In this article we looked at some zoos in Europe but not compare all off the zoos. Are zoos good or bad? Should we have zoos? I remember when I was a child my grandmother use to take me to the zoos so we could enjoy all the animals in the zoos. Were always very excited and several days before I started to count the days. I loved all the animals in the zoo but my favorite were and still are the chimps.
The way the look at you, so intelligent and smart. We visited a lot of different zoos, the best zoos in Europe, we thought at time. We thought when there are a lot of animals in zoos it mend it was a good zoo! Perhaps the best zoos in Europe! We could not have been more wrong. We should have taken a better look at the animals in de zoos and should have take a better look at the welfare and at the zoo fact , and then decide are zoos good or bad. Not at the number off animals the show. Ask our self the question, are zoos good or bad? Should we have zoos?
But as a lot people at the time we were completely ignorant, and never gave it a lot of thought.
We were aware of the stress behavior off some the zoo animals, at of course felt sorry for them but we kept visiting the zoos and enjoyed the animals in the zoos. And still never asked our selfs, are zoos good or bad? Should we have zoos?
I remember my favorite zoo Blijdorp in Rotterdam in Holland. Diergaarde Blijdorp in Rotterdam is one off the oldest zoos in Europe, it opened it doors in 1857. It is still a beautiful zoo, maybe one the best zoo in Europe, but how do the deal with the welfare of the animals at the zoo?
I saw them in the past, bust I still see them in the zoos the animals in the zoos walking circles again and again around in the enclosure. Can’t stop, wont stop, stereotypy behavior is it an reliable indicator for the welfare of the animals? There are as many opinions as there are people. But now a days people are willing to enter into dialogue with each other to discuss are zoos good or bad? Should we have zoos? The zoo facts, and the welfare of animals in zoos.
But I think we can agree that it’s looking nice, we rather see the lions taking a nap in the sun a big enclose were the can stretch there legs and chase either around, can play and be a Lion.
Some zoo facts are telling that there are some zoos who are really trying hard to get it done. Zoos in Europe, and I think all over the world, keep changing to improve the animal welfare. The enclosures are must bigger then before and the amount a of animals in that enclosure are less. But I rather see two happy lions in a nice large enclosure then 8 stressed lions in small cage, don’t we all?
But there’s more to welfare then the amount of space the animals have, we also have to look at a lot of other things.
Food: Also the animals need good quality food and vitamins to stay healthy. How do the zoos provide in that? Is the food for the zoo animals of good quality and is the food the kind of food the animals shut eat in the wild?
For ensample , are the lions, cheetah, tigers ect fed with fresh meet? Is it a hole or a part of a animal with feathers and fur and bones like the would eat in the wild? And an other example, the little monkey’s the would eat in the wild insects, do they get it now that they are a zoo animal?
And how many times a day are the animals fed? In the wild the gorilla’s are searching for food all day long, the like to sit in the jungle chewing some leaves. Can they do this, so they can eat like gorilla’s in the wild would do? Are the fed only three times a day or can they search in the enclosure for food to keep them busy and avoid boringness?
So many zoo animals so many different feeding way’s. A Lion in the wild will not catch a pray every day, sometimes the female lions have a lucky day and kill a zebra. The lion family will not go a hunt the next day but will eat several days of the zebra. How is that in de zoos, do they sometimes skip a day of meat for them?
There are a lot of things to consider. Polar bears; is it acceptable to keep them in a little swimming pool in a much warmer country then where the belong?
Is a good zoo a zoo witch a variety off animals, well no! You can have it all . If you have monkeys make it your core business and build a zoo that is a great for a monkey to live.
In my opinion the Apenheul in Apeldoorn in Holland is one of the best zoos in Europe.
Zoo fact about Apenheul in Apeldoorn in Holland. Apenheul opened with there concept with primates in 1971. It was, and still is, revolutionary.
The monkeys no longer live in cages with bars.
The various species of monkeys, live in a beautiful old forest with stairs and garlands that connect the trees so that the little monkeys can get easily from tree to tree.
You will see entire families little monkeys jumping from branch to branch, but they will also be on the ground to meet the visitors. If you leave them alone they are not dangerous and will not bite you.
There are more then 200 primates roaming free among the public in the old forest. The zoo, or park as they like to call themselves is absolute unique. You will not find a other zoo in the world were the primates can be primates and live free in trees. Lovely small monkeys that but there is also a gorilla family, not the on lose of course, they live on a cleverly designed Island. In 1979, the first gorilla babies were born, followed by many more. Every baby was raised in the gorilla group by the mother.
Well there are three hundred zoos in Europe .So, witch zoo in making to most effort to improve the living conditions for the animals?Are zoos good or bad? Should we have zoos?
My conclusion, if all zoos would follow the concept of Apenheul I would have no difficulty with that zoos.
http://www.apenheul.com/
