Guest Author - MaryEllen Schoeman

Knut the polar bear was born in the Berlin Zoo in December 2006, but was rejected by his mother. Keepers there began to hand-raise the young bear, a common practice in the case of maternal rejection, but animal rights proponents protested, saying it would be better for him to die than be raised in ‘unnatural’ circumstances. The controversy catapulted Knut to fame, and his fluffy self was soon everywhere you looked, his childhood chronicled with a series of incredibly cute photos. Attendance at his zoo soared and the future seemed bright for our cuddly star.

But then Knut grew up, from a snuggly cub to an adult: his fuzzy baby fur replaced by the water-resistant coat of an adult; his short cubby limbs lengthening; his adorable round head and short snout morphing into the blocky head and powerful jaws of one of nature’s most efficient killing machines. And his adoring public simply lost interest, and stopped coming to see him. His zoo has recently announced that they are searching for a new home for Knut, as they do not have the resources to support an adult polar bear.

This begs the question of – if they did not have the resources to support another polar bear, why did they let their bears breed? We will never know in this specific case – there are many reasons why this could happen. In some cases, for instance, the addition of a new animal to a zoo does generate enough extra income to support that animal, even as an adult. Maybe the zoo felt that this would be the case. Maybe they were planning on getting a grant, or government support, and it fell through. There are many ways that an honest mistake could have been made.

The dark side of this situation is that there are also reasons a zoo would breed animals without thinking, or caring, about what is going to happen to them as adults. It’s well known that baby animals generate more ticket sales than adults. A steady supply of babies, therefore, guarantees ongoing ticket sales. And what happens to the babies as they grow out of the cute stage? In the case of zoos that breed animals irresponsibly, the babies are then sold to animal brokers. These brokers then sell the animals to the highest bidder. These animals often end up being used for ‘canned hunts’ in which people pay to kill them, and still others end up in horrible conditions as roadside attractions.

But it is very, very important to understand that this practice is not the way of all zoos. In the United States, zoos can be accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. In order to attain membership in this association, zoos must not engage in over-breeding and/or sales of surplus animals to brokers. Animals may be traded, loaned, or sold only to other accredited zoos, and in many cases these arrangements must be in place before the animals are bred. In the case of endangered animals, the rules are even stricter. In order to obtain permission to breed an endangered species, the zoo must participate in that animal’s Species Survival Plan (SSP), which controls and monitors the breeding of these species. The SSP studbook records every birth of that species, and tracks the individual animals throughout their lives. This prevents over-breeding of the species, and it also prevents inbreeding by carefully tracking the relationships between animals.

So how can you be sure that your local zoo is not breeding animals irresponsibly? In the US, check to see if they are accredited by the AZA. Also, simply be alert, and ask the director of your zoo questions. Does your zoo seem to have an endless supply of baby animals? Ask why, and where the animals go when they are adults. Do not be brushed off with “They go to other zoos.” Ask what the requirements are for the other zoo – is it inspected by officials from your zoo before the sale is made? Is it accredited? Ask if your zoo participates in SSPs, and if not, why not? If older animals in your zoo seem to disappear frequently, replaced by the former babies, ask where they go. Ask what practices the zoo has in place to prevent inbreeding.

In the future, I will be discussing in-depth the role of zoos in conservation, with further information and explanation of the AZA, SSPs, and other programs designed to regulate the management of animals in zoos and wildlife parks.