Abstract
Apart from displaying many facets of the ambiguous relationship of humans and animals, zoos and aquariums are also a significant part of the tourism industry. Their supposed goals are visitor education, visitor entertainment, species conservation and behavioural animal research. It seems therefore reasonable to describe those institutions as an ark for endangered species. However, the role of zoos in modern societies is more and more called into question. Their main purpose is described as visitor entertainment (to create economic benefits) covered up by conservation, education and research claims. Arguably, some would like to see their demise, while others propose changes that include an alternative, but more sustainable version of zoos and aquariums: wildlife parks and wildlife sanctuaries that focus on the well-being of the animals.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Altick RD (1978) The shows of London. Belknap Press, London
Beardsworth A, Bryman A (2001) The wild animal in late modernity: the case of the Disneyization of zoos. Tourist Studies 1(1):83–104
Boehrer B (2007) Introduction: The animal renaissance. In: Boehrer B (ed) A cultural history of animals in the renaissance. Berg, Oxford, pp 1–26
Bostock SC (1993) Zoos and animal rights: the ethics of keeping animals. Routledge, London
Bundezentrale für politische Bildung (2011) Globalisierung. Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, Bonn
Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS) (2013) Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm does business with (another) notorious circus trainer. http://www.captiveanimals.org/news/2013/06/noahs-ark-zoo-farm-does-business-with-another-notorious-circus-trainer. Accessed 10 Sept 2016
Casamitjana J (2004) Aquatic zoos: a critical study of UK public aquaria in the year 2004. The Captive Animals Protection Society, London
Chrismom (2015) Was meinen sie welche Tiere darf der Mensch töten? www.chrismon.de/umfragen. Accessed 08 July 2015
Clayton JB, Vangay P, Huang H et al (2016) Captivity humanizes the primate microbine. PNAS 113(37). http://www.pnas.org/content/113/37/10376.full.pdf. Accessed 28 Sept 2016
Cohen E (2009) The wild and the humanized: animals in Thai tourism. Anatolia 20(1):100–118
Cohen E (2015) Young elephants in Thai tourism. In: Markwell K (ed) Animals and tourism: understanding diverse relationships. Channel View, Bristol, pp 163–179
Cunningham A (2016) The case for zoos. A scientist perspective. Zoological Society of London (ZSL). https://www.zsl.org/blogs/wild-science/the-case-for-zoos-a-scientists-perspective. Accessed 28 Sept 2016
Dejure.org (2016) Bundesnaturschutzgesetz §42 Zoos. https://dejure.org/gesetze/BNatSchG/42.html. Accessed 12 July 2016
Die Zeit (2014a) Die Ethik des Schinkenbrots. http://www.zeit.de/2014/21/tierrechte-nutztiere-fleisch-essen/komplettansicht. Accessed 13 July 2016
Die Zeit (2014b) Ich bin wie du. Die Tierzählung. 15.04.2014. Vol. 21: 38
Die Zeit (2015) Wir und das Tier. Was Zeit Leser an Landwirtschaft, Tierversuchen und Zoos kritisieren, vol 51, p 44. 17 Dec 2015
Dobson J (2015) Zoo. In: Cater C, Garrod B, Low T (eds) The encyclopedia of sustainable tourism. CABI, Wallingford, p 554
Donaldson S, Kymlicka W (2013) ZooPolis. Eine politische Theorie der Tierrechte. Suhrkamp Verlag, Berlin
Eilenberger W (2012) Wie viel Tier steckt in mir? In: Philosophie Magazin, vol 6, Oct./Nov. 2012
Elsevier (2016) Der Zoologische Garten. http://www.journals.elsevier.com:80/der-zoologische-garten. Accessed 23 Sept 2016
Fennell DA (2012) Tourism and animal ethics. Routledge, New York
Frost W (2011) Rethinking zoos and tourism. In: Frost W (ed) Zoos and tourism: conservation, education, entertainment?. Channel View, Bristol, pp 1–12
Gannon F (2002) Animals on the menu. European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) reports 3(7):589
Ganzert R (2016) Zoos are not prisons. They improve the lives of animals. http://time.com/4364671/zoos-improve-lives-of-animals/. Accessed 28 Sept 2016
Garrett EA (2014) Why do we go to the zoo?. Communication, animals, and the cultural-historical experience of zoos. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, Madison
Gatland A (1996) Zoos: the conservation myth. Animals Today 3(4). http://www.wildlife.org.nz/zoocheck/myths.htm. Accessed on 07 Nov 2015
Geo (2013) Was sie wirklich über Tiere wissen sollten. Geo Magazin 04/13
Goldner C (2014) Zoos manipulieren Besucherzahlen. Humanistischer Pressedienst. http://hpd.de/artikel/10124. Accessed 11 July 2016
Goldner C (2015) Lebenslänglich hinter Gittern: Die Wahrheit über Gorilla. Orang Utan & Co in deutschen Zoos, Alibri, Aschaffenburg
Graham N (2015) Conservation education in zoos and aquariums. The benefits of these institutions and their impact on conservation ethic according to staff. Research paper submitted for the Master of Teaching at the University of Toronto. https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/68682/1/Graham_Nathalie_LM_201506_MT_MTRP.pdf. Accessed 27 Sept 2016
Grayal A (2013) Zoos as ecotourism experiences. In: Ballantyne R, Packer J (eds) International handbook of ecotourism. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, pp 464–469
Great Ape Project (2012) Menschenaffenkarte. http://www.nationalgeographic.de/static/images/evt-07-2012/menschenaffen-karte-1200.jpg. Accessed 14 July 2016
Hachmeister P (2014) Gefängnis oder Arche? Zur medialen Darstellung der Institution Zoo in Deutschland. Lit Verlag, Münster
Hamilton Zoo (2015) Conservation. http://hamiltonzoo.co.nz/conservation/. Accessed 09 Nov 2015
Hancocks D (2001) A different nature: The paradoxical world of zoos and their uncertain future. University of California Press, Berkley
Haufe A (2013) Die Geschichte des Zoos- was bisher geschah. http://www.ndr.de/ratgeber/reise/tierparks/Die-Geschichte-des-Zoos-was-bisher-geschah,zoofeier100.html. Accessed 13 July 2016
Holmes O, Vidal J (2016) Fourty dead tiger cubs found in freezer at Thai temple. The Guardian. 01 June 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/01/40-dead-tiger-cubs-found-in-freezer-thai-temple-wildlife-trafficking. Accessed 10 Sept 2016
Hucklenbroich C (2015) Tiergärten im Wandel der Zeit. Und jeden Nachmittag ins Paradies. Frankfurter Allgemeine Feuilleton. 27 Apr 2015. http://www.faz.net/gqz82ixx. Accessed 11 July 2016
Hunter-Jones P, Hayward C (1998) Leisure consumption and the United Kingdom zoo. In: Ravenscroft N, Philip D, Bennett N (eds) Leisure. Culture and commerce, LSA, Brighton, pp 97–107
ITN (2012) Penguin eats young in Chinese zoo [video clip]. In: The guardian. 20 Dec 2012, https://www.theguardian.com/science/video/2012/dec/20/penguin-eats-young-china-zoo-video. Accessed 03 April 2017
Jamieson D (1985) Against Zoos. In: Singer P (ed) In defence of animals. Blackwell, Oxford, pp 108–117
Jamieson D (2006) Against Zoos. In: Singer P (ed) In defense of animals: the second wave. Blackwell Publishing, Malden, MA, pp 132–143
Lieckfeld A (2012) Wie Tiere denken. In: Geo Kompakt 33:138–144
Lovelock B, Lovelock KM (2013) The ethics of tourism: critical and applied perspectives. Routledge, Milton Park
Marino L, Bradshaw G, Malamud R (2009) The captivity industry: the reality of zoos and aquariums. Best Friends Magazine March/April:25–27
Marino L, Lilienfeld SO, Malamud R et al (2010) Do zoos and aquariums promote attitude change in visitors? A critical evaluation of the American zoo and aquarium study. Soc Anim 18(2):126–138
Marxwell K (2015) Birds, beasts and tourists: human-animal relationships in tourism. In: Markwell K (ed) Animals and tourism: understanding diverse relationships. Channel View, Bristol, pp 1–23
Mason P (2000) Zoo tourism: the need for more research. J Sustain Tourism 8(4):333–339
Mazur N (2001) After the ark? Environmental policy making and the zoo. Melbourne University Press, Melbourne
Miller I (2005) Didactic nature: exhibiting nation and empire at the Ueno Zoological Gardens. In: Pflugfelder G, Walker B (eds) JAPANimals: history and culture in Japan’s animal life. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, pp 273–313
Minteer BA, Collins JP (2013) Ecological ethics in captivity: balancing values and responsibilities in zoo and aquarium research under rapid global change. Inst Lab Anim Res (ILAR) 54(1):41–51
Morgenthaler K (2013) Das forsche Fräulein und der König. Greenpeace Magazin, Tier&Wir: Wie die Menschen mit Haustieren und Wildtieren umgehen 4(13)
Mount H (2016) Is it time to close our zoos? The Telegraph. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2016/04/17/is-it-time-to-close-our-zoos/. Accessed 28 Sept 2016
National Zoo and Aquarium (2015) Education. http://www.nationalzoo.com.au/education.htm. Accessed on 09 Nov 2015
Packer J, Ballantyne R (2010) The role of zoos and aquariums in education for a sustainable future. New Dir Adult Continuing Educ 127:25–34
Parks C (2015) The World’s oldest zoo is a modern attraction with a storied past. The Austrian destination has a lot more to offer than exotic animals. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/zoo-endured-inside-worlds-oldest-zoo-180957191/?no-ist. Accessed 28 Sept 2016
Palmer J (2015) The last truly wild horse is making a comeback, BBC Erath. 11 Nov 2015, http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20151111-the-worlds-last-truly-wild-horse-is-making-acomeback. Accessed 12 Aug 2016
Patrick PG, Tunnicliffe SD (2013) Zoo talk. Springer Verlag, Dordrecht
Patterson C (2002) Eternal Treblinka: our treatment of animals and the Holocaust. Lantern Books, New York
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) (2016) Pseudo-sanctuaries. http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/zoos-pseudo-sanctuaries/pseudo-sanctuaries/. Accessed 10 Sept 2016
Press Trust of India (2016) Study on brow antlered deer at Delhi zoo. Business Standard. http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/study-on-brow-antlered-deer-at-delhi-zoo-116090400131_1.html. Accessed 29 Sept 2016
Reichenbach H (2002) Lost menageries—why and how zoos disappear. Part I. Int Zoo News 49(3). http://www.izn.org.uk/Archive/316/Izn-316.htm. Accessed 27 Sept 2016
Reneau R (2016) Zoo animals do not belong in captivity. The University Star. https://star.txstate.edu/2016/09/20/zoo-animals-do-not-belong-in-captivity/. Accessed 23 Sept 2016
Snyder RL (1974) Introduction. In: Centennial symposium on science and research, Philadelphia Zoo, pp 1–3
Sommer R (1972) What do we learn at the zoo? Nat Hist 81:26–29
Sommer V (2012) Tierethik. In: Geo Kompakt, vol 33, pp 138–144
Statista (2016a) Ranking der größten Zoos in Deutschland nach Zahl der Tiere im Jahr 2014. http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/314716/umfrage/groesste-zoos-in-deutschalnd-nach-anzahl-der-tiere/. Accessed 13 July 2016
Statista (2016b) Ranking der größten Zoos in Deutschland nach Anzahl der Besucher im Jahr 2014. http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/248643/umfrage/ranking-deutscher-zoos-nach-besucherzahl/. Accessed 13 July 2016
Statista (2016c) Zustimmung zu Aussagen zur Tierhaltung in Zoos in Deutschland. http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/316077/umfrage/zustimmung-zu-aussagen-zur-tierhaltung-in-zoos-in-deutschland/. Accessed 13 July 2016
Statista (2016d) Umfrage in Deutschland zur Häufigkeit des Besuchs von Zoos und Tierparks bis 2015. http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/290972/umfrage/umfrage-in-deutschland-zur-haeufigkeit-des-besuchs-von-zoos-und-tierparks/. Accessed 13 July 2016
Stevens PMC, McAlister E (2003) Ethics in Zoos. Int Zoo Yearb 38(1):94–101
The Born Free Foundation (2012) The EU zoo enquiry 2011. Born Free Foundation, Horsham
Tierschutz.org (2016) Zoo. http://www.tierschutz.org/tierschutz/problembereiche/wildtiere/zoo.php. Accessed 01 May 2016
Tisdale S (1993) London zoo review. American Way 1:74–76
Tribe A (2004) Zoo tourism. In: Higginbottom K (ed) Wildlife tourism: impacts, management and planning. Common Ground Publishing, Victoria
Van Tuye C (2008) Zoos and animal welfare. Gale Cengage Learning, Farmington Hills
Verband der Zoologischen Gärten (VdZ) (2016a) Zoo. http://www.zoodirektoren.de/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=904:zoo&Itemid=216. Accessed 13 July 2016
Verband der Zoologischen Gärten (VdZ) (2016b) Zoogründungen im 19.Jahrhundert. http://www.zoodirektoren.de/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=4717:zoogruendungen-19-jahrhundert&Itemid=339. Accessed 13 July 2016
Verband der Zoologischen Gärten (VdZ) (2016c) VdZ Faktenblatt. http://www.zoodirektoren.de/images/Wir_ueber_uns/VdZ_Faktenblatt.pdf. Accessed 13 July 2016
Verband der Zoologischen Gärten (VdZ) (2016d) Fragen und Antworten zu Zoos im deutschsprachigen Raum. http://www.zoodirektoren.de. Accessed 14 July 2016
Ward S (2016) In defence of zoos: how captivity helps conservation. The conversation. https://theconversation.com/in-defence-of-zoos-how-captivity-helps-conservation-56719. Accessed 29 Sept 2016
Webster Dictionary (2015) Zoo. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zoo. Accessed 28 Oct 2015
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) (2015) Zoos and aquariums around the world. http://www.waza.org/en/site/zoos-aquariums. Accessed 23 Sept 2016
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) (2016) Science and research. http://www.waza.org/en/site/conservation/science-and-research. Accessed 23 Sept 2016
World Society for the Protection of Animals and Born Free Foundation (1994) The Zoo enquiry. World Society for the Protection of Animals, Oxford
Yougov (2016) Case study: Pet Owners. Aktuelle Umfrageergebnisse auf der Basis des Omnibus PetOwner. https://yougov.de/loesungen/infocenter/white-paper/case-study-petowner/. Accessed 14 July 2016
Zoo-infos.de (2016) Die Zoo-Datenbank für Deutschland. http://www.zoo-infos.de/. Accessed 18 Aug 2016
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Reiser, D. (2017). Will the Ark Sink? Captive Wildlife, Tourism and the Human Relationship to Nature: Demystifying Zoos. In: Borges de Lima, I., Green, R. (eds) Wildlife Tourism, Environmental Learning and Ethical Encounters. Geoheritage, Geoparks and Geotourism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55574-4_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55574-4_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-55573-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-55574-4
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)