Zoothanasia is a term that refers to the unnecessary acts committed by zoos that kill animals, many times perfectly healthy for the most spurious of reasons. February the 9th of every year has been set aside to recognize this cruelty in a world in which animals already suffering from loss of habitat and zoochosis among various issues are also forced to suffer these sad, unfair consequences.
The commemoration of World Zoothanasia Day has not taken off yet. The organization In Defense of Animals and a Professor Emeritus Dr. Marc Bekoff. As I became more and more aware of this, I feel that zoos must be regulated and curtailed more. Other members of the Animal Kingdom are not here to engage in performative art on our behalf. They should have the freedom to coexist and the freedom to live when they are healthy.
The Disgusting Reasons about Zoothanasia:
- The animals are not profitable enough! : You read that right! If the animal doesn’t bring in enough visitors or revenue, they are not needed anymore. Perfectly healthy animals are killed off, rather than send them off to other zoos, sanctuaries or to be released into the wild, which is of course difficult for animals that have long lived in captivity, but at least there are other options.
- The animals are sick but the zoo doesn’t want to care for them: That is it, it is that simple. The animal may have a very treatable condition, but profits first and they simply put down the animal. Just one more in a long litany of ugly truths about the management of zoos that people need to learn and fight against.
- “Overrepresentation”: Apparently, zoos get to decide when there are too many animals in captivity, in terms of genetic diversity and that is apparently enough, when, in the ongoing Sixth Extinction, where animals go extinct on a steady cadence, this is what zoos do.
Where do we go from here?zoos
- I simply don’t go to zoos. I cannot remember when was the last time I was at one. It is time that others do this as well.
- A few of us avoiding zoos is no kind of solution. Zoos must be held accountable. Laws must be very strict. There should be criminal prosecutions and associated punishments. The laws should include animal “protective services” whereby erring zoos should face the option of losing ALL their animals.
- Zoos that engage in zoothanasia should not be eligible for transfer-in of new animals. European zoos seem to be some of the worst culprits, so a la the UN Biodiversity agreements, governments should exercise the right to prevent future transfers.
- All animals sold to zoos should come with a return guarantee, so at a minimum, they can be moved to sanctuaries to live out the rest of their lives in whatever peace they can garner.
- To end on a positive note, support those zoos that act responsibly and visit them, fund them when they want to save an animal’s life. There is no price too high to pay for any single animal in this world where we keep losing them at an unacceptably high pace.
- Please pass on the fact that zoothanasia is a real, yet unnecessary crime against animals that are literally held captive and have no choice in any form.
References:
- The organization, In Defense of Animals: https://www.idausa.org/
- IDUSA about zoothanasia: https://www.idausa.org/campaign/elephants/latest-news/honoring-animals-purposely-killed-by-zoos-on-world-zoothanasia-day/
- BBCs on the difficulty to track animal euthanasia: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-26356099