A dangerous situation that turned deadly for a lost tiger found wandering this week highlights an urgent need to protect both the public and big cats in the U.S. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the tiger was first spotted on a highway in Atlanta, Ga., before making her way into a neighborhood, where she jumped […]
Tag: zoo
POLL: Should roadside zoos be closed down?
Disturbing new undercover footage of a zoo in Canada exposes heartbreaking abuses. The footage has spurred outrage and has led to calls for change. The video, which was released by Animal Justice, was taken at the Papanack Zoo in Ontario by a whistleblower who worked there. It brought to light a number of heartbreaking issues […]
POLL: Should elephants be kept in captivity?
Water streams off the edges of her giant ears, runs in rivulets down the wrinkles of her slate-grey skin. She presses her whole head into the hose’s force, the spray welling into her mouth. As she drinks, she rubs her skin against the steel fence, her eyelids drooping luxuriously, her trunk relaxing. If ever I’ve […]
POLL: Should more cities ban wild animals in entertainment?
Los Angeles, considered the entertainment capital of the world, will no longer tolerate entertainment that involves performances by wild or exotic animals. The City Council voted unanimously April 25 to ban the exhibition of these animals for entertainment or amusement purposes in circuses, exotic animal shows, public places and private house parties. L.A. will now […]
POLL: Should travel companies stop supporting zoos?
In a win for animals, online travel agency company Responsible Travel has pledged to stop promoting zoos. The company will instead be working to support better ways for consumers to learn about and appreciate wildlife. Facilities that keep animals in captivity have continued to use education and conservation as major justifications for continuing the practice, […]
POLL: Should zoos protect rhinos by removing their horns?
A Czech zoo has said it will use a chainsaw to remove the horns from its herd of rare rhinos after a brutal attack last week in a French zoo where poachers shot dead a white rhino and hacked off its horns. “It’s for the sake of rhino safety,” Andrea Jirousova, spokeswoman for the zoo […]
POLL: Does the world still need zoos?
I have written before about the importance of zoos and the role they have to play in the world for conservation and education. They are in particularly important for endangered species – many animals are critically endangered in the wild and may go extinct there soon but are going strong in zoos. Many others are […]
POLL: Should wild animals be kept in zoos?
London zoo has denied rumours that the gorilla that escaped from its enclosure on Thursday evening did so by smashing a window. Malcolm Fitzpatrick, senior curator of mammals for the zoo, said “categorically … that our male silverback gorilla Kumbuka did not break through any glass”. But he repeatedly rebuffed questions over how the animal […]