Could the safari zoo format be the zoo style of the future?

For animal lovers, zoos present obstacles. Zoos introduce the public to animals that they may likely never see, and as a result, not be as concerned about protecting along with their habitats. And zookeepers are among the most educated and concerned about the animals they care for. At the same time, no animal should be caged just for the amusement of the public. But what if the zoos of the future were cage-free like a safari zoo?

The Danish architectural firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) is working on a safari zoo in Denmark called Zootopia that it hopes will be the zoo of the future. It’s all about the successful cohabitation of humans and different species of animals. Though it’s still in the concept phase, it will be made up of entire habitats of animals that like to be together in larger groups.

“Which means you won’t have a lonely tiger walking around inside a cage,” Bjarke Ingels says on NPR. “You’ll have … all kinds of animals that like to be together in larger groups, so that we can actually create entire habitats.”

Zootopia will resemble a giant crater where humans can look over the edge and have incredible views of the animals in their habitats. It will be divided into three sections: Africa, America, and Asia. Visitors will move through the park in all kinds of ways like cable cars, bikes, boats, and cars.

“The idea is interfacing with animals in completely new ways,” Ingels says on NPR. “What we’ve tried to do is eliminate all traces of human architecture.”

It makes me think of Jurassic Park minus the dinosaurs and the innate danger.

“The main contribution of Zootopia to the animal welfare is that because they are all social animals, they live really live with much more space than in a typical zoo,” he says. “Both the human experience and the animal experience is going to be much more exciting.”

It’s a thrilling idea and I can’t wait to pay this park a visit. Although we’re still five years away from its opening.

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Image: Karen Roe

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Keeping animals captive for pleasure, profit or curiosity is a human tradition going back as far as Ancient Egypt. But what kind of tradition is it? Do zoos deserve a public-relations makeover to be firmly embraced within an eco-conscious outlook on the natural world – or are they a relic of unhappier times?

This is the question currently fueling many column inches, following the release of a report by the UK’s Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs looking at 4,500 female elephants in zoos. The statistics could hardly be more damning:

In the wild, female African elephants frequently live beyond 50 years old: in captivity, the average age is just 19.

Baby elephants born in captivity have a much lower chance of survival – over 50% don’t make it past the age of 1.

Approximately four-fifths of captive elephants suffer from foot problems.

In summary, the report suggests that being born in captivity actually reduces an elephant’s chances of survival.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, the RSPCA voiced their disgust to the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums. It’s important to note that both these organizations funded the research – and on behalf of BIAZA, Dr Miranda Stevenson of Edinburgh Zoo promised the research would be used to improve animal husbandry. (A particular problem is the death rate of newborns: this is why the average life expectancy is so shockingly low).

Praising or condemning all zoos together is something of an injustice. Nevertheless, a pattern emerges. Zoos have always prided themselves on providing a service for their animals: a life safe from predators, a stable habitat, a steady supply of food and consequently, more relaxation time than they could enjoy in the wild. This has been promoted as very much a good thing.

In contrast, the DEFRA report now points to obesity as a major problem for captive elephants. Without enough physical or mental challenge, their bodies and minds suffer – exactly like those of the creatures looking after them.

Should we treat animals in zoos the way we’ve been treating ourselves?

Image: Tambako the Jaguar

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