What is a zoo?
One thing I am learning here in South Africa is that the "wild" animals, especially the big mammals, may be more like those in your local zoo than you think. Is a rhino in a 4,000 hectare game reserve really roaming free? What about lions bouncing off the electrified fences at pocket-sized reserves? What about the "semi-habituated" elephants with which one can gambol around a park with, hand in trunk?
Somewhere in this uneasy middle ground are the cheetahs released by the De Wildt Wild Cheetah Project, outlined yesterday at the meeting. Most of South Africa's cheetahs live outside protected areas, often in game ranches, where each plump ungulate means big bucks to the landowner. Naturally, the landowners are not too fond of the cats, and have been known to trap and kill them. So De Wildt provides safe cage traps and more or less buys the cats off of them. They then vaccinate and tag the cats and begin a laborious months-long process of habituating them to humans in various pens for eventual release in some protected area. Why the habituation? Because un-habituated cats are invisible and invisible cats are no good for the tourists. Most of these cheetahs will be bought by people who run wildlife reserves for profit. So is the cheetah still wild? And what of the 65 cubs born to cheetahs that have been through this process?
Many large wild animals are intimately known to researchers by sight. Many are named. Many will be knocked out and either tagged, sampled or relocated during their lives. Their family trees are all worked out. Their water is provided. Their pictures have been taken so often that as the flashes pop the animals recline in the shade at ease and yawn. What defines a zoo? Is it perhaps just the size of the enclosure?
Comments
Hello Emma - I have posted a link to this opinion blog here
http://safaritalk.net/index.php?showtopic=413
it fits with the conversation we have started about Zoos and takes the discussion to a new direction which IS totally in keeping with the vision and philosophy of our site.
i invite you to visit, to register and add to the discussion. Please have a look around at our Safaritalk website. http://safaritalk.net
My name is Jude Price and I work for a trade union in South Australia - I am also an administrator and volunteer partner in a non-profit website called Safaritalk , founded by Englishman, Matt Wilkinson. Safaritalk's main objective is to attract people who are interested in travelling to Africa and educating them about conservation, community and cultural issues across Africa. Matt and I are passionate about Africa and have a heart / vision to promote and assist community and conservation NGO's and campaigns that further the ideals of social justice, community based tourism, conservation and for the website to also be attractive to 'travellers' that fill in their time between safari's hanging out in travel forums - we are a travel forum with a difference! A travel forum with heart.
Primarily our focus is bringing together the voices for these various issues and providing a forum for them to build a network and community as we go along of the work being done ON THE GROUND in Africa -not the big international aid agencies per se but the smaller efforts and individuals that are making a difference and working locally.
kind regards
Jude
Posted by: Jude Price | July 13, 2007 02:33 AM
I believe there are many differences between a zoo and the situation you have described here. A captive animal has his needs met to precision: medical treatment&preventative healthcare; nutritional requirements are met during planned feeding times; his space and habitat are carefully catered for, although it may be sub-optimal. He becomes much more habituated to zoo keepers and he can predict when he will see them, what they will do and how long they will stay: because routine is predictable by most animals. On the other hand those in the "wild" encounter many difficulties along the way- they hunt (so dont always get a meal) they may get minor injuries which will not be cared for by rangers (unless life-threatening), their movement may be tracked but every aspect of their lives is not controlled. Each day is unpredictable for them. They are indeed free to roam, the area may not be endless, but it is more than large enough for the animal to travel, run, chase and perform it's natural behaviours. I think wildlife parks are wonderful because they conserve the species in a way which a zoo does not. And a bit of habituation is nothing! Why cant humans and animals intermix in a mild way? Most of these animals would not survive for long without help from humans. Unfortunately some humans hunt and see animals as pests and this causes a need for other humans to save and protect them. We were put on this earth to protect the wildlife and live harmoniously with the animals- i see no problems with the situation described above..
Posted by: Nicci | August 21, 2007 09:57 PM