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? 📚 Pre-order my debut book 'This is Vegan Propaganda (And Other Lies the Meat Industry Tells You) here: earthlinged.org/orderbook Make my work possible by becoming a supporter of my activism here (thank you!): www.earthlinged.org/support FREE 122 page e-book: www.earthlinged.org/ebook Make the switch to vegan & get all of the support you need: switchtovegan.co.uk
.. 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 !!!! 🖕🔴.
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
Maybe elefants (and other animals) in zoos also have low fertility and have difficulties with pregnancy because of all the drugs and antipsychotics given to them? Just a thought!
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?
@@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
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
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.
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!
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.
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
@@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
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
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
I went on an elephant ride once. I decided that I would never ride a living creature again. The suffering and confinement of that animal is not worth it. Horse sports now seem retrograde to me, from the times when people did not care much about animals because those were different times. Today we have technology, why do we need to continue riding animals? I am not a vegetarian, but there are many things I do not understand
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.
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?
@@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 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.
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
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!
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
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.
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.
@@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.
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
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
I'm a biologist. Haven't met a single colleague who wasn't okay with zoos, most are also okay with hunting animals for population control and animal experimentation. It's sad to see. I used to think most biologists were different but they're extremely speciest. Considering most people who work at zoos are also biologist makes me feel even worse for the animals knowing how many see animals
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.
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.
@@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.
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 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
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.
@@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!
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.
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.
@@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
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🌱💕😘
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.
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 💜
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).
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 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.
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 At national parks and actual legitimate sanctuaries. Facilities built for the wellbeing of the animals, not the entertainment and profit of humans.
I spend 24 days in solidarity confinement in jail. Where you are in a small cell with the lights on 24/7. With nothing to distract you. Also just get a suicide blanket instead of clothes. The guy in the cell next to me would scream on top of his lungs. It was obvious he was in a psychotic state. I'm sure such conditions are bad for animals too. Even if they are not so extreme
A counter argument would be- Zoos are bad , BUT necessary Conservation doesn't just mean reintroduction Breeding programs are necessary too Having a zoo in city makes people feel the importance of zoos The giraffe was killed because the genetic pool was similar to other giraffe and it was part of a breeding program so it had to be killed. (I saw this on dw) animals are killed in wild every now and then So what could be answer to this
that's why zoos order and keep "profitable" animals like tigers, lions and elephants. I guess, that's meant to finance the breeding of other endangered animals ? Or maybe this "profitable" animals are kept to draw attention of public ? Truth is : it's business
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.
@@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.
@@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.
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.
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...
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
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.
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.
Well as you said wildlife reserves are a better alternative to zoos but what’s make you think that’s going to stop humans from doing bad things to the animals they house same as animal sanctuaries. The thing is there is no win-win for this, it’s all lose-lose because no matter how hard some may try to save animals, many others will do the exact opposite so all we can do is pray that we as a species collectively come to find a way to live together with other animals without causing harm to them. However that is highly unlikely and the most possible outcome is that zoos try and be more conscious about their animals, maybe with stricter animal laws, and that whatever wildlife reserves and animal sanctuaries we have are deeply protected and are put in the right hands so that we can try and give other animals a chance to live.
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.
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
@@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.
I'm a Zoo Keeper and the Zoo I work at falls under ZSEA which is literally a charity branch. Look it up, there are pledges and objectives in saving a number of species in a specific period of time. I've always liked Ed's videos but a colossal amount of this video sounds correct to the average person who has not spent years behind the scenes at zoos and actually understands animal behaviour, so allow me to explain a tiny portion of this video in a wall of text. I'm pretty passionate about what we achieve at the zoo and so is everybody but I can't be bothered to list point by point all the incorrect statements in this video. Using phrases like "cages" and "wild animals in confined spaces" is understandably convincing but one of the main points I will mention is how a bear does not travel tens of miles a day because he enjoys a hike across the beautiful mountains, he does it because he has to. The majority of animals in zoos are born in captivity meaning they do not have the slightest inkling of what it means to be in the wild, the headshaking and pacing that Ed loves to display in videos which most of is footage from decades ago as you can tell by the camera isn't something an animal is going to do all day, it can merely just be anticipation for food which is why zoos now in this day and age try to randomise the times in which an animal is fed so that they are unable to stress and anticipate about a meal incoming at a specific time of the day. On average in the US people spend a whopping *5 seconds* per viewing of an animal and will say that this animal has gone mad. Keepers spend all day working with a set of animals, any unnatural stress induced behaviours will be noted on "ZIMS" (a global diary of animal events/injuries/behaviours), records of that animal will be kept and tracked but guess what, give that animal a form of enrichment and make it difficult for them to get hold of their meal and it'll keep them busy in the same way you like to keep busy with a hobby to not feel shit. It's about allowing an animal to behave naturally so all you have to do is google "the five animal freedoms", as long as your zoo is correctly ticking those boxes the animal isn't going to become depressed. I look at it at the same way for humans; socialise, have a hobby, exercise, eat healthy and you won't be depressed (I acknowledge every form of mental health issues obviously but the point still stands in feeling better especially if you are not clinically depressed.) Also I've never heard of this animals being given human mental health meds deal but if that is the case it's pretty fucked. Even humans shouldn't be given anti-depressants they mess you up permanently. Feeling numb might feel better but it would wouldn't it. You become dependant on them. The blue whale point about education not actually being achieved I felt was really grasping at straws. People who go to zoos and actually have animal experiences or are given animal talks are going to go home feeling they had a good day alongside an increased passion for animal charity, *especially* children. Sound's naive but most kids aren't going to have a clue about blue whales or any opinion on them but a day at the zoo their brains are going to sponge a lot which in the long run with the next generation is going to contribute to how much people care about conservation. Just sitting down and watching a 45 minute documentary sounds like the most absurd point to me. Even the debatably best nature documentary "Our Plant" by David Attenborough has barely stuck in any of your heads I'm willing to bet. If I'm not mistaken it is being discussed about discontinuing keeping elephants in captivity, I've never worked with elephants but I know someone who does and I can assure you that his elephants are incredibly happily via enrichment and social interaction. Nothing like an elephant snap or insta story 😊If this new rule goes through then Ed's video would be missing like 80% of it's footage, elephants have a lot of emotions and you have no idea what's caused an elephant to sway it's head in a stressed manor. So for people who have no idea what elephant behaviour is actually like to just diagnose an elephant as depressed 24/7 due to not being out in the wild from viewing a video for 1 minute is absolutely bonkers. If an elephant had lost a member of it's family it would show that behaviour, heck if a keeper it worked with everyday for years stopped showing up for a week it'd show signs of this behaviour. To diagnose it with depression purely because of being in captivity (assuming the exhibit is of a fully generous size) when that animal more has no understanding of what it means to be in the wild is ludicrous. Like I say there are so many points in this video that I'd end up writing a book but *I am infinitely happy to answer anyone's genuine questions about Ed's points or their own concerns.*
@@-gemberkoekje-5547 Yeah the argument of it not mattering how big and beautiful an enclosure looks only stands if the animals in it aren’t being enriched.
@@jus4795 Believe me anti-depressants do not "cure". They're suppressors of your brain receptors essentially numbing your feelings as well as the rest of you. Sure it'll make you want to kill yourself less but you become a hollow shell of what you once were as well being dependant on them. Psilocybin therapy on the other hand is proven to almost literally cure depression, but allowing that to be a form of treatment cancels out an infinite income of money because it's just a one time treatment, better off numbing people and making money of it for the rest of their life. Genuinely all real stuff
@@LavaTF2 I took antidepressants for about a year and I didn’t become a hollow shell of what i was before. And it didn’t make me be dependant on it. It just helped manage my emotions and therefore focus more on stuff I wanted to achieve.
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!
This is one I feel split on. Here in Australia there have been many species reintroduced by zoos and they have, at least at my local zoo in Adelaide, stopped housing most of the larger species that would be most affected by zoocosis. Most of the savannah animals are housed on large tracts of rural land, while the city zoo focusses on smaller creatures. I think if they stopped housing animals that are the most impacted then zoos have a future as actual conservational refuges. I would need to see solid data to fully be sold on the idea of zoos being solely negative institutions, but as is I do believe reform is definitely in order.
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.
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!
This makes me sick. I want to throw up. I haven't supported a zoo in over 3 years but this makes me wants to start protests and boycotts in my city. Houston's Zoo is pretty huge & I've never wanted it to come down more.
Why are believing a amateur with no credentials on the topic over the biologists, zoologists, and wildlife scientists that studied for years who work in and with accredited zoos?
I used to love going to the zoo because I “loved” animals… and ate them too. Such disconnect! Then I became a vegetarian… then I fully woke up to reality and became vegan. I strongly believe that unless under extreme I will be vegan forever.
Funny how using antidepressants and antipsychotic medication on animals is seen as cruel but if a human is unable to get it then its denial is seen as withholding of healthcare
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.
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
Thank you for this comment. It's so sad to see people talk down on zoos. We are trying so hard to make a difference and people just hate without really knowing what is going on. While this line of work can be rewarding, it can be very difficult too.
The story about Maurice the giraffe almost made me throw up. Poor baby. The danger of zoos is that people who love animals don’t think about the animals being there day after day or year after year. They see them for 5/10 minutes and take a picture and move on. It breaks my heart.
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
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?
Inviting people to not go to these places is absolutely not a solution. Many animals and species will die and disappear because of this. The solution is the evolution of zoos. Zoos need to expands their enclosure and to change the treatment of the animals they are keeping. Keeping animals in captivity is ok as long as we replicate enough of their habitat. They don't need a whole continent to live
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).
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)
One of the biggest issue here is that there is no way to relocate all captive animals from zoos as most of them would be unable to return to the wild (some of them can be release and that is done with conservation programs) while on the other hand promote an increase in welfare for those animals (better enclosures, high food quality, enrichment programs, etc) is much more viable but the way to reach that is not by boycotting them but by supporting positive changes. The fact that a small part of the entry goes to conservation programs makes sense because keep a zoo is not cheap, maintain all those animals, give them good food and pay for keepers, vets, educators, etc takes a lot of money. Trust me, if you want to make money a zoo is the last thing you should think of! So the fact that still with all the payment needed to maintain a zoo some of them donate part of their benefits to conservation in-situ is actually good point (when you directly donate for conservation not 100% of the money goes to the full project itseld neither). And people caring about whales even without seen one in person is a modern thing, it was not like this in the past and part of the reason is actually because of the image of dolphins in dolphinariums which changed the perspective people had about cetaceans (before seaworld was real, US army was allow to shoot orcas in the coast of south Spain for practice just to give an example)
Most animals in zoos are healthy, they can go back to the wild, u just put them in a vehical and transport them to a suitable wild habitat. And if they r unhealthy they could go to a rehabilitation center or vetrinary hospital until they r healthy enuf to be released. And if they truely don't know how to survive in the wild, which many actually could just fine, then teach them to live in the wild then Release them. Many people have taught captive animals who r tame to humans to successfully live in the wild. And if them being captive makes them not know how to live in the wild that's just another reason not to put animals in zoos or breed captive animals. The animals want to be free, not have their prison conditions improved. Zoos are for entertainment and should be shut down. Putting an innocent animal in prison to try to get people to care about them? U wouldn't put them in prison just to try to get others to care about them if u cared about them. If u cared about them u can Donate to anti poaching wild life rangers who protect endangered species in the wild and their wild habitat and 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. 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. 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. 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 reintroduction is more complicate than what you might think, look for any program and you will see. Not all individuals are capable of be part of these programs because every one of them is different, zoos don't even choose if an animal is reintroduce or not as there is a lot of people involve in these programs outside of the zoo itself. For some cases just the stress of a change in the routine can cause serious problems. Animals want to survive, they want to eat, drink, sleep, be away from danger... When they are in the wild they use all their energy and resources to be in a relax area, they don't travel for fun, we have idealize the idea of freedom but life in nature is hard and cruel, that doesn't mean zoos are paradise but simply the world is not black and white. Also keep in mind some natural habitats have strong human pressure around so even with individuals up for a release it still can't be done as their survival possibilities are extremly low. We have to first focus on protect those areas before think about any reintroduction. Be more realistic... Look at what happened with animals living in zoos that have been close down after covid quarantine period, look to the case of Pont-Scorff in France whose zoo was bought by antizoo people that said they were going to release all animals (it didn't happen because that's not how reintroduction works, zoo was close and they ran out of money from donations to keep taking care of the animals as it was more expensive than what they had plan, some of those animals died because of bad management and now they gave up and place was sell again). What are you expecting to do with captive animals declared unable for release if there is no zoo to take care of them? It is not the same to see an animal in real life than to see it in a documentary and not everybody can afford a trip to see them in the wild (also it is not recommend as a high amount of tursim can affect wild areas) so zoos are a good alternative as long as they have some good animal welfare standars. Also many modern zoos colaborate in the conservation of "less popular animals" such as insects, reptiles and amphibious. When people think about animals they only think about mammals, birds and maybe fishes but forget about the biggest part of the animal kingdom! There are very few organizations to protect those animals and almost all of them are related to zoos.
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!
This video is pretty one-sided. It highlights the very real problems that are present in zoos, but it minimizes or completely ignores the conservation achievements of these organizations. A large number of species (California condors, black-footed ferrets, Lord Howe Island stick insects, etc.) only exist because of zoos. The lengths the San Diego Zoo went to to save the Californian condor are remarkable. There are also dozens of amphibian species that can only survive in the highly sterilized environments of zoos due to the invasion of chytrid fungus. Additionally, a lot of important information on the behavior of certain cryptic species has been learned by observing animals in captivity. Furthermore, many, many zoos, like the Wildlife Conservation Society, engage in ex-situ conservation projects. Funding for these projects is largely derived from zoo admissions. Ed mentions that only a small percentage of the money earned by zoos is used for ex-situ conservation, but neglects to mention the extremely high overhead required to run a zoo. Yes, there are problems in zoos, but getting rid of them is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We likely shouldn't be keeping large mammals, like cetaceans, elephants, big cats, great apes, and some ungulates, as they do poorly in captive settings. However, these are the big draws. We as a society need to learn to appreciate the smaller, "uglier" species, many of which likely do well in captivity (although this may require more research to verify if this is actually the case).
Conservation is immoral and unnatural too. If nature says an animal should go extinct, let it. The reason people want animals to stay is for their own entertainment.
@@edeliteedelite1961 conservation is immoral? Are you serious? Yes, species do go extinct naturally, but the current extinction rate is 1,000 to 10,000 times greater than the background extinction rate. And this current rate is due almost entirely to humans. And no, humans don't want animals to remain for our own entertainment. I can say this because I work in the conservation field. For me it is a moral issue. It's about righting a wrong and trying to slow that rate of extinction. Should we just let developers pave over a wetland or chop down a longleaf pine savanna? Should we just let dozens of snake species go extinct from snake fungal disease? Especially considering that if these species die out other species will as well since the food web will be distrupted. So, this would inevitably cause more suffering. I really don't understand your line of reasoning here.
This video so just dumb. It got me so mad especially the elephant segment in North America we have have the eldest bull elephants in captivity with notable examples being Thailand at the Houston Zoo, Vance Casey and Charlie at the Center for Elephant Conservation, Rex and Sneezy in Oklahoma, and Indy Butch at Dickerson park Zoo, and the eldest female elephant's that were over 70 when the died. And what is the most stupid part of this video is ZOOS DO NOT I REPEAT TAKE ELEPHANTS FROM THE WILD ANY LONGER
The AZA and the IUCN work together a lot so trying to use them as sources against each other doesn’t make sense to me. This video is honestly damaging for conservation at zoos. It literally does work for SOME species. Not all zoos are bad. This is really skewed. My partner worked at a really great zoo for years. They exist.
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
It would be a very hard number to acquire. As a generalization, zoo admission is usually around $30, so if you're ignoring any merchandise, food, or premium ticket sales, it would be about 3% of income.
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!
I personally do not agree with this statement. As someone who has volunteered at my local zoo, zoos are beneficial for a lot of reasons. I cannot speak for every zoo but the people at my local zoo try their best to provide the best care for the animals that they have. Almost all the animals there are animals that were rescued or born in captivity and cannot be released. The three elephants they have at my zoo where rescues from the circus and are not fit to go back into the wild. At my zoo they provide the best possible care that they can for the animals. Despite the lack of funding, all the animals are happy, healthy, well-fed and they each have their own individual dietitians. Zoos are also very beneficial for breeding and reintroducing animals into the wild. For example, back to my local zoo, the eastern colored lizard, which is native to my state, has virtually gone extinct in my state due to habitat loss but my local zoo has been breeding and reintroducing eastern color lizards and just this year they have released 130 individuals back into the wild which is a win for the animal population in my state because it got down to 60 known individuals. There are other zoos around the world that conserve, breed, release, and introduce animals back into the wild. Not all zoos are perfect, but the ones that really do care are important to keep around and we should not make this assumption about all zoos. My local zoo is not government-funded either. It is funded by the people that visit so if everybody had the mindset that zoos are bad and they stopped visiting all the animals would not be able to receive proper care. My local zoo does have its flaws such as the higher ups, not caring about anything other than money but all the keepers try their best and really do care about what's best for the animals under their care. I will say my zoo does not do any shows with the animals. They mostly just let them live their life and they only shows you can go see or animal feedings which happen daily and while the keeper feeds the animals they talk about the diet they give them and you just get to watch them. Eat and learn a little bit about the animal themselves. (Also one of the elephants at my local zoo just turned 63 yesterday so they threw her a birthday party)
Okay, this was way more disturbing than I expected. Damn. I loved going to zoo's most of my life but when I noticed the stress behaviour in multiple animals in the last zoo I visited, it changed them for me. I felt like I was watching abuse and it left me feeling disturbed. Haven't gone in years now. Watching this video makes zoo's way more shocking than I thought they were.
This video got a lot wrong. A made a list of it as a zoologist 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
@@themotions5967 Your a zoologist so your point is automatically biased. I will listen to anyone but you, a person contributing to animal abuse and exploitation. You like zoos, so of course you'll defend it. Ugh
@@wolfiemix Zoology (zoologists) is the study of animals, both alive and extinct, in regards to their biology and the way they interact with their environments. The word "zoo" means "animal" in Greek, which is where the term is derived from. It's a broad branch of biology that covers animals in general, not just animals in zoos.
@@wolfiemix 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. Why are you trying to fight against the ONE thing in the world that is actually making a change for animals and their environments?
You might have wanted to leave out the clips of the dead giraffe being dismembered. That gave me a panic attack. You will get your point across even without material that's overly graphic. Seems like exploitation of a dead individual to me.
I have a question about the euthanzisation of 3,000-5,000 animals: which amount of these animals are perfectly fine and killed for financial reasons, and which percentage is euthanized because they are severly ill or on the brink of death?
Every picture or video of animals in zoos in this video are from second-rate third world zoos built in the 1800s, and pictures from respectable facilities only show indoor small sections of otherwise spacious naturalistic enclosures. The elephants taken from the wild from 2016 were taken from a reserve under extreme drought, and would have died or been killed by poachers had they not been moved. Any respectable zoo's purpose in the modern world is to provide an insurance population of wild animals and expose/educate people to animals they would otherwise never see. Old sterile animals are not useful to conserving their species, so they are often retired to sactuaries rather than killed. While it would be ideal that all animals remain in the wild, that is not a possibility with the current human population.
This video was horribly uneducated on the topic It cherry picked a lot of information and lacked a real knowledge of the welfare or behavior of the animals involved. I’m dying this as so one who has studied and worked in animal welfare most of my life. See here for what 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
I had always believed in the conservation efforts of zoos, but it seems like I should donate my entry fee to a real conservation effort and watch Planet Earth to see beautiful creatures!
Donate to wild life rangers who protect endangered species in the wild and their wild habitat and 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. I would rather an animal be free than be saved from extinction. Why care if they go extincted especially if they r in a zoo they r doing nothing to help the environment or ecology. And many zoos have no intention of relaseing them cuz they care about money zoos r for entertainment. Or they might say the animal is to dumb or tame to humans to release but there r many cases of people training animals who were born in capivity and tame to humans to successfully live in the wild. Lock up the poachers not the animals.
I do not agree with this video I personally have asked and most of the animals are in zoos are in enough space Some animal I agree, some should not be in captivity like certain whales and elephants in small enclosures Most of the pictures in this video we’re over dramatic sized in from a long time ago The thing about the elephant they were from a wildlife park, which is different from a zoo, but they were only sent to Zoo‘s that had good enclosures for them I am not trying to be mean and you are entitled to your own opinion, but I do believe that zoos are important (not all the money is spent on donating to conservation efforts because we have to feed the animals and pay the staff)
Can we just close down/cancel ALL zoos and sea world and circuses and any place keeping wild life in captivity with the exception of shelters for dogs/cats.
Zoo is a prison where Innocent Animals are jailed,who have done no crime "The wild, cruel animal is not behind the bars of a cage. He is in front of it." Axel Munthe
@@sergiomerino1434 if the dog is in the same condition as you said Always/All the time then the dog would probably never be happy and it's Cruelty like dog breeders do, people who keep their dogs as family would never let their doggo be unhappy and sad, they love them
@@vegananimal3516 - Your love is irrelevant to the dogs freedom. If you loved your dog you wouldn’t subject him/her to confinement. I’m going out on a limb and say that your house is a zoo to your dog.
@@sergiomerino1434 I don't have any dogs, and if I would,then I won't just keep them locked in the house, but take them with me whenever I can and that's most of the times, and Animals in Zoos are Always Caged for the fuking Human Entertainment to Enjoy them Caged in a little space and Suffering!
@@sergiomerino1434Not if you live in a rural area and let your dog roam free. Unfortunately, some people who live in rural areas choose to keep their dogs tethered.
Most of the videos you put of the animals swaying and pacing are from roadside zoos and not from rehabilitation zoos. There is a massive difference, you're spreading misinformation and falsely accusing ALL zoos. The zoos near me have enclosures full of enrichment and activities, they have many places to roam and hide away from the visitors, they have regular check ups and are constantly giving them different surroundings (different substrates, toys, smells, a very wide range of food and even sounds via a speaker on the side of the cage imitating wildlife). They do not force their animals to do anything and have a huge amount of respect, they've put signs on the enclosures telling ppl what not to do (tap on glass, smile at monkeys (sign of aggression), make loud noises, no camera flashes, etc.) And will even walk about the zoo looking out for ppl not following those rules and telling them off. This isnt to say "ignore the bad ones! Look at the good ones, ThEy'Re NoT aLl LiKe ThAt" bc it's very important to bring awareness, but if you're gonna talk about it then use the correct information and stop bullshitting. You're making it seem like zoos are the worst for animals, the majority do more than you ever will with these videos. Also, when you mentioned animals not being able to be released, you failed to mention that some are injured, taken to a zoo and looked over, and then failed the "wildlife test" where it determines whether or not the animal can survive on it's own. Some are even rescued from roadside zoos by rehabilitation zoos and then transported to another zoo where they live the rest of their lives peacefully as they dont KNOW how to survive in the wild bc of the roadside zoos. It all stems from roadside zoos and the pet trade, instead of making it seem like its ALL zoos, talk about that. And some of the videos you showed of the animals being happy WERE FROM GOOD ZOOS, I really really really really really dont understand your point in this video, pack it up.
Everyone always says Pandas would never survive on their own but they did so for incredibly long until we decided to put them in captivity and destroyed so much of their habitat so we can continue to grow animal agriculture.
If it weren’t for zoos and aquariums, thousands, if not millions of species would already be extinct. It’s also a known fact that animals that live in captivity tend to life longer and are more healthier than their wild counterparts. They don’t have to worry about diseases, starvation, nor predators, and they constantly receive veterinary care and are fed everyday.
Animals in the wild also receive veterinary care. I saw a video where a group of wildlife veterinarian tranquilized an injured gorilla and fixed her legs.
Most of what is said in this video is true, but it has one vital flaw: the claim that this is the way Zoo's are always going to be, and that the only right thing to do is to avoid them. That is an instruction, and those are not to be obeyed unless you are convinced it is the best option. Don't rely on what others say. Always listen, but check if it corresponds to the truth. Now read this comment again. If what I say does not convince you, I have no right to tell otherwise, only why I think differently.
Another small point if anyone needs extra convincing: most zoos serve animal products at their concession stands. Pretty hypocritical to flaunt their conservatory effort and then turn around and serve animals on a plate!
Yes, I realize the animals served for food are not endangered, but conservation is a broad concept that encompasses other facets of environmental welfare. The animal agriculture industry is not conducive towards conservationism, so by serving animal products for food the zoos are acting against their own professed ideals. Also, devaluing animals for food promotes speciesism. Catering to market whim and assessing animals for their worth based on supply/demand is how many species become endangered in the first place when they are either hunted for sellable products or eradicated to eliminate predatorial competition (as is the case with dolphins and whales in Japan). The conservation image presented by zoos essentially boils down to humane/greenwashing propaganda.
@@metalcorpseman5433 what if the zoo gets its food from small semi sustainable farms? Now I do think zoos should sell less meat as well over all we need to slow down our over all meat consumption but I do think they should still be able to at least make some money off of it. Look I don’t feel like any one should be ashamed or embarrassed for what they eat (unless you are committing a crime).
@@Skyypixelgamer Personally, I do believe that commoditizing animals for food or otherwise is morally reprehensible. I would like to see the mentality that decriminalizes it vanish completely.
Just curious, the Irwin’s, some of the biggest animal lovers out there, own a zoo. I don’t think they’d go out of their way to own a facility where the animals are harmed and in misery. What do you think of them? Not arguing, just curious. There’s videos of clips from their show on animal planets TH-cam channel to see how their zoo runs. Again just curious on views of Steve Irwin and his family and their work with wildlife.
In my opinion, a huge number of zoo's are horrible but there is still some that give their animals a good life and their natural habitat. I have seen it. Everything is not just black and white. If you go to a place where they keep animals, do your resarch about the place beforehand! Usually big zoo's are not a great place for animals.
@@Hch96 Most big zoos actually seem to be good. It’s mainly the lesser known roadside attractions that are terrible. Just take a look at the habitats in San Diego, Bronx, Columbus, Disney, Miami, Jacksonville, North Carolina, Cincinnati, and many more large, well known zoos. Those zoos also do amazing conservation work. Now there also may be large zoos that don’t treat their animals well. But it seems the larger ones are the ones putting in an effort.
If u truely love someone, u want what's best for them and for them to be happy, not to force them to do things agianst their will just for your benefit. What's best for those animals is to be free in the wild. I wouldn't nessicarily call the irwin's animal lovers. I'm pretty sure they r not vegan. they seem to view animals for entertainment. They don't seem to care that the animal wants to be free. They might say they love animals just like a meat eater might say that, as in they love what the animal can do for them. That's like saying u love cows cuz they taste good. Or u love crocodiles cuz you think they look cool. they seem to have a fascination of these animals that's why they seem to lock them up for entertainment. They probably don't only lock up endangered animals, and if that's true thats pretty obvious for example if they r locking up crocs... There's plenty of crocs in the wild so why would they lock those up? if they only locked up endangered animals, it's still not right, maybe they were misguided in that. They should donate to anti poaching wild life rangers and promote veganism cuz animal agriculture is a leading cause of endangerment by damageing and taking over the animals wild habitat and killing the Threatened or endangered animals who might eat their livestock or crops. Or they could relocate wild animals who have entered in human spaces into a wild suitable area. Or they could help rehab injured wild animals so they can be released when better. I don't nessicarily think the irwin's are the worst people, maybe they somewhat care about animals and have somewhat good intentions (and if they do that means they can change if they r convinced of a better way so u should try to convince them), but they should be taught a better way and realize there r better ways to try to help the animals.
@@bvegannow1936 You know zoo animals aren’t forced to do anything? No don’t go off the word of an activist video and peta with no research. Zoos use only positive reinforcement and never punishment for their animals, and they get them to do things only for necessary reasons like a medical checkup. Animals don’t have this yearn for freedom and preference for the wild, something many zoo animals don’t even know about. And that’s a scientific fact. Maybe that differs for animals like whales and sharks, but many zoo animals don’t have a concept of being free and happy in the wild. If they were miserable in zoos, they wouldn’t be meeting and usually exceeding their wild counterparts’ lifespans. Updates in research and care has allowed zoo elephants to live as long as they would in the wild, and many popular zoo animals like hoofstock, big cats, primates, canids, bears, birds, snakes, and many many more outlive their wild counterparts if not for something like disease or a freak accident which can also occur in the wild. You’re anthropomorphizing wild animals who care for the most basic things: food, water, shelter, and mating, all things that are guaranteed in a zoo. Animals in the wild travel miles and miles for needs, not for fun. I’d imagine traversing Africa in that intense heat or in a storm with possible old or young members of my group who can be picked off by lions, leopards, hyenas, poachers, killed by a territorial rival, die of exhaust, bitten by a snake etc. isn’t fun and done out of boredom. It’s for a chance to find more food or water or an area with less predators or no rivals. The wild isn’t this glorious place that zoo haters try to make it seem to be. Just because it’s ideal to you and is natural doesn’t mean it’s enjoyable. Knowing you, or your mate, or baby can be killed and eaten at any moment, or having to expand your energy to hopefully score a meal isn’t as fun as it sounds just because it’s natural. Lock the crocs up? You mean the many crocs that get into human areas and pose a threat and would otherwise be killed? The crocs who are still thriving to this day, showing they’re fine? Zoo animals come from other zoos, not the wild unless it’s for some important reason. To even insult the Irwins and Steve’s legacy, the people who save wildlife, weep over the death of a crocodile, inspire many people to help wildlife, and educate millions plus recuse injured, orphaned, and sick wildlife because they do something you don’t like isn’t the best thing to do. There’s way too much evidence and too many facts from newer research plus something you could see for yourself that proves a good zoo does no harm to its animals. To deny it because of an animal rights video and outdated facts and a clip of a pacing tiger or swaying elephant or your projected emotions onto a napping lion or snacking rhino in a zoo is not really a good way to think and form such an opinion. No disrespect to you at all, just wanted to inform you the best I could.
@Wazowski They like to put their feelings over facts and common sense backed by more recent research and science from studies and observations from actual animal professionals, and not people who simply get emotional over animals and advocate for them rather than truly study their behavior, anatomy, species and subspecies, etc. These people know elephants travel hundreds and thousands of miles, but they don’t seem to know why. They think it’s a fun thing they choose because “freedom” (a concept animals don’t even know because they just know instinct), but don’t understand it’s to find more of their needs, as traveling so far is risky due to numerous obvious reasons. For them it’s feelings over facts, no logic, just projecting emotions onto animals who are enjoying their lives and behaving as they would in the wild.
Go to pairi daiza Edit:a good zoo but never go to Netherlands zoos go to belgian zoos👍 I went to planken zoo antwerp and pairi daiza animals are good there promise Edit 2:peacocks may not be that good but they are not in cages they run free in the zoo And the elephants have 15 acres land to explore they move them place to place👍 Aight I'm done here visit belgium
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.
Big cats doing nothing but walking back and forth is something Ive seen in probably every zoo. They must be quite bored since they dont get to hunt their food.
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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.. 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
Maybe elefants (and other animals) in zoos also have low fertility and have difficulties with pregnancy because of all the drugs and antipsychotics given to them? Just a thought!
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
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?
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.
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
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!
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.
I went on an elephant ride once. I decided that I would never ride a living creature again. The suffering and confinement of that animal is not worth it. Horse sports now seem retrograde to me, from the times when people did not care much about animals because those were different times. Today we have technology, why do we need to continue riding animals? I am not a vegetarian, but there are many things I do not understand
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
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.
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.
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!
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
Accredited zoos actually care for the animals, so there was 100% some sort of reason the toadlets were euthanised.
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
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
I'm a biologist. Haven't met a single colleague who wasn't okay with zoos, most are also okay with hunting animals for population control and animal experimentation. It's sad to see. I used to think most biologists were different but they're extremely speciest. Considering most people who work at zoos are also biologist makes me feel even worse for the animals knowing how many see animals
Those biologists also help with conservation efforts. Without research, conservation wouldn't exist.
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.
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
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.
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 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!
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%
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
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🌱💕😘
@@Adelicows 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.
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 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.
Elephants are so intelligent, I wonder if the in captivity infanticide happens because they don't want their child to grow up there
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.
I spend 24 days in solidarity confinement in jail. Where you are in a small cell with the lights on 24/7. With nothing to distract you. Also just get a suicide blanket instead of clothes. The guy in the cell next to me would scream on top of his lungs. It was obvious he was in a psychotic state.
I'm sure such conditions are bad for animals too. Even if they are not so extreme
A counter argument would be-
Zoos are bad , BUT necessary
Conservation doesn't just mean reintroduction
Breeding programs are necessary too
Having a zoo in city makes people feel the importance of zoos
The giraffe was killed because the genetic pool was similar to other giraffe and it was part of a breeding program so it had to be killed. (I saw this on dw)
animals are killed in wild every now and then
So what could be answer to this
that's why zoos order and keep "profitable" animals like tigers, lions and elephants. I guess, that's meant to finance the breeding of other endangered animals ? Or maybe this "profitable" animals are kept to draw attention of public ? Truth is : it's business
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.
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.
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
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.
Most modern zoo look after animals a lot better than they did ( in the UK anyway ) Private owners are worse than a well run zoo
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.
People do similar things when they're locked up in jail.
The human being is the craziest animal that ever was and will be on Earth
When a giraf is killed, it’s a huge newsstory, when a cow is killed, there is cheering…
Well as you said wildlife reserves are a better alternative to zoos but what’s make you think that’s going to stop humans from doing bad things to the animals they house same as animal sanctuaries. The thing is there is no win-win for this, it’s all lose-lose because no matter how hard some may try to save animals, many others will do the exact opposite so all we can do is pray that we as a species collectively come to find a way to live together with other animals without causing harm to them. However that is highly unlikely and the most possible outcome is that zoos try and be more conscious about their animals, maybe with stricter animal laws, and that whatever wildlife reserves and animal sanctuaries we have are deeply protected and are put in the right hands so that we can try and give other animals a chance to live.
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
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.
I'm a Zoo Keeper and the Zoo I work at falls under ZSEA which is literally a charity branch. Look it up, there are pledges and objectives in saving a number of species in a specific period of time.
I've always liked Ed's videos but a colossal amount of this video sounds correct to the average person who has not spent years behind the scenes at zoos and actually understands animal behaviour, so allow me to explain a tiny portion of this video in a wall of text. I'm pretty passionate about what we achieve at the zoo and so is everybody but I can't be bothered to list point by point all the incorrect statements in this video. Using phrases like "cages" and "wild animals in confined spaces" is understandably convincing but one of the main points I will mention is how a bear does not travel tens of miles a day because he enjoys a hike across the beautiful mountains, he does it because he has to. The majority of animals in zoos are born in captivity meaning they do not have the slightest inkling of what it means to be in the wild, the headshaking and pacing that Ed loves to display in videos which most of is footage from decades ago as you can tell by the camera isn't something an animal is going to do all day, it can merely just be anticipation for food which is why zoos now in this day and age try to randomise the times in which an animal is fed so that they are unable to stress and anticipate about a meal incoming at a specific time of the day. On average in the US people spend a whopping *5 seconds* per viewing of an animal and will say that this animal has gone mad. Keepers spend all day working with a set of animals, any unnatural stress induced behaviours will be noted on "ZIMS" (a global diary of animal events/injuries/behaviours), records of that animal will be kept and tracked but guess what, give that animal a form of enrichment and make it difficult for them to get hold of their meal and it'll keep them busy in the same way you like to keep busy with a hobby to not feel shit. It's about allowing an animal to behave naturally so all you have to do is google "the five animal freedoms", as long as your zoo is correctly ticking those boxes the animal isn't going to become depressed. I look at it at the same way for humans; socialise, have a hobby, exercise, eat healthy and you won't be depressed (I acknowledge every form of mental health issues obviously but the point still stands in feeling better especially if you are not clinically depressed.) Also I've never heard of this animals being given human mental health meds deal but if that is the case it's pretty fucked. Even humans shouldn't be given anti-depressants they mess you up permanently. Feeling numb might feel better but it would wouldn't it. You become dependant on them.
The blue whale point about education not actually being achieved I felt was really grasping at straws. People who go to zoos and actually have animal experiences or are given animal talks are going to go home feeling they had a good day alongside an increased passion for animal charity, *especially* children. Sound's naive but most kids aren't going to have a clue about blue whales or any opinion on them but a day at the zoo their brains are going to sponge a lot which in the long run with the next generation is going to contribute to how much people care about conservation. Just sitting down and watching a 45 minute documentary sounds like the most absurd point to me. Even the debatably best nature documentary "Our Plant" by David Attenborough has barely stuck in any of your heads I'm willing to bet.
If I'm not mistaken it is being discussed about discontinuing keeping elephants in captivity, I've never worked with elephants but I know someone who does and I can assure you that his elephants are incredibly happily via enrichment and social interaction. Nothing like an elephant snap or insta story 😊If this new rule goes through then Ed's video would be missing like 80% of it's footage, elephants have a lot of emotions and you have no idea what's caused an elephant to sway it's head in a stressed manor. So for people who have no idea what elephant behaviour is actually like to just diagnose an elephant as depressed 24/7 due to not being out in the wild from viewing a video for 1 minute is absolutely bonkers. If an elephant had lost a member of it's family it would show that behaviour, heck if a keeper it worked with everyday for years stopped showing up for a week it'd show signs of this behaviour. To diagnose it with depression purely because of being in captivity (assuming the exhibit is of a fully generous size) when that animal more has no understanding of what it means to be in the wild is ludicrous.
Like I say there are so many points in this video that I'd end up writing a book but *I am infinitely happy to answer anyone's genuine questions about Ed's points or their own concerns.*
I've been to a lot of zoos, here in the Netherlands mostly, and most of them are nothing like the images he showed. Cherry picking.
@@-gemberkoekje-5547 Yeah the argument of it not mattering how big and beautiful an enclosure looks only stands if the animals in it aren’t being enriched.
Antidepressants save lives just like any other cures for illnesses.
@@jus4795 Believe me anti-depressants do not "cure". They're suppressors of your brain receptors essentially numbing your feelings as well as the rest of you. Sure it'll make you want to kill yourself less but you become a hollow shell of what you once were as well being dependant on them. Psilocybin therapy on the other hand is proven to almost literally cure depression, but allowing that to be a form of treatment cancels out an infinite income of money because it's just a one time treatment, better off numbing people and making money of it for the rest of their life. Genuinely all real stuff
@@LavaTF2 I took antidepressants for about a year and I didn’t become a hollow shell of what i was before. And it didn’t make me be dependant on it. It just helped manage my emotions and therefore focus more on stuff I wanted to achieve.
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!
This is one I feel split on. Here in Australia there have been many species reintroduced by zoos and they have, at least at my local zoo in Adelaide, stopped housing most of the larger species that would be most affected by zoocosis. Most of the savannah animals are housed on large tracts of rural land, while the city zoo focusses on smaller creatures. I think if they stopped housing animals that are the most impacted then zoos have a future as actual conservational refuges. I would need to see solid data to fully be sold on the idea of zoos being solely negative institutions, but as is I do believe reform is definitely in order.
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
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!
This makes me sick. I want to throw up. I haven't supported a zoo in over 3 years but this makes me wants to start protests and boycotts in my city. Houston's Zoo is pretty huge & I've never wanted it to come down more.
Why are believing a amateur with no credentials on the topic over the biologists, zoologists, and wildlife scientists that studied for years who work in and with accredited zoos?
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
I used to love going to the zoo because I “loved” animals… and ate them too. Such disconnect! Then I became a vegetarian… then I fully woke up to reality and became vegan. I strongly believe that unless under extreme I will be vegan forever.
Funny how using antidepressants and antipsychotic medication on animals is seen as cruel but if a human is unable to get it then its denial is seen as withholding of healthcare
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.
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
Thank you for this comment. It's so sad to see people talk down on zoos. We are trying so hard to make a difference and people just hate without really knowing what is going on. While this line of work can be rewarding, it can be very difficult too.
sadly you cant argue with his brainwashed cult members.Guru Ed has a habit of twisting things his way.
thank you! at least someone knows what they are talking about
The story about Maurice the giraffe almost made me throw up. Poor baby. The danger of zoos is that people who love animals don’t think about the animals being there day after day or year after year. They see them for 5/10 minutes and take a picture and move on. It breaks my heart.
Can't humans just leave animals alone? Just STOP FUCKING WITH THEM.......
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.
Inviting people to not go to these places is absolutely not a solution. Many animals and species will die and disappear because of this. The solution is the evolution of zoos. Zoos need to expands their enclosure and to change the treatment of the animals they are keeping. Keeping animals in captivity is ok as long as we replicate enough of their habitat. They don't need a whole continent to live
The Phoenix Zoo is singlehandedly responsible for saving the Arabian Oryx from extinction.
Here's an idea. Every time someone invites me to a zoo I'll donate $5 to conservation. Have any recommendations for an organization?
how about Conservation International or The Audubon Society?
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
imagine what horrors are being perpetrated behind the scenes if this is how bad what we are allowed to find out about is
I'd be so happy if Ed got a Netflix deal or sth similar to further the reach of these important messages!
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)
One of the biggest issue here is that there is no way to relocate all captive animals from zoos as most of them would be unable to return to the wild (some of them can be release and that is done with conservation programs) while on the other hand promote an increase in welfare for those animals (better enclosures, high food quality, enrichment programs, etc) is much more viable but the way to reach that is not by boycotting them but by supporting positive changes.
The fact that a small part of the entry goes to conservation programs makes sense because keep a zoo is not cheap, maintain all those animals, give them good food and pay for keepers, vets, educators, etc takes a lot of money. Trust me, if you want to make money a zoo is the last thing you should think of! So the fact that still with all the payment needed to maintain a zoo some of them donate part of their benefits to conservation in-situ is actually good point (when you directly donate for conservation not 100% of the money goes to the full project itseld neither).
And people caring about whales even without seen one in person is a modern thing, it was not like this in the past and part of the reason is actually because of the image of dolphins in dolphinariums which changed the perspective people had about cetaceans (before seaworld was real, US army was allow to shoot orcas in the coast of south Spain for practice just to give an example)
Most animals in zoos are healthy, they can go back to the wild, u just put them in a vehical and transport them to a suitable wild habitat. And if they r unhealthy they could go to a rehabilitation center or vetrinary hospital until they r healthy enuf to be released.
And if they truely don't know how to survive in the wild, which many actually could just fine, then teach them to live in the wild then Release them. Many people have taught captive animals who r tame to humans to successfully live in the wild.
And if them being captive makes them not know how to live in the wild that's just another reason not to put animals in zoos or breed captive animals.
The animals want to be free, not have their prison conditions improved.
Zoos are for entertainment and should be shut down.
Putting an innocent animal in prison to try to get people to care about them? U wouldn't put them in prison just to try to get others to care about them if u cared about them.
If u cared about them u can
Donate to anti poaching wild life rangers who protect endangered species in the wild and their wild habitat and 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.
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.
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.
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 reintroduction is more complicate than what you might think, look for any program and you will see. Not all individuals are capable of be part of these programs because every one of them is different, zoos don't even choose if an animal is reintroduce or not as there is a lot of people involve in these programs outside of the zoo itself. For some cases just the stress of a change in the routine can cause serious problems.
Animals want to survive, they want to eat, drink, sleep, be away from danger... When they are in the wild they use all their energy and resources to be in a relax area, they don't travel for fun, we have idealize the idea of freedom but life in nature is hard and cruel, that doesn't mean zoos are paradise but simply the world is not black and white.
Also keep in mind some natural habitats have strong human pressure around so even with individuals up for a release it still can't be done as their survival possibilities are extremly low. We have to first focus on protect those areas before think about any reintroduction.
Be more realistic... Look at what happened with animals living in zoos that have been close down after covid quarantine period, look to the case of Pont-Scorff in France whose zoo was bought by antizoo people that said they were going to release all animals (it didn't happen because that's not how reintroduction works, zoo was close and they ran out of money from donations to keep taking care of the animals as it was more expensive than what they had plan, some of those animals died because of bad management and now they gave up and place was sell again).
What are you expecting to do with captive animals declared unable for release if there is no zoo to take care of them?
It is not the same to see an animal in real life than to see it in a documentary and not everybody can afford a trip to see them in the wild (also it is not recommend as a high amount of tursim can affect wild areas) so zoos are a good alternative as long as they have some good animal welfare standars.
Also many modern zoos colaborate in the conservation of "less popular animals" such as insects, reptiles and amphibious. When people think about animals they only think about mammals, birds and maybe fishes but forget about the biggest part of the animal kingdom! There are very few organizations to protect those animals and almost all of them are related to zoos.
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!
This video is pretty one-sided. It highlights the very real problems that are present in zoos, but it minimizes or completely ignores the conservation achievements of these organizations. A large number of species (California condors, black-footed ferrets, Lord Howe Island stick insects, etc.) only exist because of zoos. The lengths the San Diego Zoo went to to save the Californian condor are remarkable. There are also dozens of amphibian species that can only survive in the highly sterilized environments of zoos due to the invasion of chytrid fungus. Additionally, a lot of important information on the behavior of certain cryptic species has been learned by observing animals in captivity. Furthermore, many, many zoos, like the Wildlife Conservation Society, engage in ex-situ conservation projects. Funding for these projects is largely derived from zoo admissions. Ed mentions that only a small percentage of the money earned by zoos is used for ex-situ conservation, but neglects to mention the extremely high overhead required to run a zoo. Yes, there are problems in zoos, but getting rid of them is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We likely shouldn't be keeping large mammals, like cetaceans, elephants, big cats, great apes, and some ungulates, as they do poorly in captive settings. However, these are the big draws. We as a society need to learn to appreciate the smaller, "uglier" species, many of which likely do well in captivity (although this may require more research to verify if this is actually the case).
Conservation is immoral and unnatural too. If nature says an animal should go extinct, let it. The reason people want animals to stay is for their own entertainment.
@@edeliteedelite1961 conservation is immoral? Are you serious? Yes, species do go extinct naturally, but the current extinction rate is 1,000 to 10,000 times greater than the background extinction rate. And this current rate is due almost entirely to humans. And no, humans don't want animals to remain for our own entertainment. I can say this because I work in the conservation field. For me it is a moral issue. It's about righting a wrong and trying to slow that rate of extinction. Should we just let developers pave over a wetland or chop down a longleaf pine savanna? Should we just let dozens of snake species go extinct from snake fungal disease? Especially considering that if these species die out other species will as well since the food web will be distrupted. So, this would inevitably cause more suffering. I really don't understand your line of reasoning here.
This video so just dumb. It got me so mad especially the elephant segment in North America we have have the eldest bull elephants in captivity with notable examples being Thailand at the Houston Zoo, Vance Casey and Charlie at the Center for Elephant Conservation, Rex and Sneezy in Oklahoma, and Indy Butch at Dickerson park Zoo, and the eldest female elephant's that were over 70 when the died. And what is the most stupid part of this video is ZOOS DO NOT I REPEAT TAKE ELEPHANTS FROM THE WILD ANY LONGER
I agree! I've seen many zoo hate videos, they just don't understand that zoos don't take animals from the wild anymore!
7:05
Vicky, it was in the old days they took elephants.
So what is the point of zoos?
Note; this video is only refering to roadside zoos, rather than AZA accredited ones.
Great video as usual Ed. Animal exploitation and cruelty in zoos is often ignored.
The AZA and the IUCN work together a lot so trying to use them as sources against each other doesn’t make sense to me. This video is honestly damaging for conservation at zoos. It literally does work for SOME species. Not all zoos are bad. This is really skewed. My partner worked at a really great zoo for years. They exist.
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
It would be a very hard number to acquire. As a generalization, zoo admission is usually around $30, so if you're ignoring any merchandise, food, or premium ticket sales, it would be about 3% of income.
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 :)
I personally do not agree with this statement. As someone who has volunteered at my local zoo, zoos are beneficial for a lot of reasons. I cannot speak for every zoo but the people at my local zoo try their best to provide the best care for the animals that they have. Almost all the animals there are animals that were rescued or born in captivity and cannot be released. The three elephants they have at my zoo where rescues from the circus and are not fit to go back into the wild. At my zoo they provide the best possible care that they can for the animals. Despite the lack of funding, all the animals are happy, healthy, well-fed and they each have their own individual dietitians. Zoos are also very beneficial for breeding and reintroducing animals into the wild. For example, back to my local zoo, the eastern colored lizard, which is native to my state, has virtually gone extinct in my state due to habitat loss but my local zoo has been breeding and reintroducing eastern color lizards and just this year they have released 130 individuals back into the wild which is a win for the animal population in my state because it got down to 60 known individuals. There are other zoos around the world that conserve, breed, release, and introduce animals back into the wild. Not all zoos are perfect, but the ones that really do care are important to keep around and we should not make this assumption about all zoos. My local zoo is not government-funded either. It is funded by the people that visit so if everybody had the mindset that zoos are bad and they stopped visiting all the animals would not be able to receive proper care. My local zoo does have its flaws such as the higher ups, not caring about anything other than money but all the keepers try their best and really do care about what's best for the animals under their care. I will say my zoo does not do any shows with the animals. They mostly just let them live their life and they only shows you can go see or animal feedings which happen daily and while the keeper feeds the animals they talk about the diet they give them and you just get to watch them. Eat and learn a little bit about the animal themselves. (Also one of the elephants at my local zoo just turned 63 yesterday so they threw her a birthday party)
Okay, this was way more disturbing than I expected. Damn.
I loved going to zoo's most of my life but when I noticed the stress behaviour in multiple animals in the last zoo I visited, it changed them for me. I felt like I was watching abuse and it left me feeling disturbed. Haven't gone in years now. Watching this video makes zoo's way more shocking than I thought they were.
This video got a lot wrong.
A made a list of it as a zoologist
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
@@themotions5967 Your a zoologist so your point is automatically biased. I will listen to anyone but you, a person contributing to animal abuse and exploitation. You like zoos, so of course you'll defend it. Ugh
@@wolfiemix Zoology (zoologists) is the study of animals, both alive and extinct, in regards to their biology and the way they interact with their environments. The word "zoo" means "animal" in Greek, which is where the term is derived from. It's a broad branch of biology that covers animals in general, not just animals in zoos.
@@catatomiccomets8246 Sure, I get that, but they still believe in locking up poor animals in cages for human entertainment.
@@wolfiemix 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. Why are you trying to fight against the ONE thing in the world that is actually making a change for animals and their environments?
Ethical zoos exist people. Dont worry
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
You might have wanted to leave out the clips of the dead giraffe being dismembered. That gave me a panic attack. You will get your point across even without material that's overly graphic. Seems like exploitation of a dead individual to me.
Thanks a lot for your videos, that was really interesting!
I have a question about the euthanzisation of 3,000-5,000 animals: which amount of these animals are perfectly fine and killed for financial reasons, and which percentage is euthanized because they are severly ill or on the brink of death?
Every picture or video of animals in zoos in this video are from second-rate third world zoos built in the 1800s, and pictures from respectable facilities only show indoor small sections of otherwise spacious naturalistic enclosures. The elephants taken from the wild from 2016 were taken from a reserve under extreme drought, and would have died or been killed by poachers had they not been moved. Any respectable zoo's purpose in the modern world is to provide an insurance population of wild animals and expose/educate people to animals they would otherwise never see. Old sterile animals are not useful to conserving their species, so they are often retired to sactuaries rather than killed. While it would be ideal that all animals remain in the wild, that is not a possibility with the current human population.
Yeah you’re right not Ed the bastard!
The scope of animal exploitation in our society is just awful. Thanks for making these videos!
Hypocrite
@@Assassin99584 wut?
@Assassin 9958 more vegan cult drone nonsense
This video was horribly uneducated on the topic
It cherry picked a lot of information and lacked a real knowledge of the welfare or behavior of the animals involved.
I’m dying this as so one who has studied and worked in animal welfare most of my life.
See here for what 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
@@themotions5967 I can bet the vegan cult ignores this
I had always believed in the conservation efforts of zoos, but it seems like I should donate my entry fee to a real conservation effort and watch Planet Earth to see beautiful creatures!
Donate to wild life rangers who protect endangered species in the wild and their wild habitat and 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.
I would rather an animal be free than be saved from extinction. Why care if they go extincted especially if they r in a zoo they r doing nothing to help the environment or ecology. And many zoos have no intention of relaseing them cuz they care about money zoos r for entertainment. Or they might say the animal is to dumb or tame to humans to release but there r many cases of people training animals who were born in capivity and tame to humans to successfully live in the wild.
Lock up the poachers not the animals.
@@bvegannow1936 Your grammar was so bad I couldn't finish your comment.
I do not agree with this video
I personally have asked and most of the animals are in zoos are in enough space
Some animal I agree, some should not be in captivity like certain whales and elephants in small enclosures
Most of the pictures in this video we’re over dramatic sized in from a long time ago
The thing about the elephant they were from a wildlife park, which is different from a zoo, but they were only sent to Zoo‘s that had good enclosures for them
I am not trying to be mean and you are entitled to your own opinion, but I do believe that zoos are important
(not all the money is spent on donating to conservation efforts because we have to feed the animals and pay the staff)
No cage is big enough.
Can we just close down/cancel ALL zoos and sea world and circuses and any place keeping wild life in captivity with the exception of shelters for dogs/cats.
Zoo is a prison where Innocent Animals are jailed,who have done no crime
"The wild, cruel animal is not behind the bars of a cage. He is in front of it."
Axel Munthe
Kind of like people with dogs. Having them enclosed behind a fence or inside a house for the rest of their lives.
@@sergiomerino1434 if the dog is in the same condition as you said Always/All the time then the dog would probably never be happy and it's Cruelty like dog breeders do, people who keep their dogs as family would never let their doggo be unhappy and sad, they love them
@@vegananimal3516 - Your love is irrelevant to the dogs freedom. If you loved your dog you wouldn’t subject him/her to confinement. I’m going out on a limb and say that your house is a zoo to your dog.
@@sergiomerino1434 I don't have any dogs, and if I would,then I won't just keep them locked in the house, but take them with me whenever I can and that's most of the times, and Animals in Zoos are Always Caged for the fuking Human Entertainment to Enjoy them Caged in a little space and Suffering!
@@sergiomerino1434Not if you live in a rural area and let your dog roam free. Unfortunately, some people who live in rural areas choose to keep their dogs tethered.
Most of the videos you put of the animals swaying and pacing are from roadside zoos and not from rehabilitation zoos. There is a massive difference, you're spreading misinformation and falsely accusing ALL zoos. The zoos near me have enclosures full of enrichment and activities, they have many places to roam and hide away from the visitors, they have regular check ups and are constantly giving them different surroundings (different substrates, toys, smells, a very wide range of food and even sounds via a speaker on the side of the cage imitating wildlife). They do not force their animals to do anything and have a huge amount of respect, they've put signs on the enclosures telling ppl what not to do (tap on glass, smile at monkeys (sign of aggression), make loud noises, no camera flashes, etc.) And will even walk about the zoo looking out for ppl not following those rules and telling them off. This isnt to say "ignore the bad ones! Look at the good ones, ThEy'Re NoT aLl LiKe ThAt" bc it's very important to bring awareness, but if you're gonna talk about it then use the correct information and stop bullshitting. You're making it seem like zoos are the worst for animals, the majority do more than you ever will with these videos.
Also, when you mentioned animals not being able to be released, you failed to mention that some are injured, taken to a zoo and looked over, and then failed the "wildlife test" where it determines whether or not the animal can survive on it's own. Some are even rescued from roadside zoos by rehabilitation zoos and then transported to another zoo where they live the rest of their lives peacefully as they dont KNOW how to survive in the wild bc of the roadside zoos. It all stems from roadside zoos and the pet trade, instead of making it seem like its ALL zoos, talk about that.
And some of the videos you showed of the animals being happy WERE FROM GOOD ZOOS, I really really really really really dont understand your point in this video, pack it up.
Everyone always says Pandas would never survive on their own but they did so for incredibly long until we decided to put them in captivity and destroyed so much of their habitat so we can continue to grow animal agriculture.
If it weren’t for zoos and aquariums, thousands, if not millions of species would already be extinct. It’s also a known fact that animals that live in captivity tend to life longer and are more healthier than their wild counterparts. They don’t have to worry about diseases, starvation, nor predators, and they constantly receive veterinary care and are fed everyday.
Animals in the wild also receive veterinary care. I saw a video where a group of wildlife veterinarian tranquilized an injured gorilla and fixed her legs.
Most of what is said in this video is true, but it has one vital flaw: the claim that this is the way Zoo's are always going to be, and that the only right thing to do is to avoid them. That is an instruction, and those are not to be obeyed unless you are convinced it is the best option. Don't rely on what others say. Always listen, but check if it corresponds to the truth.
Now read this comment again. If what I say does not convince you, I have no right to tell otherwise, only why I think differently.
Another small point if anyone needs extra convincing: most zoos serve animal products at their concession stands. Pretty hypocritical to flaunt their conservatory effort and then turn around and serve animals on a plate!
It's not made out of rare animals like pandas or the rhino though.
I mean those aren’t animals from the zoo. When they are talking about conservation they mean more wild species.
Yes, I realize the animals served for food are not endangered, but conservation is a broad concept that encompasses other facets of environmental welfare. The animal agriculture industry is not conducive towards conservationism, so by serving animal products for food the zoos are acting against their own professed ideals. Also, devaluing animals for food promotes speciesism. Catering to market whim and assessing animals for their worth based on supply/demand is how many species become endangered in the first place when they are either hunted for sellable products or eradicated to eliminate predatorial competition (as is the case with dolphins and whales in Japan). The conservation image presented by zoos essentially boils down to humane/greenwashing propaganda.
@@metalcorpseman5433 what if the zoo gets its food from small semi sustainable farms? Now I do think zoos should sell less meat as well over all we need to slow down our over all meat consumption but I do think they should still be able to at least make some money off of it. Look I don’t feel like any one should be ashamed or embarrassed for what they eat (unless you are committing a crime).
@@Skyypixelgamer Personally, I do believe that commoditizing animals for food or otherwise is morally reprehensible. I would like to see the mentality that decriminalizes it vanish completely.
Great video, really summarised some things I already believed and opened my eyes to other things that I didn't.
Thankyou for educating on this issue....this was much needed...
Just curious, the Irwin’s, some of the biggest animal lovers out there, own a zoo. I don’t think they’d go out of their way to own a facility where the animals are harmed and in misery. What do you think of them? Not arguing, just curious. There’s videos of clips from their show on animal planets TH-cam channel to see how their zoo runs. Again just curious on views of Steve Irwin and his family and their work with wildlife.
In my opinion, a huge number of zoo's are horrible but there is still some that give their animals a good life and their natural habitat. I have seen it. Everything is not just black and white. If you go to a place where they keep animals, do your resarch about the place beforehand! Usually big zoo's are not a great place for animals.
@@Hch96 Most big zoos actually seem to be good. It’s mainly the lesser known roadside attractions that are terrible. Just take a look at the habitats in San Diego, Bronx, Columbus, Disney, Miami, Jacksonville, North Carolina, Cincinnati, and many more large, well known zoos. Those zoos also do amazing conservation work. Now there also may be large zoos that don’t treat their animals well. But it seems the larger ones are the ones putting in an effort.
If u truely love someone, u want what's best for them and for them to be happy, not to force them to do things agianst their will just for your benefit. What's best for those animals is to be free in the wild. I wouldn't nessicarily call the irwin's animal lovers. I'm pretty sure they r not vegan. they seem to view animals for entertainment. They don't seem to care that the animal wants to be free. They might say they love animals just like a meat eater might say that, as in they love what the animal can do for them. That's like saying u love cows cuz they taste good. Or u love crocodiles cuz you think they look cool. they seem to have a fascination of these animals that's why they seem to lock them up for entertainment. They probably don't only lock up endangered animals, and if that's true thats pretty obvious for example if they r locking up crocs... There's plenty of crocs in the wild so why would they lock those up? if they only locked up endangered animals, it's still not right, maybe they were misguided in that. They should donate to anti poaching wild life rangers and promote veganism cuz animal agriculture is a leading cause of endangerment by damageing and taking over the animals wild habitat and killing the Threatened or endangered animals who might eat their livestock or crops.
Or they could relocate wild animals who have entered in human spaces into a wild suitable area.
Or they could help rehab injured wild animals so they can be released when better.
I don't nessicarily think the irwin's are the worst people, maybe they somewhat care about animals and have somewhat good intentions (and if they do that means they can change if they r convinced of a better way so u should try to convince them), but they should be taught a better way and realize there r better ways to try to help the animals.
@@bvegannow1936 You know zoo animals aren’t forced to do anything? No don’t go off the word of an activist video and peta with no research. Zoos use only positive reinforcement and never punishment for their animals, and they get them to do things only for necessary reasons like a medical checkup. Animals don’t have this yearn for freedom and preference for the wild, something many zoo animals don’t even know about. And that’s a scientific fact. Maybe that differs for animals like whales and sharks, but many zoo animals don’t have a concept of being free and happy in the wild. If they were miserable in zoos, they wouldn’t be meeting and usually exceeding their wild counterparts’ lifespans. Updates in research and care has allowed zoo elephants to live as long as they would in the wild, and many popular zoo animals like hoofstock, big cats, primates, canids, bears, birds, snakes, and many many more outlive their wild counterparts if not for something like disease or a freak accident which can also occur in the wild. You’re anthropomorphizing wild animals who care for the most basic things: food, water, shelter, and mating, all things that are guaranteed in a zoo. Animals in the wild travel miles and miles for needs, not for fun. I’d imagine traversing Africa in that intense heat or in a storm with possible old or young members of my group who can be picked off by lions, leopards, hyenas, poachers, killed by a territorial rival, die of exhaust, bitten by a snake etc. isn’t fun and done out of boredom. It’s for a chance to find more food or water or an area with less predators or no rivals. The wild isn’t this glorious place that zoo haters try to make it seem to be. Just because it’s ideal to you and is natural doesn’t mean it’s enjoyable. Knowing you, or your mate, or baby can be killed and eaten at any moment, or having to expand your energy to hopefully score a meal isn’t as fun as it sounds just because it’s natural. Lock the crocs up? You mean the many crocs that get into human areas and pose a threat and would otherwise be killed? The crocs who are still thriving to this day, showing they’re fine? Zoo animals come from other zoos, not the wild unless it’s for some important reason. To even insult the Irwins and Steve’s legacy, the people who save wildlife, weep over the death of a crocodile, inspire many people to help wildlife, and educate millions plus recuse injured, orphaned, and sick wildlife because they do something you don’t like isn’t the best thing to do. There’s way too much evidence and too many facts from newer research plus something you could see for yourself that proves a good zoo does no harm to its animals. To deny it because of an animal rights video and outdated facts and a clip of a pacing tiger or swaying elephant or your projected emotions onto a napping lion or snacking rhino in a zoo is not really a good way to think and form such an opinion. No disrespect to you at all, just wanted to inform you the best I could.
@Wazowski They like to put their feelings over facts and common sense backed by more recent research and science from studies and observations from actual animal professionals, and not people who simply get emotional over animals and advocate for them rather than truly study their behavior, anatomy, species and subspecies, etc. These people know elephants travel hundreds and thousands of miles, but they don’t seem to know why. They think it’s a fun thing they choose because “freedom” (a concept animals don’t even know because they just know instinct), but don’t understand it’s to find more of their needs, as traveling so far is risky due to numerous obvious reasons. For them it’s feelings over facts, no logic, just projecting emotions onto animals who are enjoying their lives and behaving as they would in the wild.
Go to pairi daiza
Edit:a good zoo but never go to Netherlands zoos go to belgian zoos👍 I went to planken zoo antwerp and pairi daiza animals are good there promise
Edit 2:peacocks may not be that good but they are not in cages they run free in the zoo
And the elephants have 15 acres land to explore they move them place to place👍
Aight I'm done here visit belgium
Chilling. Thanks for educating us.
There we go, I’m never stepping foot into a zoo again!
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
Big cats doing nothing but walking back and forth is something Ive seen in probably every zoo. They must be quite bored since they dont get to hunt their food.
Thanks!
it depresses me knowing how cruel humans are, I don't want to be part of this world anymore