Ex-situ conservation is the preservation of components of biological diversity outside their natural habitats. Zoos are an example of ex-situ conservation, they use captive breeding of animals and artificial propagation of plants with possible reintroduction to the wild, and the collection of living organisms can be used for research and public awareness. Until the 19th century, zoos were used to symbolize royal power, with modern zoos being founded for scientific research and public entertainment. Modern zoos often use profits generated from ticket sales etc. to fund conservation projects abroad which can include; sending specialist teams to measure population size, and genetic diversity, training/education locals in conservation efforts and collaborating with NGOs and governments to have a wider impact. Zoos can also be involved in captive breeding programmes to help increase population sizes and genetic diversity of endangered species. The main problems of zoos are; morality issues, the use of breeding programmes, a lack of education and out-dated laws.
Zoos can be seen as promoting the idea that keeping wild animals locked in cages is the norm in modern society, with humans as the dominant species, who have the power over all animals to dictate how their lives should be. This can pass on the idea to future generations that the only way to see endangered species is in a zoo, instead of visiting the country to witness the culture surrounding the species, and to see the species in their natural habitat. The enclosures that the animals are kept in can have a severe negative affect on the normal behaviour of the animals, leading to shorter lifespans due to distress and incidents of animals harming (and even killing) visitors and zookeepers. There have been 256 injuries in zoos in the past 26 years with 33 deaths (from Born Free reports). There are many examples of shorter lifespans in captive animals, such as female Orcas living around 30 years in captivity, but can live up to 100 years in the wild. This huge difference could be due to a lack of stimulation, the small areas they are kept in that leads to the animals no longer exhibiting the normal behaviour that they would in the wild. Around 54% of elephants in the UK exhibit abnormal behaviour like swaying and retracing their steps. This is due again to a lack of stimulation, such as being placed in a flat enclosure with few trees and a small area. This means that they cannot more around sufficiently, particularly when elephants walk 45km a day on average, in search of food and water. Modern zoos are not equipped to deal with animals’ natural behaviour such as seasonal migrations, ultimately resulting in abnormal behaviour and shorter lifespans.
What are the problems with ex-situ conservation?
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Lizzie Bourn