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Co.Exist | ideas + impact: For a decade, Winky and Wanda were the Detroit Zoo’s only Asian elephants. In the summer months they would kick around in the dirt of their limited outdoor enclosure. During Detroit’s long winters, they were confined indoors, their soft feet rarely leaving the hard concrete.
8 comments:
Sasha Mieles
said...
I think that it is incredible that zoos are trying to make the animals happy rather than making money. I have an extremely pessimistic view when it comes to business where I often believe that people value money over what they actually believe in as a person. Seeing that zoo designers working with biologists to create comfortable spaces for animals to live is an amazing move forward in animal rights. Although I do like to see the animals at zoos, I would much rather know that they are happy in their environment rather than my entertainment. Seeing animals in pain at zoos makes me extremely angry. The basic purpose of zoos were to create a safe place for endangered animals, but it has become a money-making industry instead. Now if only Sea World and other places which keep animals captive would realize that some animals cannot be in cages, the world might be a better place. There would also be less animal torture and human injury from animals.
This is incredibly exciting. As an animal lover and someone who has read quite a bit on zoo misconduct, it's wonderful to hear that people are taking strides to reverse the damages that have been done to these poor creatures. I especially enjoyed the idea to have zoos with animals who are used to the local temperature of the area. It tortures me to go to the Manhattan Zoo and see the polar bears melting under the sun in an environment ten-thousand times too small for them. With live animal exhibitions, it's exactly as the article dictates: we, as people, need to care for the animal's well being first and our entertainment second. We shouldn't force animals to be in tiny spaces just because we feel the need to see a tiger in 'real life'. It is not and has never been the job of an animal to cater to our needs. I've always believed in the power of wildlife sanctuaries over caged zoos, because though you might not see all the animals in the preserve you will be able to see them in their natural habitats, not overweight and under-exercised, dying of boredom in a 5'x10' prison cell.
It’s really great that zoos are finally realizing that the animals have a mental health that they need to take as much care of as their physical health. There’s a reason that saying goes “like a caged animal” no creature inherently enjoys being in a cage so why would it make sense that zoo animals magically would. I love that they are thinking more about the animal being happy than for the visitors always being able to see the animal. It’s entitled and cruel to think that the animals are solely there to make you happy. Many zoos are in place to protect and preserve an endangered species. It is great that they are putting in one way glass or video monitors to make the animals feel like they are not constantly being watched. Hopefully more zoos can join this movement without having to give up all their big moneymakers and then shutting down. It is always an amazing experience to be able to learn about animals that you would usually never be able to see and as long as they are taking care of the animal’s psychological well being zoos can be really great.
It’s been more than a few years since the last time I went and visited a zoo. I mean it’s the one place that allows you to see animals up close and personal, that you wouldn’t get to experience anywhere else. I think the closest I had been to a zoo was Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and that was a safari. Animals need their space to roam around in, and be able to be themselves. If you think about it, some animals travel miles a day to get to where they need to go, whereas zoos limit that in various ways with the amount of space that is provided. So it is good to see that we are finally thinking of something else other than ourselves, but for the well beings of these animals, with a species that is decreasing in population, they need the space.
I think it is very important that zoos are starting to change their environments for the animals. Zoos are a very difficult place for animals since they are confined to very small spaces compared to their natural habitats. Animals often times become depressed from being trapped and constantly watched. It is good to know that zoos are putting the well being of the animals before their business. Animals that are used to warm weather should not be in places that get very cold in the winter. They are not meant to be in those types of climates because they are not adapted. I think more zoos need to realize that they should move some of their animals to better environments in order for them to have better lives. There needs to be stricter rules on animal rights when it comes to zoos. They have improved a lot over the years because zoos used to be a lot worse for the animals.
I am ecstatic that zoos are taking animal’s mental well-being into higher account. I think it is so important to remember that zoos should function primarily as a sanctuary for endangered species and an educational platform for the public about the natural world and secondarily as a way to garner profit. I hope more zoos can follow in the footsteps of the Detroit example and put the well-being of the animals first and foremost, before visitor numbers. I haven’t been to the Seattle Aquarium in many years, but one thing I remember clearly are their efforts to only house animals native to the area and to the Seattle climate: the Aquarium, situated on a wharf on the Puget Sound and connected directly to the water, houses only the native jellyfish, starfish, otters, seabirds and seals. Though they have a smaller amount of species, they house them in such a way that the animals are as close to their natural habitat and habits as they can be while still visible to the public. From an educational standpoint, I think this is the most successful method of presenting information, as the public can see the animals in as close to a natural state as they can be. But regardless of all this, I still believe that natural habitat conservation efforts should come first. If we instead put our efforts towards saving habitat, the animals will take care of themselves without being placed in a prison as a method of "conservation".
This makes me really, really happy. It is nice to see, for once, that people are less concerned with the money they make than they are about the happiness and comfort of the animals they have. I keep thinking of how we talked in Global Histories about the Worlds Fair that featured human zoos in order to show the way other kinds of people live around the world. Everyone in the class was absolutely horrified by the treatment of these people and the fact that they would have to do so many private things in public; the shame of it all was uncomfortable to think about. And yet, zoos around the world do the same thing to animals everyday. As Nix said, it has never been the job of an animal to cater to our wants and needs. There is no need to treat animals with any disrespect we wouldn't want to be treated with. So bravo to those attempting to make zoos a more comfortable place!
My parents always used to take me to the fort worth Zoo as a child, we often spent hours every day there because i loved seeing the animals and seeing how they were doing every day. In fact the first job i ever wanted was to become a zoo keeper. Now as an entertainment designer, which zoo designers are a part of, I can implement the issues in this article and use them in my design. One of my favorite zoos was in Omaha because they were able to address the issue cited in this article. They were able to not only make the animals happy but they were also able to bring humans safely into the exhibit and immerse them in the animals life. I think knowing that the animals are happy will make people happy, now that society has changed over the last 100 years from making the concern entertainment to the concern of animal well being. if we continue to improve our zoos future generations will continue to hold animals and life to a high standard
8 comments:
I think that it is incredible that zoos are trying to make the animals happy rather than making money. I have an extremely pessimistic view when it comes to business where I often believe that people value money over what they actually believe in as a person. Seeing that zoo designers working with biologists to create comfortable spaces for animals to live is an amazing move forward in animal rights. Although I do like to see the animals at zoos, I would much rather know that they are happy in their environment rather than my entertainment. Seeing animals in pain at zoos makes me extremely angry. The basic purpose of zoos were to create a safe place for endangered animals, but it has become a money-making industry instead. Now if only Sea World and other places which keep animals captive would realize that some animals cannot be in cages, the world might be a better place. There would also be less animal torture and human injury from animals.
This is incredibly exciting. As an animal lover and someone who has read quite a bit on zoo misconduct, it's wonderful to hear that people are taking strides to reverse the damages that have been done to these poor creatures. I especially enjoyed the idea to have zoos with animals who are used to the local temperature of the area. It tortures me to go to the Manhattan Zoo and see the polar bears melting under the sun in an environment ten-thousand times too small for them. With live animal exhibitions, it's exactly as the article dictates: we, as people, need to care for the animal's well being first and our entertainment second. We shouldn't force animals to be in tiny spaces just because we feel the need to see a tiger in 'real life'. It is not and has never been the job of an animal to cater to our needs. I've always believed in the power of wildlife sanctuaries over caged zoos, because though you might not see all the animals in the preserve you will be able to see them in their natural habitats, not overweight and under-exercised, dying of boredom in a 5'x10' prison cell.
It’s really great that zoos are finally realizing that the animals have a mental health that they need to take as much care of as their physical health. There’s a reason that saying goes “like a caged animal” no creature inherently enjoys being in a cage so why would it make sense that zoo animals magically would. I love that they are thinking more about the animal being happy than for the visitors always being able to see the animal. It’s entitled and cruel to think that the animals are solely there to make you happy. Many zoos are in place to protect and preserve an endangered species. It is great that they are putting in one way glass or video monitors to make the animals feel like they are not constantly being watched. Hopefully more zoos can join this movement without having to give up all their big moneymakers and then shutting down. It is always an amazing experience to be able to learn about animals that you would usually never be able to see and as long as they are taking care of the animal’s psychological well being zoos can be really great.
It’s been more than a few years since the last time I went and visited a zoo. I mean it’s the one place that allows you to see animals up close and personal, that you wouldn’t get to experience anywhere else. I think the closest I had been to a zoo was Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and that was a safari. Animals need their space to roam around in, and be able to be themselves. If you think about it, some animals travel miles a day to get to where they need to go, whereas zoos limit that in various ways with the amount of space that is provided. So it is good to see that we are finally thinking of something else other than ourselves, but for the well beings of these animals, with a species that is decreasing in population, they need the space.
I think it is very important that zoos are starting to change their environments for the animals. Zoos are a very difficult place for animals since they are confined to very small spaces compared to their natural habitats. Animals often times become depressed from being trapped and constantly watched. It is good to know that zoos are putting the well being of the animals before their business. Animals that are used to warm weather should not be in places that get very cold in the winter. They are not meant to be in those types of climates because they are not adapted. I think more zoos need to realize that they should move some of their animals to better environments in order for them to have better lives. There needs to be stricter rules on animal rights when it comes to zoos. They have improved a lot over the years because zoos used to be a lot worse for the animals.
I am ecstatic that zoos are taking animal’s mental well-being into higher account. I think it is so important to remember that zoos should function primarily as a sanctuary for endangered species and an educational platform for the public about the natural world and secondarily as a way to garner profit. I hope more zoos can follow in the footsteps of the Detroit example and put the well-being of the animals first and foremost, before visitor numbers. I haven’t been to the Seattle Aquarium in many years, but one thing I remember clearly are their efforts to only house animals native to the area and to the Seattle climate: the Aquarium, situated on a wharf on the Puget Sound and connected directly to the water, houses only the native jellyfish, starfish, otters, seabirds and seals. Though they have a smaller amount of species, they house them in such a way that the animals are as close to their natural habitat and habits as they can be while still visible to the public. From an educational standpoint, I think this is the most successful method of presenting information, as the public can see the animals in as close to a natural state as they can be. But regardless of all this, I still believe that natural habitat conservation efforts should come first. If we instead put our efforts towards saving habitat, the animals will take care of themselves without being placed in a prison as a method of "conservation".
This makes me really, really happy. It is nice to see, for once, that people are less concerned with the money they make than they are about the happiness and comfort of the animals they have. I keep thinking of how we talked in Global Histories about the Worlds Fair that featured human zoos in order to show the way other kinds of people live around the world. Everyone in the class was absolutely horrified by the treatment of these people and the fact that they would have to do so many private things in public; the shame of it all was uncomfortable to think about. And yet, zoos around the world do the same thing to animals everyday. As Nix said, it has never been the job of an animal to cater to our wants and needs. There is no need to treat animals with any disrespect we wouldn't want to be treated with. So bravo to those attempting to make zoos a more comfortable place!
My parents always used to take me to the fort worth Zoo as a child, we often spent hours every day there because i loved seeing the animals and seeing how they were doing every day. In fact the first job i ever wanted was to become a zoo keeper. Now as an entertainment designer, which zoo designers are a part of, I can implement the issues in this article and use them in my design. One of my favorite zoos was in Omaha because they were able to address the issue cited in this article. They were able to not only make the animals happy but they were also able to bring humans safely into the exhibit and immerse them in the animals life. I think knowing that the animals are happy will make people happy, now that society has changed over the last 100 years from making the concern entertainment to the concern of animal well being. if we continue to improve our zoos future generations will continue to hold animals and life to a high standard
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