Aquila Children's Magazine AQUILA Magazine Best Bits | Page 71

1
Enclosures can never really be
big enough
While safari parks are spacious,
usually spread over hundreds of acres
of land, enclosures can still seem a
little on the small side for certain
animals, and the point remains that
they are not free. A cheetah, for
example, can achieve speeds of
70–75 mph (110–120 kph) as it races
across the African savannah, this
would prove impossible in captivity.
2 Animals can’t live on their
instincts like they can in the wild
Animals’ natural instincts are
sometimes suppressed in captivity. In
the wild, predators have to hunt so
they learn to stalk and capture their
prey. In safari parks, food is provided.
Raw meat and carcasses are given to
the big cats but they don’t have to
work that hard for it. Likewise,
animals in the wild choose who they
mate with. Animals in captivity have
no choice who gets to make babies
and who doesn’t.
Sometimes species are too successful
in captivity. If populations rise to a
level that is bad for the group (too
many animals can lead to a rise in
violent behaviour) healthy animals
may occasionally have to be
destroyed.
https://www.theguardian.com/
world/2014/feb/09/longleat-
safari-park-lions-destroyed
While safari parks house a large number of
animals from all over the world they can’t
always get the group numbers right for
each species. A pride of lions, for example,
would usually number fifteen. Elephants
congregate in single sex groups of around
ten, but this is not always achievable at a
park, either because of space constraints
or simply because more of these animals
are not available. In Woburn, for example,
there are three adult female elephants,
one male and a female calf and
unfortunately Anne at Longleat has to live
alone – but she probably wouldn’t have
survived at all without their help.
4 Animals can be unpredictable (and
some are just downright rude)
Finally, some animals are a little bit pesky.
Baboons and rhesus macaques Macaca
mulatta, for example, can be a menace to
society. At Knowsley and Longleat
respectively, they have had to build a
bypass for visitors who were worried
about their cars being damaged by these
animals. They’re very intelligent, so the
monkeys have great fun with loose fitting
car parts! As well as seeing too much of
certain animals, there is always the risk of
not seeing enough of others if they decide
to stay inside during a cold spell.
So, what’s the verdict? Do you
agree with Philip, that safari
parks do an excellent job and
should be supported? Or will you
side with Phoebe, who thinks
safari parks just aren’t quite fit
for purpose? Why not write us a
letter at the usual address and
let us know what you think. We’ll
print the best ones.
Words:
3 The numbers are off