Eng1201 Lit Review Zoos Thurte1

Hurte 1
Taylor Hurte
Professor Riley
English 1201
March 17, 2022
How Beneficial are American Zoos in the Conservation of Wildlife?
For as long as humans and non-human animals have lived side-by-side, there has always
been a relationship between the two. Morally, this relationship has historically been lacking.
Zoos have been a part of our history since the 4th and 5th century, and perhaps even longer ago,
but the question of whether they are a benefit to the animals and other wildlife remains.
Ancient humans kept animals captive as a sign of wealth and power in personal
menageries until the 18th and 19th centuries when private collections became public, tax funded
institutions (Vandersommers). Zoos enriched the lives of the citizens with education,
entertainment, and an escape from the city. Although the zoos and their popularity were growing,
the enclosures for the animals were not. Many suffered due to lack of proper housing, space, and
general preparedness of the early zoos themselves. In the late 1900s, zoos shifted to a more
natural type of enclosure, proving to benefit both the animal residents and the experience of the
visitor (Vandersommers).
Around the same time the culture surrounding zoos began to change, a nonprofit
organization named American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums was formed,
placing increased scrutiny to the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. Later,
the association would become a professional branch affiliate of the National Recreational and
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Parks Association. A shorter name, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, was adopted in 1994
and abbreviated to AZA. The AZA is considered the national standard for zoos and animal care.
To be a certified zoo, the AZA identifies five “opportunities to thrive.” They are nutrition,
environment, physical health, behavior, and psychological wellbeing. Another requirement is a
portion of the institution’s profits must go to conservation. In 2020, the AZA spent $231.5
million on field conservation in 2020 with money from its members (“AZA and Animal Program
Conservation Initiatives.”).
The general public rates conservation and education as the most important role for zoos.
This is echoed by many institutions, using the same keywords in their mission statements (“The
Conservation Mission of Zoos | Wild Welfare.”). The most comprehensive database on zoos and
aquariums in the world, known as Species360, revealed that nearly 15% of the International
Union for Conservation of Nature’s threatened species are housed in zoos. There are many
programs to assist these animals. An example of this is the California Condor who was
successfully repopulated from approximately 20 to 170 birds. Some programs are not as
successful, however. Of 145 reintroduction programs carried out by zoos, only 16 were truly
successful in restoring wild animal populations to the wild (“The Conservation Mission of Zoos |
Wild Welfare.”).
Zoos and aquariums are producing scientific papers at a higher increased rate than the
average in general science, highlighting institutional efforts to increase knowledge about the
species in their care (Escribano et al. 1). The focus of 48.5% of zoo led research is on
vertebrates, with 33.7% of that research being on mammals. The top ten keywords highlighting
areas of focus are breeding, conservation, captivity, genetic diversity, endangered species, sexual
hormones, mitochondrial DNA, behavior, microsatellites, and nutrition/animal welfare. While

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breeding has remained steady as a focus, conservation has recently come up quickly and
remained prominent (Escribano et al. 3-4).
Over time, with the focus shifting from entertainment to conservation and education,
modern zoos have become an essential resource in the field of wildlife conservation because of
their ability to be multi-faceted in their approach. Partnered with the increase in the call for
conservation is the population’s rapid growth and its demand for resources and land once left to
the animal kingdom. As humans utilize more and more of the land for living space or agriculture,
the more the other species on this planet will also be affected. By focusing on education and
conservation, the modern zoo’s reach is two-fold: in the conservation of the animal kingdom, and
inspiring a new generation to preserve the wildlife that remains (Iwuchukwu et al. 9).
As the global extinction crisis continues, conservation will require engagement from all
potential partners, zoos being an important factor as they are able to contribute to a diverse array
of efforts. However, better coordination could benefit the programs even more. Many zoos focus
on animals that are not threatened and many conservation programs overlap one another without
being of benefit to each other (Che-Castaldo et al.). Nonetheless, zoos have successfully
repopulated some species, devote money every year to conservation, and house many threatened
species in their institutions. While there will always be room for improvement, zoos are
incredibly important in the conservation of wildlife.

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Works Cited
“AZA and Animal Program Conservation Initiatives.” Association of Zoos & Aquariums |
AZA.Org, https://www.aza.org/aza-and-animal-program-conservation-initiatives.
Accessed 2 Mar. 2022.
Che-Castaldo, Judy P., et al. “Evaluating the Contribution of North American Zoos and
Aquariums to Endangered Species Recovery | Scientific Reports.” Nature, Springer
Nature, 28 June 2018, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-27806-2.
Escribano, Nora, et al. “Global Trends in Research Output by Zoos and Aquariums.”
Conservation Biology, no. 6, Wiley, June 2021, pp. 1894–902. Crossref,
doi:10.1111/cobi.13757.
Iwuchukwu, Chinaedu Samrose, et al. “Confinement for Conservation: An Ethical Overview of
Zoos.” Bulletin of Pure & Applied Sciences- Zoology, no. 2, Diva Enterprises Private
Limited, 2020, pp. 327–37. Crossref, doi:10.5958/2320-3188.2020.00036.4.
Vandersommers, Daniel. “What's All Happening at the Zoo?” Origins, Jan. 2017,
https://origins.osu.edu/article/whats-all-happening-zoo?language_content_entity=en.
“The Conservation Mission of Zoos | Wild Welfare.” Wild Welfare, 6 May 2014,
https://wildwelfare.org/the-conservation-mission-of-zoos-nabila-aziz/.

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Hurte 1

March 17, 2022

How Beneficial are American Zoos in the Conservation of Wildlife?

environment, physical health, behavior, and psychological wellbeing. Another requirement is a

hormones, mitochondrial DNA, behavior, microsatellites, and nutrition/animal welfare. While

remained prominent (Escribano et al. 3-4).

incredibly important in the conservation of wildlife.

Accessed 2 Mar. 2022.

Aquariums to Endangered Species Recovery | Scientific Reports.” Nature, Springer

Nature, 28 June 2018, https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-27806-2.

Conservation Biology, no. 6, Wiley, June 2021, pp. 1894–902. Crossref,

Iwuchukwu, Chinaedu Samrose, et al. “Confinement for Conservation: An Ethical Overview of

Limited, 2020, pp. 327–37. Crossref, doi:10.5958/2320-3188.2020.00036.4.

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