Zoos are cruel....

From your link:

‘Back then, [1993] there were 20 zoos in the UK keeping around 50 elephants, of which 44 had been taken from the wild. Sadly, in spite of expert reports, campaigns, petitions and parliamentary debates, nothing much has changed. Today, there are still 49 elephants in nine zoos across the UK.’

So fewer zoos have elephants - which is what they want. Given the life span of captive elephants is around 50 these days, I’d suggest hardly any are additions to the 50 there were in 1993! 5 are at Whipsnade which is arguably the best in the country.

The chimp I'm thinking of was called Boris. Boris lived to be 57.

From Google - Boris was rescued from a New York pet shop as an orphaned infant in the late 1960s, raised briefly in a Manhattan apartment, and brought to the zoo in 1969. Over his decades at the zoo, he fathered 22 offspring, played a pivotal role in the international conservation breeding program for western chimpanzees

There was never a life in the wild available for Boris. He wouldn't have been able to integrate back into the wild without his family. At Chester he was part of a family of chimps, with access to outdoors, received good food and medical care and had a friendly relationship with his keeper. He had as good a quality of life as many people in the world and better than some.

The alternative to captivity in a good zoo for Boris would be to be kept in a poor zoo or private collection or euthanasia as an infant.

Each to their own. This view is predicated though on the view that everything is ok with wild environments and sadly this is not true.

It’s also predicated on the point of view that a “natural” life is superior in every way, which of course it can be, but it can be also be a fight for diminishing basic resources such as food and water and a struggle against appalling disease.

That was my thoughts too. No info at all. Hard to prove anything if your evidence is just a wink and saying "oh, we know".

How about elephants? https://www.bornfree.org.uk/elephant-free-uk/

good zoos play an important role in conservation including funding projects in the wild. They also animals in rehabilitation or not fit for release. We longer capture wild animals to bring to show in zoos and animals are treated very well.

So absolutely no recent references at all? No hard facts or data referenced since 2010?

No data relating to the FoIs they apparently carried out?

So no, I wouldn’t assume it’s true, or reflective of modern conservation zoos.

That’s not to say there are some places in the UK which don’t prioritise animal welfare, but that article doesn’t prove anything.

Yes!!! Some humans suffer for far too
long because of modern medicine.

Would you like to live a life where you had 8 children and half your children died before the age of 5? That's a natural life and it's not always good quality.

Ever heard the phrase about quality over quantity?

Have you ever taken lsd and taken a trip to the zoo? Well I have and it’s the saddest thing ever. You are way more attuned and connected with the world around you and I felt incredibly sad looking at them.

feel free to laugh at me, I was young !

I know for example Chester zoo had a very elderly chimp who died recently. Lived far in excess of the lifespan in the wild.

Also all animals grow old and die. They don't live forever.

There is little info about it though.
The 19k deaths at Chester Zoo could have been mostly invertebrates.

I'm presuming this is true. https://www.freedomforanimals.org.uk/news/death-toll-in-uk-zoos

Why is it important to stop animals from becoming extinct? If humans reached near extinction, would it be ethical to set up human breeding programs and keep them in captivity?

Zoos do a lot of work with nearly extinct animals and without them those animals would not survive and disappear without trace

Before worrying about zoos have a look at the huge numbers of rabbits kept as pets for example and the terribly cramped conditions and neglect a lot of them are kept under. Yet they are bred for the pet industry despite the fact that they live for about 10 years and need exotic animal living conditions.

Look at the numbers of indoor cats across the world, living in small houses. Look at the numbers of large dogs kept in small houses with insufficient exercise. I would hazard a guess that the majority of dogs are not kept in optimal conditions throughout their lives.

Look at the huge numbers of abandoned pets when people can't or don't want to look after them any more.

Zoos are a great deal more humane than most pet owners.

And we would all get sick as we need meat to thrive.

Yes we are coming to see Alex soon. He finally got to move it took so long.❤️

It depends what the 'zoo' does. We have 2 close to us that rescue large animals. These are animals that could never be released into the wild, but already exist and need caring for. They are open to the public to raise funds to do this. A high profile rescue recently was Alex, a white tiger rescued from Ukraine. They also have tigers rescued from the circus. These animals deserve safety in their later years, but they are eye wateringly expensive to feed and lodge, not to mention vet fees. In my heart, I think rescue zoos should be largely exempt from the worst of the criticism

🤣 🤣

Work really does get in the way!!

Could do with replacing smoking breaks with a Mumsnet break @6ate9 😁

Sorry, I don’t think I read your post. I was having to work!!!

@6ate9 that was the question.