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Globe and Mail, July 19, 2008
The founder of the wildlife protection organization Zoocheck Canada, biologist
Rob Laidlaw has much to say on the subject of elephants, polar bears, orcas and
great apes, among other wildlife living in captivity, and much of what he has to
say is damning. Simply put, his opinion after 20 years of investigating zoos, of
studies and campaigns, is: "It's best to keep wildlife in the wild and ... most
zoos should close."
The problem, as he sees it, is that the interests of almost all animals in zoos
are secondary to those who come to view them. Despite attempts to naturalize the
habitat of animals, fish and birds in zoos, those habitats, even the best of
them, are prisons in which captive species suffer from a lack of stimulation and
room to roam, and often inappropriate climate - conditions that lead to
neuroses, illness and early death.
He doesn't buy the notion that the vaunted captive breeding undertaken by
numerous zoos is an effective or useful conservation tool; most animals bred in
this way are used for zoo displays and result in too many babies of the same
species, most of species already well-represented in captivity, for whom it is
difficult to find permanent homes. Many of these animals end up in the hands of
animal dealers or in the pet trade.
Laidlaw uses photographs to good effect, and these and the compelling case he
makes for his opinions will provide considerable food for thought. Additionally,
he suggests ways his readers can become part of the solution rather than the
problem, with such sections as Checking Up on Zoos and 10 Ways to Help Wild
Animals in Captivity, and a listing of animal welfare organizations with their
websites.
Review by Susan Perren.
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