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Seven years in the past this previous week, a wholesome, two-year-old giraffe known as Marius was butchered in entrance of crowds of zoo guests (together with an viewers of youngsters) at Copenhagen Zoo.
Marius had been supplied a spot at a Yorkshire Zoo, however had met his finish on a chilly pavement slab, his limbs eliminated in entrance of a crowd of vacationers and the juicy bits fed to the lions.
The zoo justified this motion of culling and public dissection, claiming his genes have been already represented within the captive giraffe inhabitants in Europe, and there was restricted area out there for younger, male giraffe in zoos that have been members of the European Affiliation of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). Elements of his physique have been then fed to the zoo’s carnivores.
Remembering Marius 7 years on…
On the seventh anniversary of that appalling act, Born Free is asking for European zoos to phase-out the retaining of giraffe in captivity and as a substitute focus their conservation sources on the safety of giraffe populations within the wild.
Dr Stephanie Jayson, Wild Animal Welfare Guide for Born Free, commented: “A zoo is not any place for giraffe, the place these advanced, social, wide-ranging, shopping animals are subjected to a lifetime of social deprivation, environmental restrictions and insufficient vitamin.
Because of this, giraffe in zoos regularly undergo compromised well being and stereotypic behaviours. The ex situ administration of giraffe in European zoos considerably impacts the welfare of the person animals concerned, and has no clear position within the total conservation of the species.”
With an estimated captive inhabitants of greater than 800 giraffe in zoos throughout Europe, together with over 150 within the UK, Born Free’s name stems from a brand new report compiled by the worldwide wildlife charity which highlights the detrimental bodily and psychological affect of captivity on giraffe.
Key abstract factors present a number of methods embody:
1. Social deprivation
Wild giraffe stay in advanced societies. Females are extremely sociable, forming long-term relationships with different females, in addition to creating nursery teams for his or her offspring.
In distinction, many giraffe in captivity do not need the chance to kind advanced societies as a result of restricted capability of zoos to accommodate massive communities of giraffe in a various panorama. A number of zoos maintain just one or two giraffe, together with Knowsley Safari Park, Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, Twycross Zoo and ZSL London Zoo within the UK.
Alternatives for feminine giraffe to kind relationships with different females are restricted. A number of European zoos, together with Dudley Zoological Gardens and ZSL London Zoo within the UK, maintain simply two feminine giraffe, whereas some maintain solely a single feminine.
2. Environmental restrictions
Wild giraffe spend roughly a 3rd of their day strolling, and their common house vary measurement varies between 5 and 514 km2. I
n comparability, out of doors enclosures in European zoos common round 2600 m2 (simply over one quarter of a hectare or nearly two thirds of an acre) – merely 0.0005-0.05% of the typical house vary measurement of untamed giraffe.
Restricted area negatively impacts giraffe welfare and has been related to issues corresponding to overgrown hooves and stereotypic pacing.
Add this to the temperate European local weather, forcing giraffe to have their out of doors entry restricted when out of doors temperatures fall too low, and a widespread lack of environmental complexity.
Usually simplistic and naked, zoo enclosures for giraffe are incomparable to the African savanna and woodland habitats of wild giraffe.
3. Insufficient vitamin
Wild giraffe spend most of their day feeding on browse, predominantly the leaves and stems of timber and shrubs, in addition to smaller quantities of climbers, herbs, flowers, fruits, and bark.
In European zoos, this isn’t potential. It’s not possible to offer a big quantity and number of browse so substitute meals objects should be supplied, which may end up in compromised well being and welfare.
Many dietary ailments have been reported in giraffe in European zoos and varied features of the captive weight loss program, and its presentation, have been related to oral stereotypic behaviours.
Inappropriate meals objects corresponding to cereal grain merchandise, fruit and greens are nonetheless being fed to giraffe in lots of European zoos.
4. Compromised well being
Giraffe in European zoos undergo from quite a few captivity-associated well being issues, together with dietary illness and lameness, and their longevity is decreased, with many failing to achieve greater than 15 years of age.
One survey confirmed that 54% of giraffe teams in EAZA-member zoos reported no less than one case of overgrown hooves, laminitis, joint issues, or a mix of all three.
Inadequate train, dietary imbalances, inappropriate enclosure substrates and trauma are thought to contribute to overgrown hooves, and suboptimal weight loss program is probably going an element within the growth of laminitis.
Giraffe in zoos additionally generally undergo from trauma, together with entrapment, entanglement, slips and falls, and all too typically this may be deadly.
5. Stereotypic behaviours
These repetitive behaviours noticed in captive animals are induced by frustration, repeated makes an attempt to manage, and/or central nervous system dysfunction, and have been linked with poor animal welfare.
Giraffe are vulnerable to stereotypic behaviours in captivity, significantly oral stereotypic behaviours involving the tongue, and pacing.
It’s thought that they’ve developed behavioural disturbances in nearly each zoo and that giraffe and okapi collectively are the species with the most important variety of animals affected by stereotypic behaviours within the world zoo animal inhabitants.
How might a captivity phase-out be achieved?
Dr Jayson continued: “A strategic and humane phase-out of giraffe in European zoos would require cautious planning.
An finish to breeding could be a primary step, as not including to the captive inhabitants would imply that, over time, as animals die ‘naturally’, the captive inhabitants would begin to shrink.
To enhance the welfare of giraffe remaining in captivity, social grouping, setting, vitamin, well being and stereotypic behaviours of giraffe must be assessed at every zoo and modifications made to enhance the lives of particular person animals.
The place applicable, this may increasingly contain consolidating animal collections to offer extra applicable social grouping and to accommodate remaining giraffe throughout the largest, most advanced environments potential.
Born Free is urging zoos to direct funding in the direction of defending giraffe within the wild, as a substitute of spending cash on the continued breeding and growth of captive giraffe collections in Europe. Edinburgh Zoo has reportedly spent £2.7 million on a brand new giraffe enclosure.
Dr Nikki Tagg, Head of Conservation at Born Free, added: “Such monetary sources be higher utilized to help wild giraffe conservation, securing and restoring huge landscapes and reversing habitat degradation, fragmentation, and loss.
“This degree of funding might doubtlessly convey vital advantages to wild giraffe, connecting and defending pure habitat in north Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania, in addition to growing group consciousness and engagement, battle mitigation and anti-poaching efforts.”
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This article highlights important aspects of animal welfare that often go overlooked in the zoo industry. The statistics about health issues and social deprivation in giraffes are quite alarming, and I hope changes will be made.
While zoos have educational value, they need to address animal welfare seriously. The concerns outlined here about nutritional and environmental deficiencies are crucial, and we should consider more humane alternatives for giraffe care.
The points raised about social groups and environmental needs for giraffes are thought-provoking. It’s clear that keeping these animals in zoos can lead to significant challenges, which necessitates a reevaluation of current practices.
I found this article informative regarding the impact of captivity on giraffes. The call for a phase-out strategy seems sensible if it leads to better conditions for these animals and ultimately helps conserve their populations in the wild.
The issue of giraffe captivity is complex and raises many ethical questions. It’s concerning to see how their welfare is affected in zoos. I appreciate the call for better conservation practices that prioritize wild populations.