Maple and Perdue (2022), "Zoos and Aquaria"

 Terry L. Maple and Bonnie M. Perdue, “Zoos and Aquaria.” Chapter 15, pages 190-202, in Routledge Handbook of Animal Welfare, Andrew Knight, Clive Phillips, and Paula Sparks, editors, Routledge, 2022.

• This article offers quite a contrast to Randy Malalmud's "The Problem with Zoos."

• "Elite modern zoos provide innovative operating standards and best practices for achieving animal welfare [p. 190]"; furthermore, “many zoo animals are indeed thriving [p. 190].”

• “Normal social development requires mother-rearing, peer experience, and sufficient space to comfortably socialise with others [p. 190].” [The authors argue that we know how to provide such normal development in zoos, even if we often fail to. But modern animal agriculture (not covered by Maple and Perdue) is incompatible with "normal social development."]

• New (large) zoos are not common, but new aquaria are, and they often adopt an amusement park model, where dolphins, orcas, and whales do not fare well.

• The authors provide brief summaries of contributions by earlier animal behavior researchers, including Harry Harlow (he of the social deprivation experiments). "While Harlow was vilified by animal rights groups for his cruel experiments, his findings greatly benefitted zoo primates as he identified the variables that controlled socialisation [p. 193]." [One might wonder how a similar statement directed at cruel experiments on humans would be received.]

• The authors identify zoo landscape immersion at Seattle's Woodland Park and the "species-appropriate social group [p. 194]" for gorillas at Zoo Atlanta as important institutional developments for promoting animal thriving.  

• Zoo animal wellness is about thriving, not just coping. Scientists and zoos should work together to achieve optimal wellness.

• Zoo hippos, except at Disney(!), tend to have poor wellness (due to lack on riverine habitats); snakes don’t get enough room in zoos.

• 24/7 outdoor access can add to wellness; vertical space can perform a similar function for apes.

• Capture as well as confinement are very costly for whales and dolphins; the treatment of bears for harvesting bile is vile.

• Animal training can promote wellness; so can computers [compare with the iPad commentary in Malamud (2017)].

• Maple and Perdue are keen on zoo accreditation (from the best accrediting organizations) for assuring compliance with high animal welfare standards.