Abstract Modern zoos have an important role in the conservation of many species. Each of these species have their own requirements to be able to live a healthy life in captivity. In this husbandry manual, the focus will be on the gorilla species (Gorilla gorilla) emphasizing the subspecies Gorilla gorilla gorilla, known as western lowland gorilla. This animal is in the list of critically endangered species; therefore the conservation programs performed by the zoos are very important to keep this species among us. In order to keep the health and welfare of gorillas, a series of requirements should be followed. This includes, nutritional, reproductive, and housing requirements, which will be discussed throughout this assignment.
Introduction Throughout history, zoos have been developing an important role in the society by keeping captive animals for various purposes. Mason (2000) mention that in the 15th century Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt had a large palace menagerie, which housed a zoo. This was the first zoo recorded in history. Nevertheless, modern zoos just appeared during the 18th century in Europe (Jamieson, 1985). Jamieson (1985) claims that the aims of modern zoos are entertain the public as well as educate them about the animals, research for scientific purposes, and conservation of endangered species. This husbandry manual, will highlight the gorilla species, focusing on the subspecies Gorilla gorilla gorilla, and therefore, conservation, economic implication,
A few weeks ago, I spent a lovely Monday afternoon observing two different primates at the Santa Ana Zoo. I got to the zoo around two in the afternoon, and to my surprise, the zoo was decently crowded. The Santa Ana Zoo is smaller in comparison to other zoos like the Los Angeles Zoo, but still had a decent amount of animals there. Covering a small 20 acres of land, I came across two primates that fit perfectly for the purposes of this course project. I chose to observe an endangered ape, the white-handed gibbon, and an endangered new world monkey, the golden-headed lion tamarin.
As the animal rights movement has developed and grown substantially in recent years, there has been an increased focused on the welfare of captive animals. A popular institution that has received much attention for keeping animals captive is the zoo. Because of this focus, zoos have responded by publicizing their positive benefits for existence in order to justify keeping these animals on display. Since the term “zoo” can have a wide variety of meaning and characteristics, it is important to define what constitutes a zoo in this essay. Zoos are defined as a facility in which animals are confined within enclosures, displayed to the public, and
Zoos present a certain blend of nature and culture. They have always provided a way to bring natural wildlife and urban Americans together as a means of entertainment. Yet, throughout the years the role of zoos have changed. Though once used for amusement, zoos are now being used for education on preservation and the welfare of endangered species. One may wonder where and how the idea of zoos started and just how they, and the environment around them, have changed throughout history.
Some people go to zoos to see the wild animals, but that’s not all that they are for. People in groups such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) may think that zoos cannot provide the needs to wild animals as the wild can. Zoos help animals. They have improved, helping to repopulate species and save animals in the wild.
People think that animals want to be in zoos, but they really do not. In some zoos the owners or zookeepers see how the environment is making the animals feel bad or good and they try to change it by giving the animals a similar habitat to where they came from. All three stories “The Stripes Will Survive”, “The Zoos Go Wild”, and “Our Beautiful Macaws and Why They Need Enrichment” deal with protecting animals but they all do so in different ways.
The captivity of primates in zoos can be viewed as maltreatment by animal welfare organizations since confining them in such establishments is going against their rights to be liberated and it may cause some unwanted stress, yet zoos provide various enrichment programs, medicinal assistance, scheduled meals that are appropriate for the primate’s diet, and conservation of the said animal. Primate captivity in zoos can be regarded as both moral and unethical for it imprisons primates, however, as their natural habitat dwindles, zoos also preserve primate population through captive breeding. Furthermore, zoos simultaneously deform the lives of the primates, garner sympathetic reactions from humans for these creatures, and inform
A well-developed institute in history, the zoo was a work in progress that advanced from animal collections to caged menageries to elaborate exhibits of exotic wildlife. The aforementioned animal collections differ in the fact that the American zoos of the Progressive Era mainly appealed the middle class family. American Zoos can be traced back to colonial days, where animals were displayed via chains and cages in front of local businesses or placed in traveling menagerie collections. Such animal collections fascinated inquisitorial patrons. Early collections reflected amusement and very little actual zoological knowledge.
Zoos are a key aspect in preserving wildlife and educating the public. They have come extremely far from what they used to be, which was an attraction where the wealthy could come to view animals — animals which were not treated humanely at all. Now zoos are under strict guidelines which explain how the animals are to be cared for. Each province has a separate set of regulatory guidelines in place to
The expansion of civilization and advancement in technology has always been seen as betterment to the populations of the world. With this advancement we are finding that many more animal habitats are being threatened and often times destroyed, leading to the decline and in most severe cases the extinction of species. Among the World Wildlife Foundation’s endangered species list there are sixteen critically endangered species, three of those sixteen are gorillas. I will be addressing the condition of the Mountain Gorilla, a species that was predicted to “…be extinct by the end of the twentieth century” (WWF), but through a struggle for survival and with the intervention of man is expanding in population. I will be discussing the human factors that are causing the possible extinction of this species, future preventative steps that can be taken to protect these animals, and the importance of the protection of this species, as well as the importance of the protection of all primate species.
Alynna Gallardo Schauer Expository 1 May, 2018 Gorillas In Zoos There has been a long history of debate about whether or not gorillas should be held captive. It is an ongoing controversy where some people believe they should not be captivated in a zoo because it is extremely important to their well-being and therefore live shorter lives. However, others believe that they are safer in captivity because they are away from all dangers including predators. Some would see a zoo as the ideal place for gorillas.
Now there are modern zoos in almost every city in the world that boasts different arrays of animals. With all these different zoos around the world, we see different approaches on how these animals are treated and what they are subjected to.
We arrived just in time for the Gorilla feeding. The zookeeper was very knowledgeable about the gorillas and talked to us the entire time he was feeding them. We were able to ask questions and he answered all of them. Because of that I learned a little bit about the gorillas. The zookeeper knows all the different things about the gorillas because they studied primatology which is the study of apes, monkeys, and prosimians. The gorillas eat twice a day and that includes 10 pounds a day of fruit and vegetables. They also eat a mix that includes vitamins and minerals. Since gorillas are vegetarians they recieve all their nutrients from fruits and vegetables. All of the gorillas are monitored regularly by getting their blood pressure checked and receiving EKG’s. The female gorillas take birth control, just like human women do. Since they are so human-like they can catch human diseases so the zookeepers have to wear masks and gloves when coming in contact with them. The zookeeper wore gloves when tossing their food to them. They can also catch the flu so every year all the gorillas get a flu shot. Gorillas are hominoids which are a zoological
My aim of this investigation is to research the lifestyle of the Mountain Gorilla which is a critically endangered species. Then to examine the threats posed to its population and the conservation measures in place for its population.
Since approximately 1250 B.C., ancient Egyptians had created and practiced the capture and display of animals in what are now known as zoos (Fravel). Records describe such exotic animals as birds, lions, giraffes, and tigers in captivity (Fravel). Since then, zoos have continued to entertain millions with the exciting chance to view exotic animals up close and personal. Even in ancient Greece, exotic animals were on display in fighting arenas, and in enclosed viewing areas. Originally in America, zoos were just created so that royalty and the wealthy could flaunt their exotic animals to the public (Leolupus). Today, with species threatened and habitats disappearing worldwide, zoos are serving a new purpose other than the mere exhibition of
The main aim of zoos is to protect and conserve global biodiversity and wildlife. To do this they have four roles to play which are; research, conservation, education and welfare.