Sustainability: Zoos and Aquariums
A couple of weeks ago, I was very excited to hear from a friend (thanks Paige!) that our hero/woman crush (not just on Wednesdays), the ocean explorer and conservationist Sylvia Earle, was going to be speaking in Charleston! Along with architect Jeanne Gang, she was serving as a featured panelist turned for a discussion entitled “Why Do Zoos and Aquariums Matter?” hosted by the Center for Humans and Nature and the South Carolina Aquarium. Other panelists included psychology professor Susan Clayton, President Emeritus of the Chicago Zoological Society George Rabb, and leader of Center for Conservation Leadership Dr. Alejandro Grajal.
The historical precursor for zoos and aquariums are menageries, which were collections of “exotic” animals kept by royalty or wealthy people. The purpose of a menagerie was solely entertainment- they were places where people could go to see animals that would surprise them and make them feel wonder. Animals were taken out of their natural habitat and little if any effort was made to educate people on the environment the animal was taken from or the animals and plants it would normally interact with in its native habitat.
Today, zoos and aquariums exist to educate and conserve as well as to entertain. Animals are kept in captivity as ambassadors for their species. Sylvia Earle credits aquariums with teaching her “at an early age that fish have faces, beautiful eyes, amazing behaviors and- although you would never guess it if you only see fish in a can or chowder or on your plate, swimming in lemon slices and butter- every fish is a unique individual…each represents the miracle of life.” Working towards sustainability requires building relationships between people and the environment, and in an increasingly urban world, zoos and aquariums may be the primary way in which many children engage with and develop attitudes about nature.
As we have learned more about how much species depend on each other and on the environment they inhabit, concerns about keeping animals in captivity has increased, and rightly so. Many zoos and aquariums have made efforts to build enclosures that more realistically portray animals’ natural habitats, and are improving ways to measure the health and well-being of animals in captivity. However, there is much more work to be done. Removal of animals such as primates, large cats, and dolphins and whales from the wild should end: it causes harm to the animals’ well-being as well as to the environment as a whole. Sylvia Earle believes that captivity of these animals should be phased out completely, and I agree (watch the documentary Blackfish to learn about the worst aspects of keeping large mammals in captivity).
Jeanne Gang is an architect renowned internationally for her innovative, environmentally sensitive designs. She is interested in redesigning zoos and aquariums so that they promote conservation and education over entertainment by sharing space with schools, creating spaces for people to sit and talk with each other about what they have experienced and learned at the facility, and redesigning or getting rid of gift shops “where visitors are invited to purchase plastic trinkets [which] promote the very materials threatening the health and well-being of wild animals—the plastics that create carbon pollution in their production, choke poverty stricken areas, and blight our ocean”.
According to surveys of zoo and aquarium visitors, emotional connections with animals are more correlated with pro-environment behaviors than awareness and understanding. Zoos and aquariums will be most effective if they can allow people to learn through experience, through interacting and engaging with the animals and environments that are on display. We should support zoos and aquariums that encourage conservation through engaging education, and should encourage other facilities to follow this example.
Link to essays by all the panelists: http://www.humansandnature.org/how-can-zoos-and-aquariums-foster-cultures-of-care-and-conservation
-Sarah Shainker, Share Your Story Project, Sustainability Intern
