compare our situation during lockdown with the animals in the zoo and the birds in the cage locked down for our amusement.
Answers
It’s been many centuries since Montezuma first caged jaguars and monkeys for the public’s entertainment. Today, however, people have become much more informed about the needs and behavior of wild animals and the toll that captivity takes on them.
Most zoos do not begin to replicate the lush jungles, vast savannahs, and dense forests where animals belong. Many animals in captivity have little control over their lives, including what they eat and who they share space with. They may not even get to decide who their mate is since some zoos artificially inseminate animals.
Instead of providing lifetime care, zoos often trade, lend, sell, barter, and warehouse animals they no longer want—despite knowing that many species form lasting bonds that are important to their long-term health and happiness. Removing animals from established social groups and forcing them to adjust repeatedly to new routines, different caretakers, and unfamiliar cagemates is disruptive and traumatic.
Many countries around the world have no laws whatsoever to protect captive animals. In the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) licenses animal exhibitors and is supposed to enforce the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). But permits are issued to nearly anyone who fills out an application and sends in a fee.
Generally, the AWA addresses basic husbandry issues. Animals must be fed, watered, and provided with shelter, yet cages can have cement floors and there’s no requirement for grass, greenery, or other natural vegetation. Cage space regulations generally are interpreted to require only that the animals be provided with enough room to stand up, lie down, turn around, and move around a bit. Some animals, including reptiles, fish, and other cold-blooded animals, are specifically excluded from the AWA. Appallingly, even though Congress amended the AWA in 2002 to include birds used for exhibition as regulated (protected) animals, the USDA continues to turn a blind eye to captive birds’ suffering.
While most local authorities do have the legal power to enforce state cruelty laws for animals suffering in zoos, the vast majority simply refuse to take action, passing the buck to the USDA.
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It’s been many centuries since Montezuma first caged jaguars and monkeys for the public’s entertainment. Today, however, people have become much more informed about the needs and behavior of wild animals and the toll that captivity takes on them.
Most zoos do not begin to replicate the lush jungles, vast savannahs, and dense forests where animals belong. Many animals in captivity have little control over their lives, including what they eat and who they share space with. They may not even get to decide who their mate is since some zoos artificially inseminate animals.
Instead of providing lifetime care, zoos often trade, lend, sell, barter, and warehouse animals they no longer want—despite knowing that many species form lasting bonds that are important to their long-term health and happiness. Removing animals from established social groups and forcing them to adjust repeatedly to new routines, different caretakers, and unfamiliar cagemates is disruptive and traumatic.
Many countries around the world have no laws whatsoever to protect captive animals. In the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) licenses animal exhibitors and is supposed to enforce the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). But permits are issued to nearly anyone who fills out an application and sends in a fee.
Generally, the AWA addresses basic husbandry issues. Animals must be fed, watered, and provided with shelter, yet cages can have cement floors and there’s no requirement for grass, greenery, or other natural vegetation. Cage space regulations generally are interpreted to require only that the animals be provided with enough room to stand up, lie down, turn around, and move around a bit. Some animals, including reptiles, fish, and other cold-blooded animals, are specifically excluded from the AWA. Appallingly, even though Congress amended the AWA in 2002 to include birds used for exhibition as regulated (protected) animals, the USDA continues to turn a blind eye to captive birds’ suffering.
While most local authorities do have the legal power to enforce state cruelty laws for animals suffering in zoos, the vast majority simply refuse to take action, passing the buck to the USDA.