As I purposefully stayed back at Covenant during Kilter, I couldn’t help but wonder why a school dance was being held at a zoo. After a long day of being ogled at by humans, aren’t the animals expecting a nice and quiet evening? Is it possible, even if the dance floor was far away from the exhibits, the loud music and thundering bass disrupted the many residents of the Chattanooga Zoo?
I grew up going to the Toledo Zoo most summers when I visited my extended family. I remember loving seeing the animals that I would otherwise probably never see, such as flamingos, giraffes, elephants, and penguins.
Looking back on those experiences, I am struck by how small and how different the habitats really were from the animals’ natural habitats. Polar bears had to endure the hot summer sun when their native habitat is in the arctic circle.
Zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) help participate in conservation work and even contribute to the rehabilitation of animals. These are great things that a lot of zoos participate in.
Although the animals are undoubtedly taken care of well at AZA zoos, why do we feel the need to keep animals in captivity? These zoos are nonprofits and aim to educate people on wildlife preservation, but why do animals have to be taken far away from their homes to accomplish this? Why must animals be held in captivity in order to protect them?
Conservation has become an important part of the Chattanooga Zoo.
Its website states that the zoo participates in “several AZA Species Survival Plans including Snow Leopards, Cotton-Top Tamarins, Jaguars, Fennec Foxes and more.” They are “currently in partnership with Lee University, conducting ground-breaking research critical to preserving the native Hellbender population from extinction.” In addition, the Chattanooga Zoo is “a regional leader in the field of native wildlife rehabilitation and is the only state licensed wildlife rehabilitation facility.”
These are amazing feats that should not go without applause. However, there is a paradox in which holding animals captive to serve as money-makers for zoos has become necessary for funding conservation projects.
In the wild, many animals face danger from poaching. This is why most zoos believe it is right to have animals in captivity.
The International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) is a great example of an organization that is taking action to protect species from human harm. They train rangers who guard animals in their natural habitats.
The IAPF website says, “The IAPF builds and leads large scale conservation operations, maintaining a strong focus on community development in order to conserve biodiversity.”
Biodiversity is something Christians should care about. God created so many beautiful animal (and plant) species. It is our role to care for creatures and to make sure they are being protected and do not go extinct.
Animals were not created for cages. This earth was created with so much land, specific to the species living on it, and yet it has become acceptable to take these species away from their natural environments for the sake of conservation and education.
Many zoos have amazing breeding programs and behavior studies which aid wildlife conservation. Further, zoo animals become ambassadors for their species, and this can serve as a method of raising money to help protect wild populations. A lot of zoos contain endangered species for this purpose.
Where should the line be drawn? How can we reach a point where animals are not treated as entertainment, and money can be raised without having to hold animals captive?
Overall, it is important to remember our roles as stewards of creation and to refrain as much as possible from participating in the exploitation of animals. If you do choose to go to zoos, only go to ones that are AZA accredited, and keep in mind that the animals you see were not made to be in mock-habitats that are much smaller than their natural environments.