to be added
I think of myself as being a zoo enthusiast. Especially when considering parts of the mission of contemporary self-respecting zoos — supporting in-situ conservation with donations (zoo revenues) or in-kind efforts (local projects), and raising public awareness about endangered species via education. This is, in my opinion, where zoological parks can make a worthwhile contribution to nature conservation and biological diversity from a pragmatic and a scientific perspective.
Unfortunately, an implicit part of a zoo’s attraction is the display of exotic animal species in confined areas, still. This will increase the turnstile revenues. But what really puts me off is the ex-situ keeping of species that shouldn’t or can’t be kept in such relatively small confined areas. Most prominent and unfortunate consequence of such a captive environment is that animals cannot cope with their living condition and develop abnormal behaviour, which could be a coping mechanism in itself. This abnormal and stereotypic behaviour in captive animals is in general also called zoochosis, a term coined by Bill Travers in 1992.
In an effort to provide the general public with a variety of perspectives on abnormal behaviour of zoo animals Nanna Påskesen made the short documentary Zoochosis. It addresses the occurrence of abnormal behaviour of animals in zoological facilities by providing opinions on the matter from animal rights advocates, zookeepers and scientists.
A little less nuance but nonetheless a very good illustration can be found in the Zoochotic Report from the Born Free Foundation. It provides video observations taken over 3 years, back in the 1990s, in over 100 zoos in Europe, North America and the Far East. The Zoochotic Report raised serious concern about the effects of captivity on wild animals.
Ensuring a good welfare for animals housed in zoos, is not an easy job. It might not even be something we will ever really get a perfect grip on. Animal species have evolved over many years and their physical, physiological, social and behavioural traits have been developed in order for them to survive as best as they can in their natural environment. In captivity, animals may face a number of challenges which evolution has not prepared them for and disables the animal to fulfil their behavioural needs. The absence of these, climate, diet, the size and characteristics of their enclosure or the fact that they have to rely on humans for their every need can cause an animal to feel stressed in which it starts to perform a stereotypic behaviour. Repetitive, abnormal behaviour is often regarded as an indicator of poor welfare and is studied as a coping mechanism, and measures of stress which can potentially go on to cause brain dysfunction. Nanna Påskesen believes, that the display of abnormal behaviour patterns are not recognised enough by the public eye. That is why she has decided to make this documentary to educate you about what lies behind these stereotypic behaviours which we can easily identify, but might not have given a further thought about, or brought a negative judgement upon when visiting the zoo. The study of stereotypic behaviour is complicated with many important factors that determines the health of a captive animal. ‘Zoochosis’ will bring you the whole picture of how animals experience living in a stressful and unnatural environment, and how it effects their mental and natural life.
Video observations by the late Bill Travers, taken over 3 years in over 100 zoos in Europe, North America and the Far East, the Zoochotic Report raised serious concern about the effects of captivity on wild animals. The Report helped form the philosophies for the Born Free Foundation and its animal welfare objectives.
“In every zoo I visited when compiling the Zoochotic Report, I witnessed some sort of abnormal behaviour”, Bill Travers, Co-Founder of Zoo Check (now the Born Free Foundation).
“Tiger map” (CC BY 2.5) by Sanderson et al., 2006.