior in properly designed habitats
But shockingly enough many stereotypical behaviors aren’t even necessarily negative. Many stereotypical behaviors are actually associated more with excitement or keepers interaction pacing or running is also behavior synonymous with keeper interaction and yes as I said excitement or even curiosity
As for reintroduction and conservation programs and contributions it’s not just the direct conservation programs and reintroduction programs zoos fund directly but the ones they co fund, supply research for, and supply specialist to assist with.
Also reintroduction that were either started or contributed by zoos are not rare in fact AZA zoos contribute or aid most of the larger integration conservation efforts the USA participates in
As far as education not only are they educating the public, but with education of specialist, and the education value of research they are doing and public resourced made available to larger conservation institutions.
As far as lifespans go I will agree not many facilities keep elephants or cetaceans well. In fact only a select few do it anywhere near properly.
However have you looked at the captive lifespans for animals such as lions, tigers, bears, primates, and ungulates? They are much higher than wild lifespans some are doubled even tripled.
Even with elephants and cetaceans not normally meeting Their wild lifespans in zoos their are many zoos and aquariums that have these same animals exceeding their lifespans under new care guidelines and standards.
“Elephants roam large distances in the wild” yes they do, but not as a physics need to exercise, elephants roam to follow seasonal food and water supplies. Areas that have dense food and water supplies have generations of elephants staying in the same smaller area without ever migrating.
Also it has been proven that enrichment programs are better for animals physically and mentally than just large spaces.
There are elephants in sanctuaries with insanely large areas to roam, and they show more stress related stereotypical behavior than elephants in zoological facilities because of poor enrichment programs.
The same goes with cetaceans in sea side sanctuaries and sea pens, many even die due to complication and self harm related to poor mental health due to a lack of enrichment programs.
“Elephants are taken from the wild”
They have been for zoological facility programs in the US it’s true, but the animals involved were problem males, males taken from games reserves, and females and caves that were seized from the animal illegal trade or separated from their herds.
They didn’t just fly in and take random wild elephants most of the animals they took would have died if left were they were
As far as inbreeding goes. I can’t speak of the EAZA but the AZA has a dna track and register for all animals they breed. Inbreeding hasn’t been a factor in decades.
Same goes to killing animals the AZA doesn’t do this they have locos relationships with sanctuaries when surplus animals are to be had, but normally breeding programs are highly regulated
Alter and only done when approved by a board of animal welfare specialist.
“Most animals in zoos aren’t endangered” true however many of not all have endangered and critically endangered populations that face local extinction
“1$ to a conservation is better than 1$ to a zoo”
Not necessarily true or entirely the entire story. When someone buys a AZA zoo ticket they aren’t just supporting conservation organizations the zoos donate to they are funding rescue vet programs, conservation, rescue, and rehab programs the zoo takes on as a independent facility, local research, local conservation, and the education and research he of student biologist, ecologist, vets, and animal behaviorist.
Also most of the footage shown here were from smaller or poorly ran facilities. I don’t want to believe this was intentionally manipulative imagery to assist your side of the debate, so I will say this it is on us to advocate for proper zoological and marine zoological gardens.
This means not only AZA/EAZA accredited, but welfare accredited facilities, that have open information regarding all rescue work, rehab work, donations to conservation/research, have their own educational programs, conservation programs, and public research, are constantly improving animal care standards as part of their stated mission, and ones who have a legitimate history in doing these things.
In short zoos are not what they used to be if you lion at zoos 60 years ago you will see abuse, and exploitation, but that isn’t what the necessarily are today and defiantly not what they hope to be in the future.
Be a advocate for improvement, change, and evolution zoos and aquariums are on a decent track and do a lot of good if we can push them to become something h even better and even more than they are now the possibilities are endless
Look up the wilds in Ohio they are a sister location of Cincinnati zoo they keep large mammals and carnivores in open sanctuary like conditions, look up Nashville zoo who has some of the best animal care standards for the species they keep in the us including all sanctuaries and zoos.
Give Tennessee Aquarium a look they have immense natural environments for even their smallest animals many of their local fish species are in a bio dome that is a Appalachian riverside that has a weather system and seasons, most of their larger animals are rescues, and many of the smaller ones are bred in house for research active programs
Why are you believing points made by an amateur with no credentials over the biologists, zoologists, and wildlife scientists that work in and with zoos?
Animal sanctuaries do NOTHING for animals, besides give them an unfunded place to live in for the remainder of their lives. Zoos, accredited ones, actually make a difference. You should be supporting them.
@@themotions5967 couldn't finish but assume you were spiting facts.
Another enlightening video, thank you Ed! Do you have a resource page with links to reputable wildlife sanctuaries or anti-poaching organizations that I can donate to?
Thanks a lot for your videos, that was really interesting!
I used to like Longleat and the Durrell Trust but now I'm not even sure about those :(
Alright, sorry, I just need to make a comment. I watched the whole video, but I am going to comment something here. I volunteer at a zoo (I’d prefer not to say where) and I agree with the majority of this video, and, unfortunately, this does represent a lot of zoos. I’m not going to deny that. But, I would also like to state that there are plenty of zoos out there that this does not represent. The animals at the zoo I work at are all rescues. Whether it was from other zoos, or from the wild (if severely injured). We have orangutans that were rescued from the entertainment industry (circuses) and are now kept at the zoo in an enclosure with one way glass. There is also a fence blocking the glass so that children can’t pound on the glass. The zoo I volunteer at also has an aquarium area in which we are growing real coral. Coral reproduces asexually (through fragmentation) and, as we know, the coral reefs are dying at incredible rates. This coral is being put back into the wild in protected ocean reserves, and used in some of the tanks with fish that would be native to that area. All of this? Also for education. It truly is heartbreaking that so many zoos claim to be nonprofits but then take so much of that money, but I can assure you that not every zoo is like that. I’ve been to several where I approached the entrance and just peeked inside, saw how unhappy the animals were and left before even giving a cent. Zoos can help with conservation efforts, but there are also many that don’t but claim to. Before you visit a zoo, do some research on it. I don’t believe that completely eliminating zoos from your life is a bright idea. What happens to the animals if the zoo goes out of business? Certainly nothing good, I’m sure. If you have questions that aren’t arguing, I’ll reply. If you’re simply bashing me for spending time supporting zoos, that’s your time wasted. If you read all the way to the end, I do appreciate you.
There is one thing in the Rhenen zoo in the Netherlands that I do support and that is the bear forest, it's a big forest like enclosure where visitors can parcely walk above to view the bears, and all of the bears are rescued and can't be returned into the wild usually because they where used as dancing bears. I think zoo's should do more things like this, and be more like a rescue they will still have animals and can educate people about them but the animals will be there more to recover to eventually be released or just to stay there until they are old because they can't go back into the wild (mostly trafficked animals or big cats that are held as pets)
Thank you so much for your videos ed hugs on you
Meet the real enemy: The Connections (2021) [short documentary] 💖
Share far and wide!
I'm so happy to support your work and be a patreon. Thank you for making this eye-opening video!
Why are you believing points made by an amateur with no credentials over the biologists, zoologists, and wildlife scientists that work in and with zoos?
@@ipurpleu1668 Because his points are valid. I'm happy to listen to, and consider counterarguments.
@@weddingdjrobsoundz1042 His points weren’t really valid though. A lot of it was exaggerated or about roadside zoos. Looking at accredited zoos, animals actually have been seen to have lower stress levels than in the wild. Stress is the only thing that can really be equated to “happiness” when looking at animals.
A lot of his “facts” and videos and such were about unaccredited zoos, which I 100% agree with not supporting. But acting as if all zoos are like that is really harmful because zoos do a lot for conservation and wildlife. They are actually one of the few organizations do anything for wildlife. For example, they have brought hundreds of animals back from extinction in the wild and critically endangered. Recently, thanks for the National Zoo and National Aviary in the USA, Guam rails became the second bird to ever come back to extinction in the wild! Right after the California Condor, which did so also through zoos.
I think one of the biggest issues I’ve encountered with people thinking zoos don’t do as much as they do has to do with what we all “ charismatic megafauna”, AKA animals that people come to the zoos to see, such as elephants, lions, zebras, monkeys, etc. Most of these animals that people love so much are mammals. Mammals live long lives and generally do not reproduce as quickly as birds, insects, reptiles, amphibians, and fish do. Animals are reproduce quicker are easier to re-release and reintroduce back into the wild because they can quickly creat sustainable population. But sadly, people don’t care about these animals. They care more about the charismatic megafauna. So in turn, people think zoos do nothing for conservation because it’s a lot more difficult to for large mammals, even though we try. But having these animals are still important because at least it’s progress and it brings in visitors. And those visitors, by paying for entry or giving donations, are helping all these other species that people don’t care about. So I agree that it can look like we don’t do much, but behind-the-scenes we do so much. It’s just no that interesting because it’s not cute animals all the time.
@@ipurpleu1668 Thanks for sharing that and it brings nuance to the story. I don't have the knowledge to judge but I would be curious to hear Ed's response to your points.
ahhhhhhh hurts so much to see this, great work mate
As someone who has been vegan for only a year now, your videos are so incredibly insightful also when it comes to topics beside consuming animal products. I really wasn't sure how I felt about zoos, as I had not really done research on it before. Never would I have thought that the condition these zoo animals live in were this dire; that so many are killed, are on psychiatric drugs and die so much earlier then their wilde life counterparts. Thank you for educating me!