In addition to international, federal, state, and local laws, there are also additional voluntary standards for zoos that choose to implement them. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (“AZA”), an organization of zoos and related entities, regulates the zoo industry through voluntary standards. To become a member, zoos must be accredited and affiliated facilities must be certified according to AZA guidelines. Related facilities are those that house wildlife but are not regularly open to the public. The AZA Code of Professional Ethics, an expanded standard for the care and welfare of zoo animals, regulates AZA members. AZA members enjoy a high reputation in the industry. Standards govern everything from the movement of zoo animals to the image the zoo must convey to the public. In several cases, animals kept in poor condition in roadside zoos were moved to protected areas after the Animal Legal Defense Fund sued under the Endangered Species Act. State and local laws: Strong state laws and even local laws have always been a useful way to protect exotic and wild animals. There are significant differences between states and cities and counties in the degree of legal protection afforded to captured wildlife.
That is only one of the limitations of the law. Protection is also minimal. The AWA only sets basic due diligence standards for exhibitor licensing. These standards set the bar very low and are widely considered to be below average when it comes to animal welfare. For example, the law does not restrict the display or private ownership of wild animals kept in captivity, nor does it prohibit the use of controversial hooks, whips, electric shocks, or other devices commonly used in circuses. For animals in zoos, the AWA has low requirements for housing, food, and sanitation and, as commonly mentioned, no requirements for mental stimulation of animals other than primates. I`m a long-time fan of good zoos (note the adjective) and have visited dozens of zoos, safari parks, and aquariums around the world. I also worked for a few years as a volunteer keeper at two zoos in the UK and my own interests now extend to the history of zoological collections and their design, architecture and research, so it`s probably fair to say that I`m firmly in the pro-zoo camp. If you are against animals in captivity, there may be little room for discussion, but nevertheless I would argue that some of the following arguments (notably the danger of extinction) may outweigh arguments against captivity. Also, I don`t think anyone would really consider building a 10,000 km fence around the Maasai Mara as captivity, even if it restricts the movement of animals through that barrier.
But when does he become captive? A fence of 10000 m? 1000 m fence? What happens if veterinary care or additional feed is provided, such as on many reserves or as part of conservation projects? I`m not saying an animal isn`t in captivity in a zoo, but there`s clearly a continuum from zoos and wildlife parks to game reserves, national parks and protected areas. The degree of care and degree of confinement make the idea of “imprisonment” fluid and not absolute. Some roadside zoos scratch baby tigers and lions — a serious surgery in which a cat`s toes are amputated at the last joint. The claw is extremely painful and causes permanent disability. In Sulawesi, Indonesia – forty-five thousand years ago, an artist painted the oldest known cave painting in the world – a life-size image of a wild boar. Forty thousand years later, the elite of Hierakonpolis, Egypt, housed elephants, hippos and baboons in the oldest known zoo in the world. Today, individuals keep exotic fish, reptiles, and birds as pets, while zoos and aquariums exhibit some of the world`s largest and rarest animals. The human fascination with wild animals is clearly not a new phenomenon, but how and why we keep wild animals has evolved over time. Zoos in particular have changed dramatically in recent decades. Once filled with bare and concrete cages and focused solely on human entertainment, the American zoology industry is now proud to prioritize animal welfare. Many zoos today house animals in naturalistic habitats and work hard to educate the public on conservation and wildlife issues and contribute directly to global efforts to conserve endangered species and their environment.
Zoo animal laws exist at the international, state and local levels. At the international level, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates the trade and movement of approximately 5,000 endangered species. Species are listed in three appendices (lists at the end of the Convention); Animals listed in Annex I enjoy the greatest protection, while species listed in Annex III enjoy the lowest protection.
