No Room to Run
Zoo enclosures should be designed to make animals feel comfortable and secure, with sufficient space and furnishings to encourage natural behaviours and movements.
The Ministry of Natural Resources requires zoos to comply with the following four general conditions attached to their licence for keeping native wildlife:
- Animal enclosures in which animals are on public display should be of a size which enables the animals to:
- exercise natural behaviours to facilitate public education and interpretation
- achieve a distance from the public and other specimens at which the animals are not psychologically or physically stressed
- achieve a full range of body movements and physical movements normally performed
This coyote is housed in a very small exhibit without any privacy and with
very little shade.
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This tiger is housed in a barren cage with barely enough room to move around.
The size of the exhibit, measuring approximately 4 m x 8 m, severely
restricts the tiger's ability to exercise and display natural behaviours. The
floor of the exhibit was hard with sand thrown on top. The tiger appeared
to be underweight. |
There are no space requirements for exotic wildlife.
No Room to Hop
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This kangaroo is confined to an exhibit that measured approximately 2.5 m
by 3 m, including the metal shed with a compacted earth floor. Several zoo
auditors have criticized this exhibit, saying that it is too small for full speed
hopping. The red kangaroo is the largest kangaroo species and can cover
3 m to 4 m between jumps, reaching speeds greater than 50 km/hr. This
animal appeared to have developed some physical abnormalities.
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No Room to Climb
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A row of extremely small primate exhibits offers little room for the animals
to move about and behave naturally.
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This young bear is housed alone in a small dirty cage with a very low ceiling
and very little shade. The exhibit is not large enough for the bear to feel secure
and the space severely restricts natural movement and behaviour.
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No Room to Fly
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Two eagles kept in a small exhibit with very little room to fly. |
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Photo & Video
