Eco 372 Week 2 Environmental Ethics

Cope, Doris L. Week 2 Environmental Ethics Essays 1

Zoos are immoral because they capture wild animals from their native homelands, transport them to strange lands, and hold them captive for human amusement and entertainment for long periods of time while largely ignoring their intrinsic right. The only way zoos can possibly be moral is if zoos really put the interests of the animals first and if zoos found ways for us to observe them. (Sanger 2014).

In response to the philosophically based animal rights movement of the 1980s, The Zoological Society of San Diego had to admit that concerns for humane treatment and quality of life within zoological institutions mirrored the attitudes of society toward human-animal relationships…and

The Zoo’s expenses amounted to $240,079,000 for more than $28Mil profitability. A breakdown of San Diego Zoo’s 2013 expenses (in $millions) follows:

Exhibition and animal care facility operations: $186,395

Research and conservation activities: $20,895

Educational programs: $ 4,257

Administration: $25,224

Actuarial charges for pension 3,308

Clearly, the financial cost of keeping animals in captivity is exorbitant. Note the educational expenditures as a percentage of the total budget. We remain unclear about what zoos are to teach (see Table Below). Also note the proportion of Exhibition costs and facility operations expenditures as a proportion of the entire annual revenue.

Cope, Doris L. Week 2 Environmental Ethics Essays 2

Given the four primary reasons cited for the existence of zoos and the industry’s response to challenges to those reasons compels one to think zoos are not moral. A comparison between Anti-Zoo philosophers and the zoological community typified by the San Diego Zoological Society’s position on the four reasons for having zoos (amusement, education, opportunities for scientific research, and species preservation) is shown below:

Justification Environmental Philosopher’s Position San Diego Zoological Society’s

Zoos can’t just collect wild animals anymore. Realignment mission with conservation context e.g. animals taken into captivity, ostensibly to ensure future survival incurs increased obligations from humans. Adopt Philosophical respect: (Peter Singer - utilitarian and Tom Regan - deontology)

Education To what degree does keeping animals captive contribute to education? Education via multi-media vs captivity; use empty cages w/why they’re empty explanation. Acknowledge and address educational function. As an example Does Featherdale’s hands-on program and profit motivation justify animal captivity?

Scientific Research Few zoos support any real scientific research; fewer still have scientific staff; scientific research takes place in the wild vs zoo captives; scientific research could be funded by govt. agencies rather than zoos.

Zoo studies in behavior and anatomy and pathology controversial because of unnatural conditions; much of done using zoo animals seem redundant/trivial. Animal Welfare Act of 1985, improving the psychological health of captives was initially resisted as undefinable and as requiring a huge outlay of money to implement, many labs were remodeled, and enrichment efforts on the part of laboratory staff are now routinely