Cruel to be kind

It is every zookeeper's nightmare. 

Early on Wednesday morning, five lions escaped their area at Sydney's Taronga Zoo. It was a scary situation. The lions could escape into the city. They could prey on other animals. And they could have attacked a group of overnight visitors sleeping just 100m away.

Luckily, an alarm was raised. The lions were captured in minutes. No one was hurt, though a lion cub was tranquilisedGiven a drug that causes calm or sleep. . Zoo executive Simon Duffy said: "All animals are now safe."

It could have easily gone differently. Big cats can be very dangerous. Last year in Chile, a tiger killed a safari park employee. In 2018, in North CarolinaA state in the USA., a lion killed a 22-year-old intern. And in 2016, a tiger in a Beijing zoo hurt one woman and killed another as they drove through their enclosure.

Yet despite the danger, people have always kept wild animals in captivity. Modern zoos began in the 18th Century.¹ Scientists wanted to observe animal behaviour without having to travel across the world. But they also served to entertain the public. Today, around one million vertebrateAn animal that has a backbone or spine. animals live in captivity in about 10,000 zoos.

Some see themselves as at the forefront of conservationThe practice of protecting plant and animal species and their habitats., modern day Noah's Arks. They provide a safe space for endangered species. Animals such as the Arabian Oryx, the Black Soft-Shelled Turtle and the Corroboree Frog, are extinct in the wild but survive in zoos.

They even return animals to the wild. In 1987, there were only 27 California Condors left. They were captured and bred before being released. The species is now thriving in nature.

As human activity and climate change damages the Earth, zoos can teach us about the natural world. By seeing animals, we learn to respect and protect them.

Others disagree. Philosopher Peter Singer says: "The most important lesson they teach... is that it is acceptable to keep animals in captivity for human amusement."²

To put a human behind bars for life is seen as a punishment for the worst crimes. Today, many ask how we can do the same to innocent creatures? Conservationist Jane Goodall claims: "Animals have personalities and minds and feelings." How would we feel about being locked up and stared at?

Yes: The list of crimes by zoos against animals would fill volumes. They open animals to abuse. They cause animal distress. They spread disease. And they are a symbol of  mankind's self-centredness.

No: No single animal is as important as the survival of an entire species. Zoos may be cruel in the short term, but by allowing endangered species to survive and even thrive they serve the greater good.

Or... Before attacking zoos, we should stop the meat industry. Every year, humans eat 50 billion chickens, 1.5 billion pigs, 550 million sheep and 300 million cows. At least zoo animals are allowed to live.