Zoos assume a profound and unique responsibility by keeping animals in captivity. How zoo animals see the world – what they perceive and experience – is controlled by the humans and institutions who keep them. Yet we know very little about how zoo animals are faring. Are they thriving? Do they have the kind of meaningful control over aspects of their daily lives that their wild counterparts have? If not, do they become stressed, frustrated, harmed? There is an assumption that zoos are only helping animals, but little systematic work has been done to support that assumption. There is a significant need to better understand captive exotic animal welfare and to improve it.

For the past two decades, the Detroit Zoo has been a leader in issues of captive exotic animal welfare.  We were one of the first zoos to develop major partnerships with animal welfare organizations and sanctuaries, including Animals and Society Institute, Michigan Humane Society and the Performing Animal Welfare Society. And we are nationally known for rescuing hundreds of exotic animals kept in poor conditions, including Katie, a lion rescued from a crack house, and Barle, a polar bear rescued from a tropical circus.

The Detroit Zoological Society believes that zoos and aquariums need far more welfare research and dialogue regarding all captive species of exotic animals.  In 2009 we launched the Center for Zoo Animal Welfare (CZAW), which will advance our knowledge of zoo animal welfare and convene important discussion about captive exotic animal welfare science and policy.  The Center for Zoo Animal Welfare is dedicated to focusing attention and resources on zoo animal welfare science and policy.

The CZAW has five primary functions:

1. To assemble and make easily available current knowledge of best practices and the body of scientific research on captive exotic animal welfare;
2. To identify, facilitate and conduct applied research on zoo animal welfare;
3. To convene important discussions on animal welfare policy and practices by hosting professional forums and public lectures;
4. To conduct animal welfare training workshops; and
5. To create awareness of improvements in zoo animal welfare through annual awards recognizing significant animal welfare initiatives.

The CZAW will develop/improve ways of measuring zoo animal well-being, offering a robust and rigorous assessment of how zoo animals are faring. In order to provide a good quality of life for captive exotic animals, we must understand the main determinants of well-being for each species and, just as important, each individual. This information can inform institutional policies and professional standards throughout the zoo and aquarium community to ensure that captive animals are provided with a full range of opportunities, choices and control to ensure good welfare.

Animal Rescue Efforts

The Detroit Zoo is frequently asked to help with the rescue of exotic animals held by private owners, pseudo-sanctuaries, roadside zoos, circuses and animal dealers. Sadly, these animals are often forced to live in inadequate conditions that can’t meet their physical and psychological needs and they are in need of rescue by zoos and other animal welfare organizations. The Detroit Zoo has been involved in the rescue of literally thousands of exotic animals from inappropriate situations and circumstances.  Some rescued animals, including lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, racehorses, turtles, lizards and frogs, have found sanctuary at the Detroit Zoo; many more have been assisted in finding accredited sanctuaries.

Privately owned exotic animals kept as “pets” are often the ones that end up in compromised conditions and in need of rescue.   The Detroit Zoo worked with the Michigan Humane Society and other organizations to pass legislation barring the ownership of dangerous exotic animals in Michigan.

 

Some significant rescue efforts the Detroit Zoo has led include:

Animals seized in the largest confiscation in U.S. history

The Detroit Zoo helped provide care for more than 27,000 animals seized from an international exotic animal dealer in Texas in January 2010 – the largest seizure of animals in U.S. history – and then gave a home to more than 1,000 of the animals. Detroit Zoo animal curators and supervisors worked in Dallas for seven weeks to help triage, identify and care for the confiscated animals, many seriously ill, at a temporary rescue facility pending conclusion of legal proceedings against the animal dealer. At the conclusion of the legal process, 1,062 of the animals were brought to the Detroit Zoo. The majority of the animals were frogs, toads, salamanders, lizards and turtles, but the rescue also included two ring-tailed lemurs, four sloths and five wallabies.  Many of the animals suffered long-term effects of inadequate care and required intensive medical care by Detroit Zoo veterinarians.

Lions

Detroit Zoo lions Katie and Percival were rescued from houses in Detroit in the early ninties.  Katie was taken from a suspected crack house, where she was purportedly being used as a “guard dog”.  Percival was discovered in an abandoned house in Detroit by neighborhood children. In 2009, the Detroit Zoo provided sanctuary for three lions that were being kept in a junkyard in western Kansas.

Bears

Hamms is an American black bear who was living in a small cage in a backyard in Iowa.  His owner was unable to protect him from abuse by vandals and he suffered injuries to his nose after being stabbed with a pitchfork.

Polly is a Syrian brown bear who was part of a small menagerie of animals that were forced to travel and perform.  She eventually became too large to be safely handled, and was housed permanently in a small cage.  Polly came to the Detroit Zoo after she was discovered by PETA, who negotiated the release of a number of the owner’s animals to zoos and sanctuaries.

Racehorses

The Zoo has rescued three Thoroughbred racehorses that were bound for unknown fates when they could no longer race.  Siberian Sun, our first rescued racehorse, had an impressive pedigree and a number of wins under his belt but these didn’t ensure him a safe retirement when a leg injury ended his racing career. He enjoyed a comfortable retirement here at the Zoo and passed away in 2009.    Buster and Trio, the horses living in the Barnyard now, were also both rescued when their ability to compete in races ended. There are few good retirement options for ex-racehorses; many aren’t as lucky as Siberian Sun, Buster and Trio.

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