nature-isnt-just-aesthetics

[nature-isnt-just-aesthetics]

Hey! I don’t know how you found my other anonymous sideblog, @tumbl-weed-and-seed seeing as it appears to be shadow banned by Tumblr??? But hi! Thanks for the Follow!

roach and orb

(female Blaptica dubia, orb. 2018)

[nature-isnt-just-aesthetics]

My question is how exactly do we reform the scores of zoos that are causing zoochosis in animals?

Obviously they need more funding, but a consumer just going there and spending money isn’t shifting the status quo of how it gets used (largely gets misappropriated) And policy changes that demand more money are not only unpopular, it’s arguable that the public money should be put towards solving human ills.

Voluntary money given is fine- but how to channel it?

I think it’s iffy in the first place to point to this idea of releasing “Noah’s Ark” insulated-from-catastrophe type animals back out into a corrected world. I don’t think even nearly every species is gonna be suited to surviving well without learning from their parents how best to do it. All the tips and tricks. Animals have a collective knowledge and diversified mental strategies now. They’re gonna have to start over from square one if that chain is broken. Rather, I think we need to lean into pouring money into halting destruction of habitat to begin with.

But again, how to channel it? Zoos’ profit, unfortunately most of it, doesn’t find its way to that goal. It’s sadly a form of capitalism and marketing itself as better than it is asimilar to all the other ones.

There’s got to be a clear way forward that actually does address those who are increasingly turning to abolitionism, in order to appeal to their core motives.

Many vegans I’ve talked to explicitly take the position that dying out is better than living in subpar conditions indefinitely. Zoos are gonna continue to fall out of favor if that suffering isn’t addressed first and foremost.

It makes me sad to see how common the hate for zoos is in leftist circles. To me, zoos are so symbolic of the determination and optimism in leftist thought that I often use these facilities as an example to keep me going. So when I hear fellow leftists wanting to abolish zoos it makes breaks my spirit a bit. Especially considering how necessary zoos are in the fight against the current environmental crisis.

I am the first to admit that no zoo is perfect. I have worked at a world class, accredited, non-profit zoo and it was FAR from perfect. The institution treated me and the other workers like shit. Burnout, lean staffing, and poor adherence to safety protocols resulted in poorer animal welfare outcomes for the animals. And this is a world class facility. There are many facilities out there that shouldn't exist at all that are hardly better than the menageries of feudal kings.

BUT

Zoos are vital if we want our ecosystems to survive the current mass extinction event.

No other type of institution on earth has saved as many species as zoos. From tiny snails to 1-ton bison, entire species have been returned to the wild thanks to their preservation in zoos.

There are approximately 40 animal species listed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, most of which ONLY exist in zoos and aquariums. Many of these animals are only able to be taken care of because of the decades of animal husbandry science and institutional knowledge built up by our zoos and aquaria by working with other species.

There are many extinctions I cry for, but the ones that hurt the most are the ones happening in front of our eyes. The Javan rhino is all but gone. It's estimated that there would need to be about 100 rhinos for the species to survive genetically intact. There are now less than that, and none in human care. All it would take is a single tsunami or volcanic eruption and the entire population could be wiped out.

But if there were some in human care, if we had acted sooner and established a breeding population based on the centuries of knowledge we have of caring for their closest relative, the Indian rhino, we could have saved them.

So, when I see leftists talking about how all zoos are inherently destructive, I ask you to think ahead. To when polar bears, chimpanzees, or elephants go extinct in their natural homes, don't you want a place where we can save them? Where experienced animal care professionals can foster a population in human care so that one day these creatures can return to their homes? A global system of world class facilities dedicated to the survival of wildlife? So even more creatures don't end up like the Javan rhino; a species we could've saved if we'd had the will and the space to do so? If there had more zoos instead of less?

I'm not asking you to love zoos, I'm just asking that you recognize the practical necessity of their existence in the modern age. We won't survive the coming crises without other species. And they won't survive without us.