The Worst Zoos Ever

1. Kabul Zoo, Kabul Afghanistan- It was the place to go when it first opened in 1967, but when the communist regime fell in 1992. The Mujahedin factions stormed the zoo and saw it as a butcher shop, the ducks and deer were used as food and the bigger animals were left to die. Either by negligence, stray bullets, or starvation. over 400 animals died and now the conditions are still the same.
2. Tirana Zoo, Tirana Albania-  This zoo is run by the local government, and they hire untrained workers. In 1999 there were over 60 species living at the zoo and now there are less than 13. A lot of the animals died of starvation, and isolation in their "tiled, empty rooms".
3. Al-Bisan Recreational Park, Jibalya, Gaza- During the recent fights between Israelis and Hamas the park was left in ruins and many animals died due to the gunfire. Other animals then died because of starvation and poor conditions. The ones who survived that were traumatized the noise and destruction. They were left to live with heir dead and rotting cage mates.
4. Jijamata Udyan Zoo, Mumbai, India- When people visit this zoo, its not really a zoo but "more like a taxidermy museum". The animals that die in their cramped little cages are stuffed and then put on display. "In 2010, zoo director, Sanjay Tripathi shared this silver lining the BBC, “the public will be able to see and appreciate the animals and even study their body structure.".
5. San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas- Named the worst zoo for elephants for the sixth year in a row. The reason is, elephants need to interact with other elephants to stay alive and happy. They usually mate with one elephant for life and heir bonds are intense. Since the death of Lucky's pen mate, about four years ago, she has been in solitary confinement and has never left.
6. Giza Zoo, Giza, Egypt- Animals live in crowded cages and are rarely exercised. Its known that some zookeepers get paid from people to allow them to go inside animals cages. Video footage was leaked showing an elephant chained to a post so it couldn't walk and the chain was on so long the skin around the elephants ankle was worn away. another video showed little kids shooting BB guns at a tiger in front of a zookeeper and other animals are just slaughtered

I could go on with telling you the worst zoos but I think you get the point. If you want to see the rest of them here is the link. (https://www.yahoo.com/travel/worst-zoos-in-the-world-108130346962.html)

Update on Raja the Elephant!

I have got news on what happened to poor Raja, the baby elephant that was taken hostage by some angry villagers in Sumatra. Sadly, it wasn't a very happy ending , Raja died. It didn't specify how he died but that doesn't hide the fact that this should not have happened. I get the farmers are upset but there was no need to take an innocent animal and just watch it die.

9 Beagles Set Free!

 

The Beagle Freedom project has recued 9 beagles from a laboratory in Nevada.  These poor animals were born in captivity. The only life they knew was one of needles; cold cages and florescent lights.   These beagles have spent all their life in metal cages, never seeing the light of day and worst of all  the lab identified them by branding them with numbers on their ears. The following video shows the heartwarming story of their rescue. The beagles first experience being loved and not tortured by humans as well as the feel of grass under their feet and sunlight on their faces.  .

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/17/beagles-rescued-from-lab-play-grass-see-sunshine_n_5344590.html

Raja

Raja chained to a tree in need of food.

The Ecologist Film Unit, accompanied by the NGO Elephant Family, was documenting the “environmental genocide” going on in Sumatra. Which was the rainforest deforestation. Which is killing its endangered species like the Sumatran elephant. The film crew stumbled upon a tiny village, where angry local villagers were holding a baby elephant captive for destroying their palm oil crops. The baby elephant; named Raja; was hungry and couldn't find any food. Despite the efforts of the NGO Raja was kept chained to a tree for weeks. No vet could visit and nobody could release Raja. The villagers wanted to keep Raja as leverage because they wanted compensation from the government for their destroyed crops. It's a very sad thing to see and an even more difficult situation for all involved. Holding a helpless animal captive for something they need to do to survive.  The elephants as well as the villagers are only acting as the see fit. They're homes are being destroyed! As much as the villagers are to blame for they're cruelty its the "big corporations" who are truly to blame for the deforestation.
 







Set Free At Last!

The International Animal Welfare charity Four Paws rescued 2 lions (Zac and Donna)  and 2 tigers (Lina and Harun) from a Romanian zoo! When Four Paws walked into the animals' cages they could see two tigers pacing in front of the bars on cracked concrete. The pool was  half-filled with grey-green water, and was so dirty you couldn't see the bottom. The worst part is that was where the tigers drank and bathed. Past them the lions were in a similar cage that smelled of stale urine and mixed with other animals.
“I’m happy to see them go,” says Ovidiu. “They’re in a terrible situation in a concrete cell that’s too dark because there is no access to proper light.
"The cages are too small. They have not been mistreated but in the wild a lion roams a territory of 400 metres squared.
“They are fed chicken which isn’t good because of the small bones, and they lack nutrients and vitamins because in the wild they eat their prey’s organs.
“It just isn’t a proper way to keep wild animals and they are in terrible condition. It is awful to think they’ve been trapped here for so long.”  I agree, it isn't fair for big cats like lions and tigers to be kept in such terrible conditions for so long. They deserve to roam and be free and live the way they want to live. Being cramped up in a small cage wont do them any good.  Four Paws then took the four cats to Lionsrock Sanctuary where they will live out the rest of there lives freely. These lions and tigers have never felt grass before, they have lived on concrete floors for all their lives. But the director of Lionsrock said it was rewarding watching the lions and tigers take their first steps into freedom. "The stench of the Romanian zoo wafts from the crate but, thankfully, that is all that remains of his previous life."

Happy the Elephant

Protection advocates and concerned citizens have been trying to end the elephant captivity program for decades and now some zoos are starting to sit up and pay attention. Like the Bronx Zoo in New York, in 2006 they ended their elephant program, but 10 years after the decision the zoo still holds 3 elephants captured and its not because they changed their minds its because they say and I quote that "elephants have the potential to live very long lives – some of them living well into their sixties." This is Happy's story.

In 1977, Happy was taken from the wild in Thailand along with her companion Grumpy. They were two of the seven captured that were put on display in the US. After 25 years in captivity Grumpy passed away and was replaced with Sammie to be kept with Happy. Four years passed and Sammie was euthanized due to the illness. After Sammie's death was when the zoo decided to end their elephant program. Most people would think that after the decision was made the zoo would move Happy somewhere else but that wasn't the case. They decided to "wait it out" or in other words wait until the elephants died out. And because of that rule Happy has been alone for almost ten years. In 2006 Happy participated in a study to test her intelligence. A mark was put above her left eyebrow and she was put in front of a mirror to see if she could recognize herself. In no time at all she noticed the mark and touched it with her trunk. This study proved that Happy should not b in solitary confinement all day. Also she is in danger from the fluctuating temperatures in New York and the stress of living in a too small of a enclosure for a full grown elephant.

People have made calls for the Bronx zoo to lose their accreditation but its not definite the outcome for Happy an the other elephants staying there. People have also made calls for Happy to be moved to a sanctuary but the zoo has showed no interest. No one knows what the best plan is for Happy but it would help if the zoo would show some interest. "Happy’s sad story is a poignant reminder that keeping elephants in zoos will not be phased out overnight and even if all the zoos made the right decision tomorrow, elephant-free zoos are still decades away while those already in captivity live out their lives." There needs to be some push to help elephants like Happy to be taken out of captivity and put into sanctuaries but the first step has to start with us. If we push the zoos to release these elephants their lives will be better
source: (http://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/happy-the-loneliest-elephant-bronx-zoo/)

This is so true! How is looking at animals in cages educational?

Belgium Bans Wild Animals in Circuses!

Good News! Belgium has banned the use of wild animals in circuses. They passed a bill presented by the Minister of Animal Welfare. There were concerns of the living conditions for the animals that are in circuses for a while. Last year, Belgium tried to adopt laws that would require circuses not to use wild animals but the  Global Action in the Interest of Animals (GAIA) said those standards couldn't be met. “It is clear that the welfare of wild animals cannot be guaranteed in circuses; they have no place there. A ban is the only logical step. We are very pleased; it’s yet another victory in the fight for animals.” said by Ann De Greef, Director of GAIA. The treatment of animals have become more prominent and the fact that the animals have to " be exposed and range from severe confinement, grueling transport, an inability to engage in natural behaviors, the stress of being forced to perform for large crowds and the physical and psychological issues that their living conditions cause." is just not fair. there have been multiple attempts to stop the use of wild animals in circuses but most of the time the shows continued even though they violated the Animal Welfare Act. in the U.S animal advocates are trying to get the  Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act passed but legislature didn't pass it. they are hoping to give it another try this year. “Keeping elephants in chains, confining wild animals like lions and tigers in small cages, and forcing them to perform unnatural tricks for the sole purpose of human amusement is increasingly difficult to justify the more we learn about these intelligent, social creatures,” said Moran at the bill’s original announcement. It is a great step in the right direction but people need to act on these situations now to officially end the abuse these animals are going through in the circus.

 http://www.care2.com/causes/victory-belgium-bans-wild-animals-in-circuses.html#ixzz3nQ6m2dfx

Death by Zoo

The Surabaya Zoo in Indonesia offers the most variety of animals than any zoo in Southeast Asia. They are responsible for 4,000 different species and many of them are endangered. Loved by all locals and tourists who visit there, but what they don't know is approximately 15 animals die there every month. These animals are dying from diseases, hunger, lack of exercise and overcrowding which can be easily preventable. This is just unacceptable! Animals should not be living in these conditions! I'm not surprised that so many animals have died in that zoo. They need to get their act together; if not; they are not going to have any animals left. On March 1, 2012 the zoo's last giraffe died because it had a 40 pound wad of plastic in its stomach. For years, the giraffe had been eating whatever it could find and that was mostly trash that was thrown into its enclosure. This needs to stop for the animals sake.


 

Juni Kriswanto / AFP / Getty Images

First Blog Post

Hi everyone, and welcome to my very first blog post! I'm looking forward to talking about and engaging on the topic of animals in captivity. This blog will be focusing in on how animals are coping with living in captivity, how they are being treated, and the affects captivity is having on the animals. Also some of the places that will associate with this topic is Sea World, aquariums, zoos, etc. I am interested in this topic because I love animals, I have pets at home and they are just amazing to have around and I feel people should be able to have an inside look on how animals are doing in captivity. You should be interested in this topic because I know there are many of you who love going to the aquarium and the zoo, so you should know if the animals like or dislike living in captivity.


-Mia