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Zoos and Conservation

These days, zoos consider the breeding of endangered species as an important part of their role. In a few cases, animals have even been returned to their natural habitat. For example, Arabian oryx were returned to the desert of Oman, golden lion tamarins were returned to the jungle of Brazil, and Przewalski horses were returned to the steppes of Mongolia. Some of these horses were bred at Monarto Open Range Zoo.

Endangered native animals being bred at Monarto and Adelaide zoo include the bilby and yellow-footed rock wallaby.

However, zoos can only play a very small role in conservation. They breed a few "high profile" animals, usually mammals, and may give the public a false sense of security. People may think that zoos have species extinction under control.

Consider all the animals in the world. There are about 1.5 million known species. Of these, about 1 million species are insects, another 400,000 species are other invertebrates, and around 40,000 species are vertebrates (animals with backbones). Of the vertebrates, only about 4000 species are mammals (1). So even if zoos by some miracle could save every endangered mammal, they would still only be saving a very small fraction of the animal kingdom.

As zoologist Lee Durrell has said: " It is not just the dramatic extinctions of tigers or rhinos we need fear, but the eradication of tens and hundreds of thousands of the unnoticed, obscure species that do the work of the biosphere " (1).

We need insignificant insects to pollinate plants, insignificant earth worms to keep up soil fertility, and insignificant algae in the water to produce oxygen.

Most animals become endangered because humans destroy their habitat for agriculture or timber. Real conservation depends on preserving habitat and all the insignificant plants and animals that are the core of this habitat. Only then will endangered animals such as tigers and rhinos have somewhere to live.

Another limitation to captive breeding is that zoos preserve the genetic material of a species rather than its culture. Young animals don't learn the complex behaviour that the species evolved in adapting to its natural environment. As animal behaviourist Lesley Rogers has said:

" Although genes make some contribution to behaviour, there is now plenty of evidence that animals pass learned behaviour from one generation to another. It can be said, therefore, that they have culture....

These cultures or traditions are not preserved in captivity. In zoos, animals are no longer fully representative of their species. They become deskilled. They do not know what foods to eat and where to find them, and they do not know how to adjust their behaviour to the changing seasons. They do not know how to interact socially with members of their own species and often they do not know how to raise their young " (2).

The survival of released animals is often low. For example, golden lion tamarins can't make mental maps to find their way around the forest. Many animals don't know how to recognise and avoid predators. Released orangutans have to be taught everything, including how to climb trees (2).

It's good that wild horses from Monarto have been returned to Mongolia, but it isn't the answer to species preservation. Adelaide Zoo recognises the importance of habitat preservation and keeping animals in their natural habitat. It has contributed to a 1000 hectare sanctuary in southern Sumatra (Indonesia), and works with a Primate Rescue Centre in a Vietnamese national park.

Warrawong Sanctuary has re-established the original vegetation of the Adelaide Hills, and is breeding animals in their native habitat. This approach preserves not only the "high profile" animals that the public will pay money to come and see, but also preserves the very small animals and plants that make the whole ecosystem work.

Back to the main Zoos document.

References

1. Durrell L, State of the Ark, The Bodeley Head, London, 1986
2. Rogers L, "Why do we need to learn about animals", Animals in Education: Value, Responsibilities and Questions, ANZCCART, Adelaide, 1997