Roadside zoos should not be supported for four main reasons: They are not educational, they do not contribute to conservation efforts, and both safety and animal welfare concerns abound.
They are not educational
1. Informational signs are typically poorly designed are are typically only sparsely informative. For example, many signs indicate only an animal’s name, age, birthdate, acquisition date, and species name – if that.
2. Visitors are only able to observe the animals exhibiting unnatural behaviours in impoverished conditions and unnatural environments, which may result in nothing more than a devaluation of wildlife.
They do not contribute to conservation efforts and are not sanctuaries
1. Efforts to breed threatened, endangered, or extinct animals in captivity typically fail, especially in the stressful environments of roadside zoos.
2. Successful breeding efforts usually entail the unintentional births of common animals or hybrids, that are then sold to other roadside zoos or as pets, thereby perpetuating the problem of animals in poor environments.
3. If roadside zoos that participate in breeding do not sell the progeny their breeding efforts result in exceeding their financial and managerial abilities.
4. Wildlife sanctuaries provide enclosures that closely resemble the benefits of each animal’s natural habitat, and do not breed the animals or exploit them commercially. Roadside zoos that call themselves sanctuaries continue to breed, sell, and exhibit animals in poor habitats.
Safety concerns are common
1. By failing to provide stand-off barriers, injury to both the animal and the human may result – either through immediate physical damage or through the contraction of zoonotic diseases, which may be transferred through touch or respiration.
2. Cages and enclosures are commonly chosen or created without taking into account the physical abilities (such as the ability to jump) and needs of the captive animals. Between 1985 and 2011 there were over 50 animal escapes from Ontario zoos or private collections, many of which resulted in attacks on people or animals.
3. There are no standards regarding the knowledge level of handlers. This has resulted in unsafe handler behaviour, such as entering the enclosures of big cats during feeding and walking them on leashes in public. This in turn has caused injuries to people and animals.
Animal welfare concerns are common
1. Cages are small, barren, and chosen only for the enhancement of public viewing and ease of cleaning.
2. Due to the infrequent cleaning of enclosures, animals are housed in unsanitary conditions, making them vulnerable to disease and illness.
2. Inappropriate flooring, such as concrete or wire floors, that damage the animals’ feet and joints, resulting in pain and infections.
3. Enclosures typically lack any shelter or shade, making heat exhaustion and extreme cold a commonality in Ontario’s harsh climate.
4. Hiding places providing privacy are unavailable, which commonly causes distress.
5. Poor quality feed and unclean water are typical as the animals’ health is not a priority, and quality feed is expensive.
6. Animals may be kept in inappropriate groupings, or isolated when they should not be. This can cause aggression, injury, distress, and stereotypic behaviours.
7. Barren enclosures cause the animals to suffer from inadequate physical and mental enrichment, making it common for them to develop stereotypies.
8. Behaviours that are natural and beneficial cannot be exhibited due to the small, barren enclosures in which some animals can barely move.
9. The failure to provide appropriate environments that meet the animals’ needs causes boredom, frustration, and chronic stress.
10. Veterinary care is commonly neglected due to its high cost as well as the untrained handlers’ inability to recognize when it is required.
