How do we fix the zoo?

Vox

20 Oct 202208:25

Summary

TLDRThis video explores the impact of zoos on both animals and humans, driven by a question from a subscriber. It examines whether zoos help animals thrive in the wild or improve human empathy for conservation. Experts weigh in on animal cognitive complexity, noting that many zoo animals, like elephants and primates, can't be released into the wild. While zoos may raise awareness, evidence of their direct conservation impact is limited. The video suggests a shift toward focusing on species better suited for reintroduction and fostering empathy for all creatures, big or small.

Takeaways

🦁 Zoos often cause animals to suffer from boredom and stress, leading to stereotypical behaviors like hair pulling and pacing.
👪 Zoos can foster empathy by encouraging visitors, especially parents and children, to imagine what it’s like to be animals.
🌍 Zoos aim to contribute to conservation by educating the public and protecting endangered species, but this impact is debatable.
🧠 Cognitive complexity in animals makes reintroduction to the wild difficult for species like elephants and orangutans, which require long learning periods.
🦅 Some species, like the California Condor, have been successfully bred in zoos and released into the wild, though such programs are rare.
🐘 Zoos are unlikely to serve as backups for large, cognitively complex species like elephants or gorillas, who cannot easily be reintroduced to the wild.
📉 Studies show that zoo visits may not significantly improve people's conservation behavior, with minimal impact on attitudes towards habitat protection.
🧑‍🔬 Conservation psychologist Susan Clayton believes zoos help expand our circle of empathy, but evidence suggests their role in conservation is limited.
🌳 The future of zoos may involve focusing on species that can successfully be reintroduced, like smaller animals or those less cognitively complex.
🧠 People’s desire to connect with non-human creatures could be satisfied by appreciating local wildlife and nature, encouraging a shift in how zoos operate.

Q & A

What concern did Gaurav raise about zoos?
-Gaurav questioned whether visiting zoos as a child was wrong after learning that animals in zoos often suffer from boredom and stress.
How do zoos contribute to conservation efforts according to their marketing?
-Zoos market themselves as organizations that protect endangered species and help humans become better stewards of the planet by fostering empathy and care for animals.
What are stereotypies, and why are they concerning in zoos?
-Stereotypies are repetitive behaviors like hair pulling, tongue flicking, bobbing, and swaying, which indicate under-stimulation and stress in animals, raising concerns about their well-being in captivity.
What is 'the circle of empathy,' and how do zoos help expand it?
-The circle of empathy refers to the idea of caring for an expanding group beyond one's close family and friends. Zoos may help people imagine what it’s like to be an animal, potentially fostering empathy and concern for different species.
What is the key concept of cognitive complexity in animals, and why is it important in zoo discussions?
-Cognitive complexity refers to the time it takes for animals to learn survival skills in the wild. For cognitively complex species like elephants and orangutans, releasing zoo animals back into the wild is extremely difficult because they require years to learn these skills.
What is an example of a successful zoo conservation program mentioned in the video?
-The California Condor breeding program is highlighted as a successful example where zoo animals were raised and then released into the wild, helping to save the species from extinction.
Why are reintroduction programs rare for cognitively complex animals?
-Reintroducing cognitively complex animals like elephants, lions, or gorillas into the wild is challenging because they require years to learn survival skills that are difficult to replicate in zoos, making successful releases rare.
Do visits to zoos make people more conservation-minded?
-Studies show that zoo visits slightly increase awareness of actions like recycling, but there is little evidence that they significantly change attitudes or behaviors regarding habitat protection.
What is the proposed solution for improving zoos' roles in conservation?
-The video suggests that zoos could stop breeding cognitively complex animals for captivity and focus instead on breeding and releasing animals that can thrive in the wild, like turtles and fish, while also educating visitors on local wildlife.
How does the narrator’s perspective on zoos change throughout the video?
-Initially, the narrator questioned whether zoos do more harm than good, but by the end, they believe that zoos can still play a positive role in education and conservation if they focus on species that can be successfully reintroduced into the wild and help foster empathy for all animals, even smaller or less popular species.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Questioning the Role of Zoos: Gaurav's Inquiry

The narrator introduces a question from a subscriber named Gaurav, who used to enjoy visiting zoos as a child but later became concerned about the negative effects of captivity on animals. The narrator, a parent to a young child, is personally invested in the topic as zoos play a part in their daily life. They acknowledge the apparent tension between zoos as conservation efforts and the distress animals in captivity may experience, citing examples of stereotypies in zoo animals. This sparks two main questions: how zoos impact both animals and humans, and whether zoos fulfill their intended roles.

05:03

👨‍👩‍👦 Building Empathy at Zoos: A Psychological Perspective

The narrator consults Susan Clayton, a conservation psychologist who observes how people interact with animals at zoos. Clayton notes that zoos offer parents opportunities to teach their children about conservation. Visitors often relate to the animals, imagining themselves in the animals’ position, which could foster greater empathy. This psychological phenomenon, known as expanding the circle of empathy, can shift people’s concern beyond their immediate social circles to include other species. The narrator reflects on their own zoo experiences growing up, where hands-on interactions with animals helped develop empathy and connection with wildlife.

📚 The Role of Zoos in Conservation: Evaluating Effectiveness

The narrator introduces Emma Marris, a science writer who explores the pros and cons of zoos in her book *Wild Souls*. Marris questions whether the benefits of zoos, such as conservation and education, outweigh the potential harm to animals. She emphasizes two points: whether zoos help wild populations and whether they influence human attitudes toward conservation. The idea that zoos serve as reserves for endangered species is complicated by the challenges of reintroducing many animals into the wild, especially cognitively complex species like orangutans and elephants. Marris' research highlights that only a small number of zoo species are successfully released into the wild.

🐘 Cognitive Complexity and Reintroduction Challenges

The concept of cognitive complexity is introduced to explain why many zoo animals cannot be released back into the wild. Certain species, like elephants and orangutans, spend years learning critical survival skills, making it nearly impossible to reintroduce them after captivity. The narrator contrasts these species with others, such as the California condor, which requires less time to learn survival skills and has had successful reintroduction programs. This realization shifts the narrator’s understanding of why zoos struggle to reintroduce certain species, leading to a deeper reflection on the role of zoos in wildlife conservation.

🦅 Zoo Reintroduction Programs: Rare Success Stories

The narrator shares data showing that out of the 8,700 species in zoos worldwide, only 117 have reintroduction programs. This reveals the rarity of successful reintroductions, challenging the common perception that zoos serve as a fallback for endangered species. The narrator expresses skepticism about the long-term benefits of keeping cognitively complex animals in captivity, concluding that the drawbacks are more apparent. They then shift focus to another question: whether visiting zoos has a positive impact on people's conservation attitudes.

📊 Do Zoos Change Conservation Attitudes? Evidence from Studies

Research into how zoos affect visitor attitudes about conservation provides mixed results. One study found that after visiting zoos, people slightly increased their focus on issues like recycling and responsible consumption, but fewer people mentioned habitat protection as a concern. This suggests that while zoos may influence some behaviors, they don’t significantly improve attitudes toward conservation. The narrator concludes that the current model of zoos doesn't provide strong evidence of fostering meaningful conservation efforts.

🔄 Rethinking Zoos: Species-Specific Approaches

The narrator begins to consider a new approach for zoos, suggesting that zoos stop breeding cognitively complex animals for captivity and focus on species that can be reintroduced into the wild. They propose a shift in zoo conservation efforts toward species like turtles, fish, and freshwater mussels, which have had more successful reintroductions. This would allow zoos to better support wildlife while still providing humans with opportunities to connect with non-human species.

🌿 Expanding Empathy Beyond Zoos: Everyday Wildlife

The narrator reflects on how people often overlook everyday wildlife like squirrels, birds, and insects. They suggest that fostering empathy for these creatures could be another way to connect humans to the natural world, without relying on zoos. The narrator’s perspective has evolved since childhood, believing that through education, people can change their views on animals and conservation.

📹 Thank You and Call to Action for Viewers

In the closing, the narrator thanks viewers for joining them on this exploration of zoos and their role in conservation. They encourage viewers to check out related videos, including one on unions in the U.S., and invite subscribers to submit questions for future videos. A call to action encourages people to get involved and potentially appear on camera as part of future Vox videos.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Zoos

Zoos are facilities where animals are kept for public viewing, education, and conservation efforts. In the video, zoos are discussed as both places that bring joy and empathy for animals but also as environments that can cause stress and boredom for animals, raising ethical questions about their role in conservation and education.

💡Conservation

Conservation refers to efforts made to preserve and protect species, habitats, and ecosystems. The video highlights how zoos promote themselves as a force for conservation, though the actual effectiveness of zoos in contributing to species preservation, especially for cognitively complex animals, is debated.

💡Cognitive Complexity

Cognitive complexity refers to the advanced mental capabilities of certain animals, which require years of learning and socialization to survive in the wild. The video explains how animals like elephants, orangutans, and orcas have high cognitive complexity, making it difficult for them to be reintroduced into the wild after being kept in zoos.

💡Empathy

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of others, including animals. Zoos are said to foster empathy by allowing people, especially children, to imagine themselves in the animals' place. This emotional connection could potentially extend to greater concern for animal welfare and conservation.

💡Stereotypies

Stereotypies are repetitive behaviors seen in animals, often as a result of stress or boredom in captivity. Examples mentioned in the video include bobbing, swaying, and tongue flicking, which suggest under-stimulation in zoo environments, particularly for cognitively complex species.

💡Reintroduction Programs

Reintroduction programs involve breeding animals in captivity and releasing them into the wild to boost populations of endangered species. The video highlights that, while there are around 8700 species in zoos worldwide, only 117 reintroduction programs exist, raising questions about the effectiveness of zoos in conservation efforts.

💡Circle of Empathy

The circle of empathy is a philosophical concept where humans gradually expand their care and concern beyond their immediate circle (family and friends) to include other humans, and even other species. In the video, zoos are seen as potentially expanding people's empathy toward animals, especially through experiences like feeding or interacting with them.

💡Endangered Species

Endangered species are animals or plants that are at risk of extinction. The video discusses how zoos often focus on protecting endangered species by providing a safe environment, though the success of these efforts, particularly for large, cognitively complex animals, is called into question.

💡Conservation Psychology

Conservation psychology is the study of how humans interact with nature and the impact of these interactions on conservation efforts. In the video, Susan Clayton, a conservation psychologist, observes how visitors react to animals in zoos and how these experiences might lead to greater concern for species preservation.

💡Habitat Protection

Habitat protection involves safeguarding the natural environments where species live to ensure their survival. The video mentions a study showing that, after visiting zoos, fewer people mentioned habitat protection as an action to save species, raising concerns about the effectiveness of zoos in promoting comprehensive conservation awareness.

Highlights

Gaurav questions whether zoos are beneficial after learning that animals often suffer from boredom.

The author, a parent of a young toddler, reflects on zoos' dual purpose of making kids happy and marketing themselves as forces for conservation.

Zoos claim to protect endangered species and foster empathy, but evidence shows animals may experience stress and under-stimulation.

Susan Clayton, a conservation psychologist, explains that zoo visitors often empathize with animals, imagining themselves in the animals' place.

This 'circle of empathy' expands as people start caring not just for their family and friends, but also for other species.

Emma Marris questions whether the benefits of zoos to wild animals outweigh the discomfort or unhappiness zoo animals may experience.

The idea of zoos as 'backup' populations for wild species is questioned, particularly for large, cognitively complex animals.

Cognitively complex animals like orangutans, elephants, and orcas require years of learning in the wild, making it difficult to release zoo animals back into their natural habitats.

The California Condor's successful reintroduction after 180 days of zoo breeding shows that not all animals struggle with release, but these cases are rare.

There are 8,700 species in zoos worldwide, yet only 117 reintroduction programs, indicating that few species are actually released back into the wild.

The concept of zoos releasing large, complex animals into the wild is unlikely; these animals will likely remain in zoos for life.

A study shows that zoo visits slightly increase awareness of recycling and responsible purchasing but decrease focus on habitat protection.

The author suggests rethinking zoos to stop breeding cognitively complex animals for captivity and instead focus on species that can thrive after release.

Educating visitors could lead to a change in perspective, enabling empathy for smaller species like turtles, fish, or mussels.

The author calls for a shift in empathy toward commonly overlooked species like squirrels, robins, pigeons, and even plants and insects.