1 THE PURPOSE AND POPULARITY OF ZOOS Walking in the Zoo, walking in the Zoo, The O.K. thing on Sunday is the walking in the Zoo. Lyrics of a song sung by Alfred Vance (Victorian music-hall artist, 1867) L IA R E T A M D E T H IG R Y P Conservation Status Profile O Asian elephant C Elephas maximus IUCN status: Endangered A2c CITES: Appendix I Population trend: Decreasing An Introduction to Zoo Biology and Management, First Edition. Paul A. Rees. © 2011 Paul A. Rees. Published 2011 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. RRees_c01.inddees_c01.indd 3 22/1/2011/1/2011 44:13:02:13:02 PPMM 4 History, organisation and regulation 1.1 INTRODUCTION their role in wildlife conservation and environmental education. Paignton Zoo has become Paignton Zoo Zoo biology is a relatively new discipline. Prior to 1982 Environmental Park, Jersey Zoo is now Durrell (named there was no academic journal specifically dedicated to after its founder) and Marwell Zoo has been renamed the scientific study of zoo animals. The study of animal Marwell Wildlife. However, many famous zoos show no welfare and the biology of zoo animals is an increas- sign of following this trend. Like traditional zoos, mod- ingly important component of college and university ern aquariums have begun to turn their attention to courses, and the work of zoo keepers is becoming conservation. To reflect this, the New York Aquarium increasingly scientific. The purpose of this book is to changed its name to the Aquarium for Wildlife provide an introduction to the biology of animals in Conservation in 1993. zoos. In addition it considers other aspects of zoos which are important in understanding how zoos have evolved, how they function and their role in conserva- 1.3 THE INCREASING PUBLIC tion. Before we can begin to study zoos we need to INTEREST IN WILDLIFE define what a zoo is. There is considerable evidence of an increase in public interest in wildlife, zoos and conservation. In the last 1.2 WHAT IS A ZOO? 40 years there has been a spectacular increase in the membership of organisations concerned with the pro- The term ‘zoo’ is an abbreviation of zoological gardens tection of wildlife and wild places (Table 1.1). and was probably first used as an abbreviation for the People who spend the majority of their lives in urban Clifton Zoo in Bristol, England, in 1847. In 1867 a areas seek out opportunities to observe animals in the music-hall song called Walking in the Zoo, sung by wild. In Liverpool, the Royal Society for the Protection Alfred Vance, popularised the use of the term. of Birds (RSPB) organises cruises around the Mersey In this book ‘zoo’ is taken to encompass a very wide Estuary for its members and other bird-watchers range of institutions, reflecting the legal definition used (Fig. 1.2). Every year, during a few weeks in autumn within the European Union: and winter, over 60,000 people visit the colony of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) at the Donna Nook National …“zoos” means all permanent establishments Nature Reserve in Lincolnshire, England, when they where animals of wild species are kept for exhibi- come ashore to have their pups (Fig. 1.3). During Easter tion to the public for 7 or more days a year… 2010, some 45,000 people visited Lake Hornborga in Council Directive 1999/22/EC (Zoos Directive), Sweden to witness the annual return of over 12,000 Article 2 migrating Eurasian cranes (Grus grus). Before the ownership of televisions was widespread This definition encompasses traditional zoos, drive- films such as Where No Vultures Fly (1951) – about one through safari parks, aviaries, snake parks, insect man’s struggle to establish a national park in East collections, aquariums, birds of prey centres, and Africa – and Born Free (1966) – the true story of Elsa all manner of other animal collections which are the lioness and George and Joy Adamson – drew the open to the public, but excludes pet shops, circuses attention of the cinema-going public to the plight of and laboratories that keep animals (Fig. 1.1). Other African wildlife. The stars of Born Free, Bill Travers and dictionary and legal definitions of a zoo are listed in Virginia McKenna, went on to found the pressure Box 1.1. group Zoo Check (see Section 6.2.2.3). Nowadays, wildlife documentaries are increasingly 1.2.1 What’s in a name popular among television viewers and, in recent years, there has been an increase in the number of TV pro- In the minds of many people, the term ‘zoo’ has a grammes about the work of vets and zoo keepers. In strong association with animals being kept in poor 2001, a total of 2284 TV programmes were broadcast conditions in old-fashioned iron cages. Some zoos have which had ‘wildlife’ in the title or in the description of adopted new names in an attempt to disassociate them- the programme. In 2008 this had increased to 6983. selves from these outdated notions and to emphasise Only 196 programmes with ‘zoo’ in the title or description RRees_c01.inddees_c01.indd 4 22/1/2011/1/2011 44:13:02:13:02 PPMM The Purpose and Popularity of Zoos 5 (a) (b) (d) (c) Fig. 1.1 Examples of different types of zoos. (a) A traditional zoological gardens, Colombo Zoo, Sri Lanka. (b) A modern aquarium, The Deep, Hull, UK. (c) The Butterfly House, Lancaster, UK. (d) A safari park, West Midlands Safari Park, UK. RRees_c01.inddees_c01.indd 5 22/1/2011/1/2011 44:13:03:13:03 PPMM 6 History, organisation and regulation Box 1.1 What is a zoo? Some dictionary definitions: – some dictionary and The Concise Oxford Dictionary (1976) legal definitions. Zoological garden – public garden or park with a collection of animals for exhibition or study. Collins Dictionary and Thesaurus (2000) Zoo – a place where live animals are kept, studied, bred, and exhibited to the public. Some legal definitions: European Union Zoos Directive (Council Directive 1999/22/EC of 29 March 1999 relating to the keeping of wild animals in zoos) Article 2: …“zoos” means all permanent establishments where animals of wild species are kept for exhibition to the public for 7 or more days a year, with the exception of circuses, pet shops and establishments which Member States exempt from the requirements of this Directive on the grounds that they do not exhibit a significant number of animals or species to the public and that the exemption will not jeopardise the objectives of this Directive. England Zoo Licensing Act 1981, as amended by the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/3080) Section 1(2): …“zoo” means an establishment where wild animals … are kept for exhibition to the public otherwise than for purposes of a circus … and otherwise than in a pet shop. (2A): This Act applies to any zoo to which members of the public have access, with or without charge for admission, on seven days or more in any period of twelve consecutive months. United States of America Animal Welfare Act 1966 (9 Code of Federal Regulations, Ch. 1) Section 1.1: Zoo means any park, building, cage, enclosure, or other structure or premise in which a live animal or animals are kept for public exhibition or viewing, regardless of compensation. Arizona State, USA (Arizona Revised Statutes, 17-101) Section A. 23: “Zoo” means a commercial facility open to the public where the principal busi- ness is holding wildlife in captivity for exhibition purposes. Australia New South Wales, Zoological Parks Board Act 1973 Section 4(1): …“zoological park” means a zoological garden, aquarium or similar institution in which animals are kept or displayed for conservation, scientific, educational, cultural or recreational purposes. India Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 Section 2(39): “Zoo” means an establishment, whether stationary or mobile, where captive animals are kept for exhibition to the public but does not include a circus and an establish- ment of a licensed dealer in captive animals. RRees_c01.inddees_c01.indd 6 22/1/2011/1/2011 44:13:05:13:05 PPMM The Purpose and Popularity of Zoos 7 Table 1.1 Membership of selected conservation organisations. Organisation Membership 1971 Membership 2010 Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) 98,000 > 1,000,000 WWF (UK) 12,000 168,417 WWF (Worldwide) Unknown c.5,000,000 Sierra Club Unknown 1,300,000 Greenpeace 30,000 (1981) 2,900,000 (2007) Wildlife Trusts (formerly the Royal Society for Nature Conservation) 64,000 791,000 Friends of the Earth 1,000 100,000 Sources: Church (1995), RSPB (2010), WWF (2010), Sierra Club (2010), Wildlife Trusts (2010) and FOE (2010). Fig. 1.2 A bird-watching trip on the River Mersey, Liverpool, organised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. were shown in 2001, but by 2008 this had increased to this type of programme, and this must reflect a greater 2119. Although many of these programmes were epi- public interest (Table 1.2). Twelve million people sodes of series and many will have been repeated on watched the BBC’s Planet Earth series, narrated by different channels – the number of which increases David Attenborough, and it received the highest audi- relentlessly – nevertheless there has been a spectacular ence appreciation score of any British programme on increase in the amount of broadcast time devoted to TV in 2006 (BBC, 2007). Biography 1.1 Sir David Attenborough (1926– ) David Attenborough is a naturalist, author and broadcaster whose name is synonymous with the production of high quality wildlife documentaries.