What are zoos for?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

In recent years, the topic of zoos has flared up many strange controversies … You can hear how zoological parks are called "prisons for animals" and are awarded with other unflattering epithets while the natural habitat of a huge number of species is destroyed by human activity.

Let's try to figure out what is happening with the animals behind the walls and bars of these organizations.

Coming to the zoo as a visitor, we see a variety of animals sitting in aviaries, cages, aquariums and terrariums, as well as crowds of people. What he knows about the work of the zoo regular visitor? At best, the schedule and ticket prices. Hence, they often get the feeling that all zoos were created with the sole purpose of entertaining people by contemplating animals locked in cages. But far from it.

The first zoosappeared about 4000 years ago in Egypt, and then in Ancient Rome. In 2009, archaeological excavations at Nehena uncovered evidence of an ancient zoo dating from about 3500 BC. e. Hippos, elephants, kongoni, baboons and wild cats were on display here.

The rulers created large gardens in which they built enclosures for outlandish animals from all over the world. In addition to entertainment, the founders of such gardens began to study the habits of animals. Many wanted outlandish animals to breed freely in their gardens, and this was achieved. Collections of animals and plants were created at the temples.

Of course, in those days there was practically no reliable knowledge about the content and habits of animals, and the attitude of people differed from the ideas of modern man. In the past, mobile menageries with filthy, cramped cages were common, the only purpose of which was to make a quick profit by entertaining the people with a display of curiosities.

Only in the 18th century more and more conscious people began to appear. Then one of the first large zoos was created. "Gardin des Plarttes"(it was in it that the famous Jumbo lived). Zoos began to open en masse around the world. During this period, research activities began to emerge in zoos.

Many remember the wonderful animal writer Gerald Darrell … Books such as "My Family and Other Animals", "Under the Canopy of a Drunken Forest", "Buffut's Hounds" have raised more than one generation of animal lovers. Darrell's main idea was to breed rare and endangered animal species in a zoo in order to further settle them in their natural habitats.

Nowadays, this idea has become a generally accepted scientific concept. If not for the Jersey Foundation, many species of animals would have survived only in the form of stuffed animals in museums. Thanks to the Foundation, they were saved from complete extinctionpink pigeon, Mauritian kestrel, golden lion marmoset and marmoset monkeys, Australian corroboree frog, radiant turtle from Madagascar and many other species.

Today, the world's zoos perform the most important conservation function - they teach people responsibility and participate in programs for breeding and reintroducing (returning to their natural habitat) rare species of animals. So, in Moscow Zoois functioning Center for the reproduction of rare species of animalslocated on 200 hectares, 100 km from Moscow.

Programs are being implemented there to preserve and reproduce the Far Eastern leopard, forest reindeer, fish owl, Eurasian cranes, etc. A program has also been launched to rehabilitate bats living in Moscow. All 6 species of bats inhabiting the city are listed in the Red Book.

V Novosibirsk Zooa nursery for rare species of animals was also organized at the biological station in Karasuk. This is one of the largest zoos in Russia. It contains about 11,000 individuals of 770 species. More than 350 species are listed in the International Red Book.

The Novosibirsk Zoo is engaged in breeding felines and weasels, so there is one of the world's best collections of representatives of these families. The staff of the zoo participates in 67 international programs for the conservation of rare and endangered animal species. The zoo also raises grouse and organizes their release back into nature.

Park of flora and fauna "Roev Ruchey" - a zoo in Krasnoyarsk, one of the largest zoos in Russia. The zoo participates in international programs for the rescue of endangered and scarce species; 340 species of the Swarming Brook collection are included in the International Red Book, 30 species are included in the Red Book of Russia. In Krasnoyarsk conditions, they managed to get offspring from giraffes.

At present, EARAZA (Euro-Asian Regional Association of Zoos and Aquariums) conducts the following research and production programs: Study, preservation and reproduction of Pallas' cat; Conservation of the populations of the Far Eastern (Amur) leopard and the Amur tiger; Creation of reserve populations of the Asian Siberian Grouse; Mountain ungulates of Eurasia and many others.

Zoos keep stud books to form healthy animal populations and exchange with other zoos in the world for the purpose of matching and pairing. This helps to avoid closely related crossbreeding and to preserve the diversity of the gene pool of artificial populations of species kept in zoos.

Why are artificial populations needed? In the future, when creating new reserves in the territory where this species used to live, babies obtained in captivity after preparation will be released on the territory of this reserve in order to form a new natural population. Keeping breeding pairs in zoos and nurseries also helps keep rare species from extinction. Some of the many examples of this are the blue macaw, Przewalski's horse, bison, David's deer, the Seychelles giant tortoise and a huge number of other species.

Breeding wild animals and raising their offspring is hard work. To do this, it is necessary to develop the correct strategy and create the correct conditions of detention. It is laid down by nature so that many species do not reproduce in bad conditions. It makes no sense to spend the energy and strength of the body on bearing and caring for the offspring, if it is in a stressful situation, starving and most likely will die. Reproduction is the main indicator of the participation of zoos in the conservation of species and biodiversity.

Conservation of biodiversity and improvement of animal welfare are now becoming priority tasks of real zoos.

The second function is scientific and educational activities … Many zoos have youth circles, from which dozens of famous biologists have graduated. On the basis of zoological parks, scientific research is carried out that cannot be carried out in the wild. In particular, animal diseases are being studied. The cultural and educational mission of zoos is realized through lectures and lessons for schoolchildren, thematic excursions, information posters on the territory of the zoo and observation of animal behavior.

About, what all zoos should strive for, described in the "Animal Welfare Strategy of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums"

Where do zoo animals come from? Previously, expeditions around the world were widespread to capture and transport exotic animals, but now there is no great need for them, because zoos provide each other with animals and exchange themselves. Expeditions are organized mainly for unremarkable and non-display animals for private collections. The modern main way of obtaining- from other zoos and organizations related to animals. The second is the animals born in the zoo itself.

Subject to availability, zoos accept confiscated animals, injured and unable to survive in nature animals. But the zoo rarely accepts wild and "foundlings". Animals from nature usually have a huge number of related problems, diseases, specific needs, and they require large financial investments. Quite often, hunters or caring people turn to zoos with a request to attach cubs left without a mother.

The human impact on the world around us can hardly be overestimated. Global warming, h extensive deforestation, poaching, invasive species, land clearing for plowing - this is present in almost every corner of the earth and the preservation of animals in such conditions is a rather difficult task. Reserves are not always able to cope with the protection of animals and often news about the next illegal logging and poaching killings of a tiger, leopard or other rare species. In the zoo, there are practically no problems with protection from these problems.

As an alternative to zoos, it is often mentioned ecotourism, but initially not interested in nature, a person will most likely choose an all-inclusive vacation in Turkey, rather than observing animals in their natural habitat. Good zoos, youth circles, education, programs about nature are the guarantee that a person will choose ecotourism.

Many opponents of zoos point out that money is taken from visitors and that this is just business. If you have ever kept animals, then you understand how much money is spent on keeping them. And as you might guess, it takes a lot more to feed a tiger or horse than it does a dog or hamster.

The zoo is something that all employees immerse themselves in and that takes up most of the time. For the work of all programs for the conservation, feeding of animals, the organization of scientific and educational activities, the payment of salaries to employees and development, it is money that is needed. And good zoos earn them without harming animals.

We do not deny the existence of bad zoos, but before you start swearing, check with the staff about the animal or ask the person who kept the animals. The problem may be in the process of being resolved or is the norm. For example, animals that molt in the off-season are often mistakenly called shabby and sick, and insects in a feeder can be food for an insectivore. First, offer your best help before writing angry posts on the internet.

Zoos help people stay connected to nature in the endless jungle of stone. In recent decades, we have increasingly fenced ourselves off from nature, displacing and exterminating more and more species, destroying their habitat.

One of the indicators of this fencing and ignorance of the nature of steel zoo radical movementscalling for the closure of all zoos, circuses, private content. It is our responsibility and our duty to preserve the planet's biodiversity. In your free time, be sure to go to a good zoo, help, support and come back from there with new knowledge.