tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989808526345910576.post662103468812966001..comments2024-03-26T09:59:23.704-07:00Comments on The Zoo Review: Sanctuary "Solutions"Zoo Reviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09127008744739959472noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989808526345910576.post-33827277464687002392013-12-15T08:28:59.708-08:002013-12-15T08:28:59.708-08:00Well said and I would elaborate a bit. I have bee...Well said and I would elaborate a bit. I have been an elephant keeper for over 30 years working in zoos. When AR groups sing the praises of Sanctuaries for Elephants they always point out that they have hundreds of acres for the elephants to roam where Zoos have much smaller exhibits. This is true but all that acreage does not mean that the elephants are going to use it. They are like most animals even though they are very intelligent are going to hang out by the barn or close by. That is where there keepers are and where the food is. They dont necessarily use the space they have. It is a proven fact that elephants, when they have all the food and water they need, will not walk miles and miles a day just for exercise. Elephants are smart...why walk if I don't have to...they are going to move around but not like elephants in the wild that need to look for food and water.<br /><br />Elephants as they age, need lots of care just like we do. That can be very expensive. It could require lots of medications, vet treatments, foot care, special diets etc etc.. And can you imagine the cost if an elephant has to be immobilized for any reason..These things are all challenges that zoos face daily too, just they usually have the resources or the contacts to handle the situations .<br /><br />All in all Sanctuaries are no different than Zoos, they are just marketed as nirvana! rringerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04806561312009940825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7989808526345910576.post-59729057164238490412013-12-15T06:06:33.970-08:002013-12-15T06:06:33.970-08:00As the director of a "true" sanctuary, I...As the director of a "true" sanctuary, I agree. We do the best we can to give animals that have not, and likely will not be accepted by a high quality zoo with a noble mission (not to be confused with a roadside "zoo" that poses as a sanctuary). <br /><br />We always face the issue of "enabling", giving failed private owners an "out" for their animals. Some sanctuaries require an owner to give up "all or nothing" to stop the cycle one by one. <br /><br />If zoos - given their many resources - were to begin taking in the numbers of animals in sanctuaries (over 1,000 tigers to begin with), that would surely encourage private owners even more! Look at the numbers of unwanted domestic animals dropped at shelters these days. If the well-funded zoos were available options, who wouldn't seek shelter for their animals there?<br /><br />What I believe the "good" zoos need to do is to focus on reviewing and defining their own missions, and motives. There are plenty of issues in even the finest accredited zoos related to using animals in less than noble ways. This rubs the educated public the "wrong way" and may be some of the reason they don't recognize that the best zoos can provide more to animals than most sanctuaries. If the well-funded zoos were available options, who wouldn't seek shelter for their animals there vs. a sanctuary?. <br /><br />At the end of the day, all the "good guys" really need to keep working to refine the definitions, characteristics, and qualities that help clarify our shared missions, and where our missions differ. Not just to define a "true sanctuary", but also a "zoo" that is focused on science, habitat conservation, and species survival.... NOT entertainment and profit. Lori Gagen - Development Directorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10952910473781431959noreply@blogger.com