Physical Needs Not Met
Many zoos fail to provide adequate shelter, shade and privacy, so animals overheat in the summer and go cold in the winter.
Filthy cages and dirty water are common. Cages are often so small, making it impossible for animals to move normally or exercise. Uncomfortable concrete or wire floors make normal movement difficult.
At a second Ontario zoo, Long was disturbed to find a red kangaroo being housed in a small enclosure, no more than 3 m long by 2 ½ m deep, part of this space taken up by a metal den box. Noting that the red kangaroo can cover three to four metres between jumps and reach speeds of up to 50 km/h, Long has some harsh words of criticism: “To house an animal with these abilities in such a small enclosure is inappropriate. Normal movement for this animal would be difficult, especially maneuvering into and out of the metal den box.”
This kangaroo is deprived of room to properly jump in this
small and featureless exhibit.
In another section of the same report, Cowan described enclosures which were in a shabby state of repair and badly constructed.” Many of the animals were found to be without appropriate shade or shelter, including, a coatimundi whose “nest box was rotted and chewed to the point of being an ineffectual cover,” the spotted jaguars which were provided with no shelter whatsoever, and two wolves “housed in an enclosure with a shelter large enough for only one wolf to enter.”
continue to The Myth of Education and Conservation
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