Wild Facts Flowchart

 Sources Used:

http://animalrights.about.com/od/animalsinentertainment/a/Arguments-For-And-Against-Zoos.htm
https://teacher.ocps.net/deirdre.kelly/sitefiles/classwork/0809/PDFs/Facts%20About%20the%20Bronx%20Zoo%20kid%20pages.pdf
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1202920,00.html

Prezi: Zoo Survey Results

Remember that survey we had a few weeks ago? Well now you can see what everyone thought about zoos and how they should be run. Check out this prezi and comment with feedback.
Once again, thanks to everyone who participated in the survey!
http://prezi.com/t3ofvh0p30ba/zootelage/

Look at me, I'm the king of New York!

This is Osborn; 12 year old star of the New York Aquarium's Sea Lion Spectacular!

Osborn is obviously in top physical shape, as his job is to perform a variety of high-energy stunts in front of a crowd of children and adults alike.

However, it is not just his muscle that sets Osborn one step above the rest, but also his incredible mental stamina.  Aquarium staff make sure he is well fed and in good health, while his trainers make sure that he stays occupied through use of enrichment. This helps maintain his mental coordination and increase his capacity to learn new behaviors.

At this rate, Osborn will be around to fascinate and entertain many more crowds of people within his lifetime, all thanks to the NY Aquariums spectacular enrichment specialists!  

 

 

Photo taken by: Theresa Farrell

If you were in the zoo...

Take a moment to imagine something:
You open your eyes in the morning, stretch and stand up.  You drink in the warm sunshine and the beautiful scenery out your window.  All you want to do is go out and run, but you can't.  There just isn't enough space in your room to move; it's so crowded and messy. 
Everything you need to survive is given to you in that room: your food, your water, even your bathroom is contained within that space.  However, there is nothing to do there. There are no books, no electronics,  no paper or pens, no music, no TV, not even so much as a ball to bounce against the wall.  You remember that you are supposed to act a certain way. You know how to speak English, how to read and write, and how to play baseball, but somehow you've found yourself forgetting.  With no one to talk to, you don't have the need for speech, so you don't talk.  Without space, you never have need to walk, so you either stand or lay on the floor for most of the day.  The only company you have are your thoughts, but even they are diminishing. 
Later in the evening, your mother opens your door, says hello, and hands you a bowl of soup for supper.  Then she leaves, the sun goes down, and you have nothing better to do than go to sleep.

Sound totally bizarre? For humans, it is.  We are not confined 24/7; and even prisoners are allowed the chance to leave their cells for a short time and partake in various activities. However, for animals in many zoos, this insane scenario is a reality.  They are left, day after day, with nothing to do except pace back and forth or lay on the ground. 

So what can we do? Enrichment is the answer! Comment with ideas on how we can keep captive animals stimulated mentally and physically :)

  Photo Credit:   http://u.jimdo.com/www48/o/s56810cfc8b6d61cd/img/id87817c7889ee90e/1312042225/std/image.jpg

Game Time: Genetics at the Zoo!

Zoos and Aquariums bring together a large gradient of species  to areas that they otherwise would not inhabit. This creates a unique problem as these same species are expected to breed to prolong the establishments population as well as propagate the valuable genetic material they contain. It has been documented that, because of their isolated populations and inability to find an outside source to form mating pairs, inbreeding has had detrimental effects  on certain species captive in zoos (Ralls et al, 1988).  Captive breeding, although useful, isn't always as easy as it seems. Try your hand at breeding the ideal an Tiger population in this fun game from the folks at the Minnisota Zoo!

Zoo Matchmaker:

http://www.mnzoo.org/education/games/matchmaker/index.html

Easy- Genetic Diversity mode
Hard- Disease Resistance mode

The greater the resistance and lower the inbreeding the better!
POST YOUR (HARD) HIGH SCORE IN THE COMMENTS!!
Mine is 100% Resistance/ 21% Inbreeding

Sources:

Ralls, Katherine, Jonathan D. Ballou, and Alan Templeton. "Estimates of lethal equivalents and the cost of inbreeding in mammals." Conservation biology 2.2 (1988): 185-193.

Straight out of Brooklyn!

Our first submissions have arrived! Featured here are (in order) a pair of Emu, unidentified frog, Red Panda taking a snooze, a Pallas's Cat, a bale of turtles and finally a small mob of Meerkat!

Sent to us from Eva G. visiting the Prospect Zoo in Brooklyn, NY

Thanks for your wonderful photos!

Enrichment Programs in American Zoos

One of the most important responsibilities of animal care facilities is to ensure that their residents are not only physically healthy, but mentally stable as well.  This is done through enrichment, in which the animals are given some sort of task to accomplish which exercises their natural abilities which would have been necessary if they were living in the wild.  This occupational therapy keeps them from becoming bored and developing mental illness, which is a common ailment in inadequate zoos. 

Check out this video to hear Director Lee Ehmke talk about Enrichment programs in the Minnesota Zoo:

Zoos: Havens or Prisons?

Take our quick survey and tell us your thoughts!
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LGKHJC9

San Diego's "Frozen Zoo" and De-extinction

 

Programs like the San Diego Zoo's "Frozen Zoo" may lead to De-Extinction of species like the Passenger Pigeon, Thylecean and possibly even the Wooly Mammoth! Is this work vital, or are we interfering with the natural selection here on earth? (Don't forget we are animals too) Respond on our forum!

Revive & Restore Webpage:
http://longnow.org/revive/

Zoo Facts

An interesting article from the Animal Planet Network, examines both the Pros and Cons of Zoos with hard facts.

Click here to read:
http://animal.discovery.com/animal-facts/zoos-good-or-bad.htm

Then here to chat about it on our Forum:
http://zootelage-forum.1091248.n5.nabble.com/

Captive Animals Protection Society 10 Facts

1. Zoos are miserable places for animals

A CAPS film, No Place Like Home, looked at UK zoos and found many examples of poor conditions for animals.

In 2010, a CAPS undercover investigator filmed sick animals left untreated and dead animals to rot on floors at Tweddle Farm zoo. CAPS had to take rabbits to a vet to have infections treated and after our expose local police confiscated a monkey who had been kept alone and given cake and other junk food to eat.

Think safari parks are better than ‘traditional’ zoos? Woburn Safari Park was keeping its lions locked into small enclosures for 18 hours a day. A DEFRA zoo inspection report in 2010 said: “The animals were very crowded and there was no provision for individual feeding or sleeping areas. There was no visible environmental enrichment. Some of the lions exhibited skin wounds and multiple scars of various age, some fresh, some healed.”

A government-funded study of elephants in UK zoos found “there was a welfare concern for every elephant in the UK.” 75% of elephants were overweight and only 16% could walk normally, the remainder having various degrees of lameness. Less that 20% were totally free of foot problems. (M Harris et al. The welfare, housing and husbandry of elephants in UK zoos. University of Bristol, 2008)

2. Zoos can’t provide sufficient space

Zoos cannot provide the amount of space animals have in the wild. This is particularly the case for those species who roam larger distances in their natural habitat. Tigers and lions have around 18,000 times less space in zoos than they would in the wild. Polar bears have one million times less space. (Wide roaming animals fare worst in zoo enclosures. Guardian, 2.10.03)

3. Animals suffer in zoos

A government-funded study of elephants in UK zoos found that 54% of the elephants showed stereotypies (behavioural problems) during the daytime. One elephant observed during day and night stereotyped for 61% of a 24-hour period. (M Harris et al. The welfare, housing and husbandry of elephants in UK zoos. University of Bristol, 2008)

Lions in zoos spend 48% of their time pacing, a recognised sign of behavioural problems. (G Mason & R Clubb. Guest Editorial, International Zoo News, Vol 51, No 1 (2004))

To see the rest of the "10 facts" go to: http://www.captiveanimals.org/news/2010/03/10-facts-about-zoos

Do these Cons conflict with you're current knowledge? Let us know in our comments!

UPDATE: Have any of our other posts conflicted with these 10 facts? Do you feel the same way about these facts as you did before? Let us know, on our forum or in the comments below!