# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When it comes to euthanizing our beloved pets, there are always pros and cons you’ll be advise…

# data[].attributes.headline
Animal Testing to Be Reined in with Medical Tech Push Article

# data[].attributes.subject
Animal Testing to Be Reined in with Medical Tech Push Article

# data[].attributes.body
"Exeed the performance... through the use of human material that was biologically similar to the patients being treated" (Animal Testing to).

"Investing in cutting-edge, non-animal Technologies, researchers may be able to better predict which therapies work in humans"(Animal Testing to).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Alternatives to animal testing | Cruelty Free International

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Alternatives to animal tests are often cheaper, quicker and more effective.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the United States, animal protection laws can be enacted and enforced at every level of government.

Most animal protection legislation happens at the state level. There are also a handful of federal animal protection laws. Additionally, some cities and counties pass ordinances to protect animals.

This is why it's critically important to advocate for better animal protection laws with lawmakers in all government bodies. Each has the power to help.

Federal Animal Protection Laws

There are only a handful of federal animal protection laws:

The Animal Welfare Act: Signed into law in 1966, the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) is the primary federal animal protection law. The AWA mainly involves animals kept at zoos and used in laboratories, as well as animals who are commercially bred and sold like those in puppy mills.

The AWA directs the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture to set minimum standards regarding these animals' "handling, care, treatment, and transportation." Dog fighting and cockfighting are also prohibited under the Animal Welfare Act, so long as the activity in some way crosses state lines.

The AWA itself, as well as its enforcement by the Department of Agriculture, are frequently criticized for allowing inhumane practices to go unchecked.

The "28 Hour Law": This law, enacted in 1873, requires vehicles transporting certain animals for slaughter to stop every 28 hours to allow the animals exercise, food and water. The law does not apply if the vehicle in which animals are being transported contains access to food or water, and there are many other exceptions as well. Birds like chickens and turkeys, which are the most-farmed animals in the United States, are considered exempt by the federal government.

The Humane Slaughter Act, or the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act : This law was first passed in 1958, then amended in 1978. The Humane Methods of Slaughter Act requires that animals be stunned into unconsciousness before slaughter, to minimize pain.

Though chickens, turkeys and other birds feel pain just like other animals, they are not protected by this law. Enforcement of this law has been found by government inspectors to be "inconsistent."

The Endangered Species Act : Enacted in 1973, the Endangered Species Act protects fish, mammals and birds - as well as plants - listed as threatened or endangered in the United States and beyond. The ESA outlines procedures for federal agencies to follow regarding listed species, as well as criminal and civil penalties for violations. This law is chiefly administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Service.

Companion animals:

Companion animals - a category often limited to dogs and cats, but that sometimes includes birds, horses, and other animals as well - usually receive the strongest level of protection under state laws. However, there have been cases where someone has been prosecuted for having committed egregiously cruel acts against wildlife or farmed animals.

This can even extend to marine animals. In 2017, three Florida teenagers were charged with animal cruelty for their torture of a shark.

Each state also has laws governing some aspects of the "hands-on" care of animals. For example, there are laws regulating how long animal shelters must "hold" stray animals before they can be adopted or euthanized. There are also laws about how frequently pets must be vaccinated against rabies. States often also have some regulations concerning commercial breeding of companion animals.

"Hot car laws" criminalize leaving an animal in a vehicle in extreme weather, and some hot car laws allow these animals to be rescued from vehicles in certain circumstances and make the rescuer immune from civil or criminal liability. Anti-tethering laws limiting how long pets can be tied up or chained outside, especially in extreme weather, are also growing in popularity, as are laws allowing pets to be included in domestic violence protective orders.

California is at the forefront of some other statewide animal protection measures. In 2017, California became the first state to pass a statewide "retail pet sale ban." Under this law, retail establishments like pet stores may only sell cats, dogs and rabbits coming from shelters and rescue groups-and not from commercial breeders. Maryland passed its own statewide retail pet sale ban in 2018, becoming the second state with this type of law.

Wildlife:

Each state also has wildlife protection laws, as well as laws regarding the time and manner under which it is sanctioned to kill wildlife through hunting and fishing.

Wild animal performance bans: Some states regulate the use of wild animals in performances. In 2017, Illinois and New York passed the country's first statewide bans on the use of elephants in entertainment. This is generally seen as the beginning of a more widespread trend.

Farmed animals:

While farmed animals are often left out of state animal protection laws, a number of states have adopted measures to limit the use of "intensive confinement" farming practices. Such practices entail confining animals in restraints that are so small the animals often can't fully stand up or move around. Chickens and hens kept in battery cages don't have room to stretch their wings.

Local animal protection laws: Many other companion animal protection measures are enacted and enforced at the local level. For example, hundreds of cities and counties have retail pet sale bans like California's and Maryland's.

Similarly, in states without anti-tethering laws, many cities and counties pass their own such laws. A growing number of cities are passing and enforcing their own wild animal performance bans.

While state and federal laws would offer more protection to more animals, these local laws are very important. They not only protect the animals in that area - but they can also act as a bellwether for more expansive protections to come. It is not infrequent for new animal protection measures to begin at the city or county level, and then as the public increasingly demands it, to be taken up by the state legislators.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the United States, animal protection laws can be enacted and enforced at every level of government. Most animal protection legislation happens at the state level.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Which animals are used?

A surprisingly, large range of animal species are regularly used in experiments, including wild animals.

Only vertebrate animals (mammals, birds, fish and amphibians) and some invertebrates such as octopuses are defined as "animals" by European legislation governing animal experiments. Shockingly, in the USA rats, mice, fish, amphibians and birds are not defined as animals under animal experiment regulations. That means no legal permission to experiment on them is needed and they are not included in any statistics.

Animals used in experiments are usually bred for this purpose by the laboratory or in breeding facilities. It's a cruel, multi-million dollar industry. We believe that all animals are equally important. A dog bred for research is still a dog who could otherwise live a happy life in a loving home.

Some monkeys are still trapped in the wild in Africa, Asia and South America to be used in experiments or imprisoned in breeding facilities. Their children are exported to laboratories around the world. The use of wild-caught monkeys in experiments is generally banned in Europe but is allowed elsewhere.

Horses and other animals such as cows, sheep and pigs are often supplied by dealers and may originate from racing stables or farms for use in animal experiments. The rules preventing the use of stray companion animals like dogs and cats vary from country to country.

Wild animals can be used in trapping and monitoring experiments in the wild, or they may be captured and brought into a laboratory setting for more invasive research, sometimes in the name of conservation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What is animal testing? | Cruelty Free International

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Animals used in laboratories are deliberately harmed, not for their own good, and are usually...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
animal diseases; animal health; animal disorders; livestock diseases; pest animals; animal disease guide

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Causes, symptoms and treatment for diseases or disorders affecting your livestock.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For today's post, I have decided to tackle the benefits of zoos and aquariums. I was prompted to write this article when I saw The Rocks recent Instagram post of him posing with a sea lion. The comment section of this post was upsetting, to say the least, there were a few supportive voices saying it was a nice picture, but the loudest voices on the post were saying things like "OMG stop supporting captivity.... you have the influence to help them not encourage people to see them as strictly entertainment" and "Unfortunate that you choose to support captivity". In today's media, there are many loud voices calling for the shutdown of animal care facilities across the world, especially with social media platforms featuring contextless, education-less, anti-zoo content. I'm by no means saying that there is nothing wrong with zoo's and aquariums, there are pros and cons to everything and since the cons seem to be widely understood and perpetuated, (whether they are true or false) in this article ill simply be going over the benefits of zoos and aquariums. Let's start off by debunking some myths and misconceptions surrounding zoos and aquariums.

Debunking some Myths

Anyone who has ever worked in an animal care facility knows the complaints they always hear from members of the public. The vast majority of these complaints are really just myths and misconceptions perpetuated through the media, so I figured it would be good to get them out of the way before we dive into the deeper benefits of zoos and aquariums.

Zoo animals are all stolen from the wild

This is one common misconception that I hear from visitors all the time, "are zoo animals taken from the wild?". Almost all the animals housed in Accredited facilities across North America and Europe began their lives in captivity as a product of another zoos breeding program. Zoos across the world organize their animals in complex breeding programs (we will cover The Species Survival Program later) that match individuals based on their genetics and history to assure that the populations of captive animals are managed correctly. One of the only times an animal is taken from the wild and placed into captivity at a zoo is generally a young or injured animal that was deemed unreleasable by veterinarians and biologists. The old practice of going out into the wild and pulling a snatch and grab from a mother gorilla is simply a thing of the past.

"This animal is lonely and needs a friend"

This is one I hear ALL THE TIME from visitors when they are passing an exhibit with only one animal inside. A lot of these problems stem from people anthropomorphizing animals they see in a zoo, humans are extremely social animals and one of the worst things you can do to us is put us in solitary confinement, but this is not the case for many animals. MANY animals in the wild are completely solitary and only spend time with one another to mate, examples of this include Tigers, Jaguars, Bears, Owls, Foxes and Sea turtles and many many more. These animals can be perfectly content living by themselves in zoos and it can often be very dangerous to house solitary animals together as it may result in violence. If you see an animal that is not naturally solitary living by itself in an exhibit you can rest assured that the facility is scouring the network of other zoos and aquariums to try and find this animal an exhibit mate.

Animals would always be happier in the wild

This is one that is up for interpretation and is impossible to say with 100% certainty due to the fact that we cannot read the animals mind to tell whether it is "happy" or not. One thing we can do is assess an animals behaviour based on what we know to be normal for that animal and we can mitigate behaviours that we know to be caused by stress or boredom, such as Stereotypic behaviours. One thing that we do know for certain is that being a wild animal is not always a walk in the park. Your day as a prey species would be spent trying to find food so you don't starve while at the same time trying not to get eaten by a predator. Being eaten by a predator more often than not the furthest thing from a "clean kill" or "humane" as that predator is also just trying to stay alive by any means necessary. Even if you get away from the predator, even a minor injury can become infected and result in a long slow death. One of the benefits of zoos and aquariums is that we can assure all of our zoo animals will be safe from predators and will have access to adequate food, water, and medical attention. Access to these amenities often means that zoo animals will live far longer in captivity then they would in the wild. This is especially apparent for animals where climate change and habitat loss is making living in the wild more and more difficult with each passing year. All zoos strive to make their exhibits as close to the animal's natural environment as they possibly can, as well as trying to ensure the animal is stimulated both physically and mentally.

Captive animals are not cared for properly and are simply entertainment

Well, we can answer this common misconception with a blog post I wrote a while ago, about h ow to become a zookeeper. As you can clearly see from that post, almost all zookeeping positions require the keepers to possess a bachelors degree in biology/ zoology and are extremely competitive. This competitiveness means that zoos can be extremely picky about who they hire, and only hire the best to take care of their animals. Being a zookeeper is also not a high paying job which means that almost all of the people who pursue that line of work are doing so out of love of the animals and their work. This passion and selectiveness which results in an extremely high standard of care for the animals in a zoo and this is one of the huge benifits of zoos and aquariums. Another thing that many people do not know about almost all zoos is that their standards of care are constantly being updated and scrutinized by large accreditation bodies which we will talk about next. These accreditation bodies hold zoos accountable for their facilities as well as their standards to ensure that all animals in these accredited facilities are receiving the same level of care across the board.

Accreditation

As I mentioned in the above paragraph, many of the zoos and aquariums in North America have to go through a rigorous accreditation process from a governing body such as AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) or CAZA (Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums). Being accredited by these organizations has many benefits to the zoo or aquarium including, letting members of the public know that the animals at this facility are being held to the highest standard of care, access to a large database of other accredited facilities animals for exchanges, and potential government and grant funding for research and development, just to name a few. These accreditation bodies really help ensure that an animal moving between accredited facilities are going to receive the same standard of care no matter where they go. So next time you are travelling to a new city or looking for a zoo in the city that you live in, check to make sure they are accredited by a recognized institution or do some research to ensure you are supporting a facility with only the highest standard of care.

Conservation

One of the main benefits of zoos and aquariums is that they provide immense support to global conservation efforts through captive breeding programs as well as research programs. In an ever-changing world faced with global challenges such as climate change and habitat loss, conservation efforts are crucial to ensure that endangered and extirpated species do not reach the point of extinction and continue to thrive in their natural ecosystems for generations to come.

The Species Survival Program

The Species Survival Program (SSP) is the single most important thing zoos and aquariums take part in my opinion. This program, created by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 1981, is a comprehensive species management plan the oversees a variety of species populations within other AZA institutions. The main objective of this program is to manage populations of a particular species in multiple zoos to ensure that the population has the opportunity to thrive both in captivity and in the wild. Each plan is closely monitored by professionals called a Taxon Advisory Groups (TAG) that ensure individual animals are being paired for breeding with an appropriate mate as well as being housed at a facility where they have the greatest chance of success. They do this through a complex database of potential mates called a "Studbook" and using these studbooks they are able to create breeding and transfer plans for each individual species. This is a very large undertaking as there are currently almost 500 SSP's in place in North America and many more throughout the world such as WAZA and EAZA. It is through these complex programs that zoos have aided in bringing a number of species back from the brink of extinction which is next on our list of the benefits of zoos and aquariums.

Zoo Success Stories

The continued effort of zoos and aquariums in the conservation of endangered species has resulted in many species coming back from endangerment and even extirpation. Heres a few examples of some conservation success stories that came about due to the hard work of zoos and aquariums.

Arabian Oryx

This majestic antelope often called the "Unicorn of the desert" once inhabited the entire Arabian Penisula from Iraq to Syria was completely wiped out from the wild after the last small group was either captured or killed in the 1970s. This once widespread animal was hunted by the native people of the area and was only wiped out due to human encroachment when oil companies brought roads and excessively wasteful hunting parties, the Oryx was fast but not faster than a westerner with a gun and a car. Luckily for the Oryx, conservationists predicted the wild population's demise and managed to capture several individuals in an expedition called "Operation Oryx". These individuals were then housed at The Phoenix Zoo in Arizona and were joined by several individuals from private collections and the London Zoo. This group had several calves in the first year and the breeding program was expanded to Los Angeles Zoo, Gladys Zoo, and San Diego Wild Animal Park in order to keep the population genetically diverse. After several years of captive breeding, Oryx were slowly released in small herds into Oman in 1982 and then to Jordan and then Saudi Arabia. Today there are over 1000 Oryx living in the wild or in Nature reserves and over 7000 living in zoo breeding programs across the world.

Przewalski Horse

The Przewalski Horse, named after the Russian explorer Nikołaj Przewalski but often called takhi in the areas they are found, is the last truly wild horse left on planet earth and carry with them a truly remarkable zoological success story. This small stocky horse was found throughout Mongolia and parts of China until they were completely wiped out from the wild in the 1960s due to military activities and several harsh winters, with the last individual being sighted in 1969. Luckily for the species, these individuals had been caught in the 1940s for use in zoo collections and by the end of World War 2, there were two small populations of 12 horses located in Munich Zoo and Prague Zoo. In the late 1970s, the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski Horse was founded which started a captive breeding program among zoos throughout the world to try to increase the genetic diversity and save the species. Almost 20 years later in 1990, there was over 1000 Przewalski's Horse in over 129 zoological institutions throughout the world and two years later the first herd of 16 animals was released into the wilds of Mongolia, followed by many more. Today, the conservation status of takhi has moved from "extinct in the wild", "critically endangered" and then finally to "endangered", the wild population still faces many challenges such as harsh winters, but due to the continued help of wildlife biologists and captive breeding programs around the world, the future looks bright for this once extirpated horse.

Przewalski's horse were introduces to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone and there population is thriving there.

As you can clearly see from the examples above and many other examples, one of the main benefits of zoos and aquariums is their ability to literally save species from the brink of extinction and start a healthy wild population again. With the ever-changing wild landscape being ripped apart by climate change and habitat loss, captive breeding programs are needed more then ever to assure the survival of some of the species that cannot survive on their own.

Education

Another one of the main benefits of Zoos and Aquariums is their education programs within the facility that engage visitors in a variety of conservation and environmental messages. Almost all facilities have interpretive signage at every exhibit that tells the visitor a bit about the animal in the exhibit as well as any threats facing the animal in the wild. Being able to put a face to the cause is much more likely to have an impact on an individual then an advertisement campaign, for example, if a person sees an amazing orangutan and her baby, they might think twice about buying products that contain palm oil or damage the rainforest. Another great part of zoo education programs is the hands-on and close encounters with various animals they get during camps and keeper talks, being able to see that snakes aren't the slimy evil creatures that a lot of people think they are, this can really have a profound impact on how the public views them. Speaking of kids camps, they are fantastic education programs in zoos, I attended one when I was a kid and it really helped foster a love of animals and had a profound impact on what I'm doing today (being a zookeeper and all), showing kids amazing animals up close is a valuable way to get the next generation to care deeply about conservation efforts and in turn, the environment as a whole.

Research

AZA and other accreditation bodies often provide research grants to zoos so they can do valuable research on their captive populations that may benefit the wild populations of the same species. Having access to captive populations of animals can be extremely beneficial to researchers as they don't have to go traipsing around the jungle and other potentially inaccessible environments to find the animal, and can also easily manipulate conditions and view them 24/7. Some animals are almost impossible to find in the wild, therefore a captive population is invaluable to researchers as they don't need to blow their whole budget trying to even locate the animal. Some successful research programs housed at zoos include the Manatee Research Program located at MOTE marine laboratory and aquarium as well as the Leatherdale International Polar bear Conservation Center located at the Assiniboine Park Zoo. The research done by zoos and aquariums around the world helps us better understand a species as well as plan and mitigate threats faced by species as well as set up effective captive breeding programs like the ones explained above. This research is critical to the survival of all threatened species on earth and is one of the largest benefits of zoos and aquariums around the world.

The Benefits of Negativity

Based on the information above it is clear that zoos and aquariums benefit the world immensely and are vitally important to the future of conservation and survival of many species around the world. The main benefits of zoos and aquariums include Conservation, Education and Research programs that are designed to preserve and protect wild populations of animals as well as educate the public about the threats that face them. I also see it as a benefit that zoos and aquariums receive so much criticism and hate as I believe that constantly being under the microscope forces the zoo community to constantly evaluate and refine their practices and what they stand for and this drives positive change within facilities. I have to say, after several years of working in zoos and aquariums, I'm proud and feel very fortunate, to be a part of such an amazing community and I know that this community will continue to have a dramatic impact on the survival of species all over the world for years to come.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For today's post, I have decided to tackle the benefits of zoos and aquariums. I was prompted to write this article when I saw The Rocks recent Instagram post of him posing with a sea lion.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited (AZA) facilities are beneficial because of the high standards they exemplify in animal welfare, conservation, research, education, and recreation. All AZA-accredited facilities must meet the Association's rigorous, scientifically based, and publicly-available standards that cover a facility's entire operation, including animal welfare, veterinary care, conservation, education, guest experiences, and more.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is the most comprehensive information source on the global extinction risk status of animal, fungus, and plant species. Visitors to AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums can see many species listed on the IUCN Red List as threatened with extinction, some of which are being managed under AZA Species Survival Plan (SSP) programs.

How Do Zoos and Aquariums Aid In Animal Conservation?

In 2019, AZA and its members spent more than $230 million on field conservation work in 127 countries, focusing on population biology and monitoring, reintroduction, conservation education, and more.

AZA SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction, the Association's flagship conservation program, brings AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums together to focus their collective expertise and leverage their massive audiences to save species like sea turtles and American red wolves. There are currently 28 SAFE species engaging more than 300 partner organizations in the work of saving species.

Engaging zoo and aquarium visitors is a key part of SAFE species programs and other AZA education programming like Party for the Planet™: Spring into Action. In 2019, Party for the Planet™: Spring into Action supported members in offering inclusive family-friendly volunteer opportunities with a direct impact on the planet. Members offered events like pollinator garden plantings, invasive species removal, and beach clean-ups.

Zoos and Aquariums Protect Endangered Species

AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums help reintroduce animals into the wild. In 1982, California condors were on the brink of extinction with only 22 birds remaining in the wild. In 1985, only nine birds remained. In 1987, the California Condor Recovery Program was established as a collaborative program with the San Diego Zoo in San Diego, Calif., the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Game, the National Audubon Society, and the Los Angeles Zoo in Los Angeles, Calif. Condors were bred and the young then raised by people wearing hand puppets that mimicked adult birds to avoid young condors imprinting on their caregivers. In 1992, the first condors bred in managed care were released into the wild in California. The population of California condors has now grown to more than 400 birds, including 240 condors living in the wild. Conservation success stories like this and many others are only possible with the help of zoos and aquariums.

AZA, its members, and other partners work together to maintain healthy populations of species in managed care through SSP programs and Global Species Management Plans. These programs strive to professionally and cooperatively manage populations among AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums through breeding and transfer recommendations. SSP programs identify population management goals and assure the sustainability of a healthy, genetically diverse, and demographically varied population.

Repairing Ecosystems

AZA-accredited facilities restore habitats to support reintroduction and rehabilitation programs for a variety of species, including critically endangered orangutans. Orangutans are threatened by habitat loss due to unsustainably grown palm oil. The AZA SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction orangutan program was launched in 2018 to focus on these threats to assist in the recovery of the species. CREATE (Corridor Restoration for Animals Threatened and Endangered), a project started by the Kansas City Zoo in Kansas City, Mo., and in partnership with APE Malaysia, is an example of one partnership supported by the AZA SAFE orangutan program. By hiring local community members to plant, maintain, and grow trees to connect wildlife corridors, CREATE supports the local economy and repairs ecosystems. In November 2018, a team of AZA experts from four AZA-accredited zoos traveled to Northeast Borneo to help with habitat restoration efforts and offer training to enhance animal welfare at a local zoo.

Rehabilitation

AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums frequently work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to help rescue, rehabilitate, and care for wild animals like sea turtles, manatees, and sea otters until they can be released back into the wild.

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, EPCOT's Living Seas, ZooTampa at Lowry Park, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, SeaWorld Orlando, and SeaWorld San Diego partner on the USFWS Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Partnership. These facilities provide critical care to injured and cold-stunned manatees and assist partners in their release.

Are Zoos and Aquariums Educational?

In 2019, 138 AZA-accredited facilities delivered 2,500 education programs covering topics like habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict. Forty percent of guests reached by education programming participated in activities like nature play spaces and discovery carts or were engaged by exhibits interpreters.

Changing consumer behavior can be a powerful tool in the conservation arsenal. AZA members, like Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Spring, Colo., and Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, Calif., have developed smartphone applications that help consumers make educated choices about sustainable palm oil and sustainable seafood choices. Palm oil is used in many everyday products and when used from sustainable sources can provide real economic benefits. When it comes from unsustainable sources it is a key cause of deforestation, impacting many species like orangutans and tigers. Likewise, consuming sustainable seafood provides a valuable source of food for people and helps promote sustainable jobs. When fishing is unsustainable, it can cause real damage to ocean environments, lead to dramatic collapses in populations of aquatic species, and damage or eliminate once-healthy fisheries.

When COVID-19 caused many members to shut down, AZA-accredited members moved their educational programming online. You can find many of these educational resources on AZA's website.

AZA and its members also offer a variety of citizen science projects that allows the public to contribute to scientific research in their community.

How Do Zoos and Aquariums Aid in Animal Research?

AZA's Annual Report of Conservation and Science documents the field conservation efforts, education programs, green (sustainable) business practices, and research projects at AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums and certified related facilities.

In 2019, AZA-accredited facilities invested over $26 million on research and studied over 560 species and subspecies. Animal care, health, and welfare (45%) are the AZA community's most common focus of research followed by basic biology (21%). Together, these two disciplines comprised nearly two-thirds of the AZA community's research.

Other research explored species and habitat conservation (focused primarily on populations in the wild or those being prepared for reintroduction into the wild; 12%), sustainable animal collections (focused primarily on populations held in human care; 10%), and conservation education and public engagement (6%).

AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums conduct or facilitate research in both in situ and ex situ settings that advance scientific knowledge of the animals in their care, enhances the conservation of wild populations, and engages and inspires the visiting public.

Ecology

AZA members have access to diverse animal populations and research their behaviors and their biological, physiological, and psychological needs. This increases our understanding of the animals' roles and needs in the wild and in managed care. AZA's Research and Technology Committee, Wildlife Conservation Committee and Scientific Advisory Groups bring together professionals with the expertise to help drive animal care, conservation, research, and best practices in zoos and aquariums. By studying how species in their care and species in the wild interact with other species and their environments, AZA members are able to use ecology research to address species conservation problems and preserve ecosystem health and biodiversity.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute's Conservation Ecology Center develops new and advanced analytical tools to study and model how ecosystems and species interact with their environment and how these systems respond to global changes. One example of ecology research that has aided in species reintroduction is the swift fox program, in which swift foxes have been reintroduced to the grasslands of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana after an absence of more than 50 years.

Educating the public on the ecological niche these animals occupy and about the wild habitats they inhabit creates a strong connection with guests and enables zoos and aquariums to share the conservation story.

Biodiversity

Research and conservation projects conducted by AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums improve biodiversity. AZA members are contributing to scientific discoveries about how animals in their care are vulnerable to climate change, habitat loss, and other threats. AZA members understand that work to save one species often protects many others in an ecosystem. Many AZA-accredited facilities, like the Wildlife Conservation Society and San Diego Zoo, as well as the Disney Conservation Fund, work with global conservation efforts to research and promote biodiversity.

How You Can Help a Zoo or Aquarium Near You

Visit the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Currently Accredited Zoos and Aquariums page to find an AZA-accredited facility near you. Follow your favorite zoos and aquariums on social media to keep up with their animals and their conservation efforts. You can also join your local facility as a member, or donate to help zoos and aquariums feed their animals, pay their staff, and continue their conservation work.
Photo Credit: © Julie Larsen Maher, WCS
KARLYN MARCY IS THE DIGITAL MEDIA COORDINATOR AT THE ASSOCIATION OF ZOOS AND AQUARIUMS.

Back to All Stories

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Are zoos good? AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums protect animals, conserve endangered species, and help ecosystems recover by means of breeding programs, rehabilitation, and more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Animal Testing | Pros & Cons | ProCon.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Proponents say animal testing contributes to life-saving cures and treatments. Opponents say animal testing is cruel and inhumane.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Disease is one of the most common threats to animal wellbeing. It’s estimated that one in five farm animals are lost…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Zoos and Aquariums

Thousands of animals are confined to zoos and aquariums in the United States and around the world. Although many of these facilities attempt to replicate the animals' natural habitats, Born Free believes that even the "best" captive conditions pale in comparison to life in the wild.

What's Wrong with Zoos and Aquariums?

Inadequate care and facilities

Some facilities, known as "roadside zoos," house animals in small, cramped cages completely divorced from the environmental and social conditions found in the wild. Other, larger facilities - those accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and other, similar associations - often attempt to replicate the animals' natural habitats in relatively large, open-air enclosures that include natural elements such as grass and dirt (and, at times, opportunities for socialization and enrichment). While the conditions at roadside facilities are certainly far worse than in AZA-accredited facilities, even the "best" zoo setting can never recreate the complex environment that most species encounter in the wild or simulate all the stimuli which keep the animals active and alert.

In addition, no such setting can account for the family structure that exists in the wild. Like zoos, conditions in aquariums also pale in comparison to the richness, variety, and space of a life in the wild. Almost always in motion in the wild, cetaceans - whales and dolphins - spend only 20 percent or less of their time at the water's surface. Captive facilities cannot compare to the vast natural environment of wild cetaceans and even the largest facilities are just a fraction of the size of the animals' natural home range.

The 2013 documentary, Blackfish, revealed the devastating impact of captivity and exploitation on whales and dolphins. When denied adequate space, animals in zoos and aquariums often develop problems, such as abnormal repetitive behavior, aggression, and reduced life expectancy. Moreover, as animals in these facilities age and are no longer in prime "display" condition, the owners must make decisions as to the fate of the animals, which often ends tragically.

Little to no conservation benefit.

One of the most frequently cited arguments in favor of accredited zoos and aquariums is that they benefit wildlife conservation efforts by ensuring a secure, captive animal population that could be used to return a species to the wild, should it ever become extinct.

A few celebrated captive breeding and release projects are regularly cited to demonstrate the success of this kind of intervention, such as the Arabian oryx and the black-footed ferret of the plains of North America. However, closer inspection reveals that the effectiveness of these and many other captive breeding programs is, at best, limited and often end up simply providing new animals for the zoo and aquarium industry. In fact, animals kept in captivity often are not returned to the wild. And, relying on captive breeding can draw vital attention and resources away from protecting wild animals and habitats.

In aquariums, captive whales and dolphins suffer from high mortality rates, low breeding success, and often endure physical and psychological disorders. Cetaceans are frequently captured from the wild and sold into captivity and methods of capture, and subsequent transport, can be extremely cruel and some animals die of shock or injury in the process.

Dangerous for people and animals.

Whenever humans are put into close contact with wild animals, there is always an element of danger, for both the humans and the animals. Zoos invite people to come into very close and potentially dangerous proximity to wild animals with the promise that, due to the construction of animal enclosures and the presence of barriers, the visiting public will remain safe and apart from the animals. Yet, the news abounds with stories of animals responding to the unnatural conditions at zoos, whether by escaping the confines of their enclosures or injuring a human, at times resulting in animals being killed, such as the well-known case of Harambe the gorilla, who was killed after a child entered his zoo enclosure.

Likewise, many aquariums feature shows in which a handler or trainer enters the water with the animal, such as an orca or dolphin, to ride or otherwise interact with the animal. These tricks and behaviors are unnatural, contrary to the animals' instinctive behaviors, and can create stress and frustration, often causing the animals to react. Numerous handlers have been seriously injured or killed when interacting in this manner with captive animals, like Tilikum the orca, who killed three people: two handlers and one man who gained unauthorized access to the tank.

Learn More

WEBINAR: A Future without Zoos?

Across the U.S. and around the world, hundreds of thousands of wild animals are held captive at zoos, living stressful lives under human observation, unable to move about freely or live according to their natural needs and instincts. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown zoos into crisis and has raised important questions around the long-term viability of the industry.

Taking into consideration practical, financial, ethical, and animal welfare factors, this webinar considers whether or not, in a post-COVID world, there is a future for zoos at all.

The conversation is moderated by Born Free USA CEO, Angela Grimes, featuring Dr. Chris Draper, Head of Animal Welfare and Captivity, Born Free Foundation (U.K.), Amanda Howell, Staff Attorney, Animal Legal Defense Fund (U.S.), and Dr. Liz Tyson, Programs Director, Born Free USA (U.S.).

Exotic Animals Incidents Database

Wild animals belong in the wild - not in the confinement of circuses, zoos, aquariums, backyards, or homes. In captivity, wild animals are not able to perform their natural behaviors and many lash out in frustration from psychological and physical deprivation. This situation is dangerous for animals and humans alike. Search our interactive database of attacks on humans, attacks on other animals, and escapes by exotic animals in the U.S.

SEARCH

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What's Wrong With Zoos & Aquariums? | Born Free USA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Thousands of animals are confined to zoos and aquariums in the United States and around the world. Although many of these facilities attempt to replicate the animals' natural habitats, Born Free believes that even the "best" captive conditions pale in comparison to life in the wild.