Emily Chan
Many people are quick to declare that all zoos are bad. And yes, lots of poorly run zoos exist, but there are numerous other institutions that actually help animals thrive.
TikToker Diana (@dianaoftherose) studied animal behavior in college, and she’s sharing three tips to tell if you should support your local zoo.
The number one thing to look out for is if the animals at the zoo are displaying stereotypical behavior. Stereotypical behavior is when an animal in an enclosure engages in repetitive actions.
“So, for instance, you might see a polar bear wandering back and forth across the same side of their enclosure over and over again,” explained Diana.
While stereotypical behavior can be a sign that an animal isn’t getting enough space or enrichment, it does not always indicate that a zoo is providing inadequate care for its animals. In order to fully determine the quality of a zoo, other factors must also be taken into consideration.
Another reason you might see an animal exhibit repetitive behaviors is that it might have experienced a lot of trauma before arriving at the zoo. For animals that have had a traumatic past life, zoos will often take them to rehabilitation/rescue programs.
“For instance, they might have been rescued from some dude’s basement who was keeping it as a pet. Maybe they were farmed; some other situation where they would still encounter poor enrichment and poor habitat space,” said Diana.
“But even though their life is better now, they haven’t quite kicked those old stereotypical behaviors and those old habits,” she continued.
The second way to tell if a zoo is good or bad is whether you can see the animals in their enclosures. If you can’t see the animal, that means it’s a good zoo.
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