For as long as we have zoos and aquariums, there are guaranteed to be folks who are determined to oppose these institutions on philosophical grounds. When that happens, the question always becomes, how best to respond? Ignore it, try not to give any oxygen to the complainers, hope they just fade away? That can just give cede the entire philosophical floor to them to make their claims unchallenged. Fight back? There's the risk of looking too defensive, or like you have something to hide or be ashamed of.
It's a tough call. I've seen different zoos try each strategy, with the result sometimes varying. SeaWorld was slow to respond to criticism about its orca program, which only allowed that backlash to snowball.
Recently, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, CO, went with option #2. In response to repeated attempts by the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) to have the zoo's African elephants declared persons and "freed" for the zoo, CMZ had had enough. Their statement to their followers, below. It's a bit of a read, but I'm glad to see a zoo put out a detailed, well-thought out and well-reasoned response to set the record straight and stand by their animal care practices.
No comments:
Post a Comment