{"id":2175634,"date":"2024-06-02T18:00:53","date_gmt":"2024-06-02T17:00:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2175634"},"modified":"2024-06-01T11:20:16","modified_gmt":"2024-06-01T10:20:16","slug":"costa-rica-outlaws-state-zoos-relocating-hundreds-of-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/costa-rica-outlaws-state-zoos-relocating-hundreds-of-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"Costa Rica Outlaws State Zoos, Relocating Hundreds of Animals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In a historic move, Costa Rica has decided to close its two remaining state zoos, marking a significant step in its commitment to wildlife Conservation. The decision, announced by Costa Rica\u2019s Ministry of Environment and Energy, comes over a decade after the country passed a law prohibiting the captivity of wild animals in government-run facilities. This closure affects the Sim\u00f3n Bol\u00edvar Zoo and the Santa Ana Conservation Center.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"How do we fix the zoo?\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/05nDoxdSzwY\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Source: Vox\/YouTube<\/p>\n<p>The transition, which began last week, involves relocating 287 animals to a rehabilitation center where their health will be assessed. According to Franz Tattenbach, the minister of environment and energy, some animals will be reintroduced to the wild, while others will be placed in sanctuaries if they are deemed unfit for release. \u201cCaptivity is only justified when animals cannot return to the forest for either physical or behavioral problems that prevent them from living in freedom,\u201d Tattenbach stated.<\/p>\n<p>This initiative aligns with Costa Rica\u2019s wildlife protection law enacted in 2013. The law aimed to close state zoos by 2014 but faced legal challenges from Fundazoo, the foundation previously managing the zoos. Despite these delays, the government has now successfully taken steps to uphold its commitment to ending state-run animal captivity.<\/p>\n<p>Notably, the closure does not affect the 18 private zoos operating in the country. However, wildlife advocates view this as a crucial victory. The FAADA Foundation, a wildlife nonprofit, celebrated the closure as a \u201cvery important step forward\u201d in wildlife protection.<\/p>\n<p>The animals\u2019 transition will be carefully managed by biologists and veterinarians, ensuring they receive appropriate care. Some animals, including an alligator and turtles, are still awaiting transfer. Experts like Dr. Darryl Heard from the University of Florida highlight the complexities of reintroducing captive animals to the wild, emphasizing the need for time and careful preparation.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Alonso Aguirre of Colorado State University notes that Costa Rica\u2019s actions could set a precedent for other countries. \u201cIf Costa Rica can do it, everybody else can,\u201d he said, stressing the importance of moving away from captivity.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, Costa Rica\u2019s decision underscores its dedication to wildlife conservation and offers a hopeful model for global efforts to protect and rehabilitate wild animals.<\/p>\n<p><i>This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onegreenplanet.org\/animals\/costa-rica-outlaws-state-zoos-relocating-hundreds-of-animals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">article <\/a>by Nicholas Vincent was first published by One Green Planet on 18 May 2024. Image Credit :Shutterstock \/ JT Platt.<br \/>\n<\/i><\/p>\n<h2>What you can do<\/h2>\n<p>Help to save wildlife by donating as little as $1 \u2013 It only takes a minute.<\/p>\n<hr style=\"border-top: 1px solid white;\" \/>\n<div><script src=\"https:\/\/donorbox.org\/install-popup-button.js\" type=\"text\/javascript\" defer><\/script><a class=\"dbox-donation-button\" style=\"background: #ededed; color: #333; text-decoration: none; font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; display: inline-block; font-size: 13px; padding: 8px 10px 8px 10px; -webkit-border-radius: 2px; -moz-border-radius: 2px; border-radius: 4px; box-shadow: 0 1px 0 0 #a5a5a5;\" href=\"https:\/\/donorbox.org\/focusing-on-wildlife-needs-your-support?amount=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">DONATE NOW<\/a><\/div>\n<hr style=\"border-top: 1px solid white;\" \/>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-161632\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/payment-methods_300px.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"28\" title=\"\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"clear: both;\"><\/div>\n<hr style=\"border-top: 1px solid white;\" \/>\n<div><em>Focusing on Wildlife supports <a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wildlife-charities-supported-by-focusing-on-wildlife\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\">approved wildlife conservation organizations,<\/a> which spend at least 80 percent of the money they raise on actual fieldwork, rather than administration and fundraising.<\/em><i><\/i><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a historic move, Costa Rica has decided to close its two remaining state zoos, marking a significant step in its commitment to wildlife Conservation. The decision, announced by Costa Rica\u2019s Ministry of Environment and Energy, comes over a decade after the country passed a law prohibiting the captivity of wild animals in government-run facilities. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1178,"featured_media":2202440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onegreenplanet.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/shutterstock-1380425048.jpg?w=750&ssl=1","fifu_image_alt":"Costa Rica Outlaws State Zoos, Relocating Hundreds of Animals","footnotes":""},"categories":[6985,5],"tags":[8257,8258],"class_list":["post-2175634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-wildlife","tag-zoo","tag-zoos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2175634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1178"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2175634"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2175634\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2202440"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2175634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2175634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2175634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}