Zoos had been developed, complete with amenities and features conforming with the set standards to ensure animal safety as well as the safety of the visitors. Offices had been also prepared complete with office small fireproof safe to keep records of the zoo animals and petty cash for proper maintenance. For many years, zoos faced the challenge of caring for animals from the wild while ensuring the safety of the animals and the whole facility.
In recent months, there have been an outburst of violence and injuries spreading in the media. It’s sad to know that this violence and injuries are mostly zoo-related. The occurrences once again brought up concerns for zoos alike and animal rights advocates. The question is what is actually being done to keep the animals in the zoo safe.
What is the Animal Welfare and The Future of Zoos?
The argument – The injuries and death of animals within zoo premises had been pointed out that we (people) cannot really adequately give the needs of the animals in cages. There are several people who actually disagree with this statement. It is a fact that maintaining a zoo is essential for education purposes and to show our children to animals they wouldn’t see in the regular environment. But many have wondered, what are our zoos doing to ensure the safety of these animals in captivity?
The Organization of Zoos And Aquariums calls for an extensive, eight-month certification procedure for its associate zoological services. This is regarded as the highest standard to ensure the safety of zoos and its welfare. The organization contains 215 recognized aquariums, zoos, nature as well as science facilities that provide care and attention to merged 750,000 animals, and also invest $160 million for conservation purposes every year. Accredited zoos go through 4 drills annually to keep safety practices and should report any kind of occurrences or accidental injuries to the organization.
Ensuring The Safety Of Animals In Zoos
Born Free, an animal rights group keeps a data source of documented animal cases at all zoos and animal facilities accredited and non accredited. It has documented 146 animal occurrences during the past year at recognized facilities within the U.S. Many included minimal injuries and also euthanizing ill or aging animals. Yet another 118 deaths among animals took place at accredited areas, having 10 taking place because of human fault. This includes the demise of the gorilla Harambe in the zoo in Cincinnati.
A thorough inspection following the unpleasant incident exposed a barrier isolating the gorilla display that has not met the standards stipulated by the organization of zoos and animals. As a result, the zoo changed the barrier and even included three monitoring cameras said local news. Following the poaching occurrence in France, community law enforcement has assisted improve safety. Zoos also have included attributes like moats and extra meshing to set more room separating the visitors and the animals.