Ethics of Zoos

Question	Answer
Animal rights answer	It is wrong because it treats the animal as a means to achieve some human end It also fails to treat animals with the respect they deserve It violates the animal's right to live in freedom
Animal welfare answer	Wrong if animal has a less pleasant life Animal may become bored, depressed and institutionalised Imprinted on humans Lower quality of life
Conservation view	Zoo may be unable to keep large number of individuals to provide sufficient varied gene pool Removing animals from wild results in population fall Returning to wild is difficult
Arguments FOR zoos	Most visitors go to be entertained Promotion of education (little research) Thus what do people want to learn from zoos?
Scientific research	Zoos fund field research, and employ scientists Though few zoos do this, most scientists research in field, most studies are on behavioural/physical problems
Preserving the Species	Destruction of habitat Are animals returned? Could they be? Unwanted animals In-situ conservation? Habitat reconstruction?
Extinction in wild	If an animal is extinct in the wild should it be kept in captivity? If the animals will be returned to the wild does your answer change? eg. White Lions & Tigers
What is ethics?	Set of principles of right conduct Theory or system of moral values Study of then general nature of morals and choices - moral philosophy Morality of individuals actions Motivation vs Consequence
Zoo ethics	Zoos have good intentions of saving a species from extinction but this may cause harm to individuals by keeping them captive Morally indefensible vs justifiable
On what grounds can we justify keeping wild animals in captivity? How should zoo directors respond to the charge, from animal rights campaigners that zoos are morally indefensible?	How should zoos approach the ethical paradox that conservation is all about species and populations, but welfare is about individual animals?
Philosopher Dale Jamieson	Argued there is a "presumption for liberty", and that it is morally wrong to deprive animals of their freedom by keeping them captive
Stephen Bostock (1993) We only remove the liberty of humans under very specific circumstances (e.g. law breaking)	1. Keeping wild animals in captivity is advantageous for humans 2. Captive animals would not experience negative welfare & may be better off 3. Animals are not sufficiently comparable to humans to make meaningful comparisons about morality
Utilitarianism "The greatest good for the greatest number"	Jeremy Bentham (1823) "The question is not, can they reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?"
Harm done to small number of animals is justified if it benefits a large number of the same species	e.g. you could justify keeping gorillas in captivity if this raises awareness and money to protect wild gorillas
Animal Welfare View	Immanuel Kant (18th century) argued the act itself must be moral and have a pure intention behind it regardless of the final consequence. Give greater consideration to each individual kept in zoo than overall benefit
Basic Needs Test Can the zoo provide basic physiological and psychological needs of the animal?	Comparable Life Test Can the zoo provide a life at least as good as the life the animal would have in the wild?
Animal Rights View Rights of animals are equal to that of humans	Regan: Animal rights 'takes a very dim view of zoos' but it cannot be used to argue against zoos in the circumstance under which it can be demonstrated that it is in the animals best interest to be kept in captivity
Animal Rights View 2 Some argue zoos give false compromised picture of habitats and ecosystems	Often miss out smaller, but still as important species Zoos are moving gradually towards collections that reflect more representative sample
Conservation vs. Welfare	Genetic management of zoo animals to reduce inbreeding and maintain genetic diversity may require sterilisation Conflict between high standards of welfare
Anti-Zoo Campaigners Born Free Foundation PETA	Captive marine mammals were first to be targeted in 1960/70s More recently it has been elephants (small enclosures, small groups) Could watch animals on TV
Animal Welfare	All animals, especially those under human care, should be treated in such a way that they do not suffer unnecessarily. Focus on morality of human action (rather than philosophical claims of status)
Animal Rights	Protection of animals from being used or regarded as property by humans. Animals should be regarded as people. Also to attain more humane treatment for animals
Which animals should be considered?	All animals? How do we decide which need greater consideration? Sentience? Consciousness? Cognition? Self-awareness? Communication?
Sentience	The ability to sense the environment around it Capability for basic consciousness & perception of the world
Consciousness	Allows one to perceive the relationship between oneself and one's environment Quality of mind
Cognition	Mental processes Processing of information The act of knowing
Self-awareness	The ability to perceive one's own existence To perceive one's own character, traits, feeling and behaviour
Communication	Process of exchanging information Verbal Written Body language
The greater the sentience of an animal, The greater its consciousness The greater its ability to feel as a result of perceiving the external world, The greater its ability to suffer pain...	... The greater its ability to suffer as a result of physically painless conditions & psychologically, Then the greater the justification for providing for its welfare
Welfare Consideration Space? Natural social system? Training - enrichment or limit autonomy?	Feeding patterns? Social groupings? Stocking densities? Housing males alone
Visitor effect	Visitor presence, density, activity, size, position are associated with behaviour
Stereotypical pacing in large cats	Chain linked fencing increased pacing See-through barriers, esp touch and smell increased pacing See other animals/people increased pacing More space & complex exhibit reduced

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	Created by serenacutbill about 11 years ago