European Zoos Urged to Phase out Giraffe Captivity

​worldanimalnews.com/european-zoos-urged-to-phase-out-giraffes-in-captivity-following-born-frees-new-report/

A damning report by the Born Free Foundation has shone a light on the struggles captive Giraffes face as opposed to being free in the wild. The report comes on the 7th anniversary of the death of Marius, a young, healthy giraffe, from a Copenhagen zoo. Marius was culled and subsequently dissected in front of the public; his body parts were fed to various carnivores throughout the park. These actions were justified by the park as they claimed Marius' genes were already represented in the captive giraffe population. This story makes it abundantly clear that giraffes do not belong in captivity, along with most other wild animals.

The report outlines some of the perils giraffes face when in captivity and the effects these perils have on their mental well being. These perils include, but are not limited to;

• Social Deprivation - Giraffes are incredibly social animals, especially the females. Females form bonds with other females and create nurseries together for their young. In captivity, they may only be held with one other giraffe at most, reducing their social capabilities.
• Environmental Restrictions - Wild giraffes spend approximately a third of their day walking in the wild, this is not possible with the enclosures provided at most zoos. Not to mention, harsh winter climates restrict giraffe outdoor time exponentially, contributing to mental and physical exhaustion.
• Inadequate Nutrition - Captive giraffes have faced nutritional diseases thanks to their captive diets which are unlike their natural diets in the wild.

• Compromised Health - Giraffes in captivity suffer from lameness and other stereotypic behaviours because of their captivity. Because of this, many illnesses and deformities occur, significantly reducing their lifespan.
• Stereotypic Behaviours - Pacing & walking in circles for example are considered stereotypic behaviour. These behaviours are usually the result of animals attempting to cope with captivity and can be traced back to poor animal welfare.

We would be incredibly naïve to assume that these perils apply only to captive giraffes. In almost every case of wild animals in captivity, they are deprived of much of their natural instincts when forced to live in enclosures. This undoubtedly leads to mental and emotional traumas that cause these stereotypic behaviours. The Born Free Foundation is asking zoos to funnel these funds otherwise used for giraffe captivity towards true conservation efforts. These funds could be allocated to helping protect endangered habitats and forests, restoration of landscapes, and community awareness & education.

Ultimately, it's my honest opinion that if these zoos are not housing and breeding wild animals for the purpose of rehabilitation of the species, they really shouldn't have these animals at all. There are many zoos that are currently working on panda or polar bear conservation, which is money that I support being funneled into these zoos. Simply having and breeding wild animals for the purpose of exploiting and capitalizing on them is simply unacceptable.

I will update with more information as it becomes available.

HAPPY VEG