Is there such a thing as a good zoo? And how can we tell? As part of Wild Asia's 2008 Responsible Tourism Awards, ACRES (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society,) an NGO from Singapore, recently ran a ZooCheck workshop. LORETTA ANN SOOSAYRAJ shares what she learnt.

Written by Loretta Ann Soosayraj on 7 Dec 2008 with 0 comments. Be the first!

"The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but rather, Can they suffer?"

-Jeremy Bentham, philosopher

Looking at many zoos in Southeast Asia, that question is an easy one to answer, for so many appear to be little more than showcases of animal suffering.

Whether you are an "animal person" or not, the chances are you have visited your local zoo at least once. Trips to the zoo are a part of almost everyone's childhood, whether it is a family outing or a school excursion. Yet how many of us are aware that there are good zoos and there are bad zoos, and there is something we can do about bad zoos?

The world is never going to be rid of zoos; the trick is now to focus on turning bad zoos into good zoos, to ensure the animal residents enjoy the five freedoms: freedom from 1) hunger and thirst, 2) discomfort, 3) injury, disease and pain, 4) fear and distress and 5) to express normal behaviour.

And hopefully, bad zoos will learn to emulate the practices of good zoos.

Last month, Singapore-based NGO by ACRES (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society) conducted a workshop on using ZooCheck assessments to evaluate and improve animal welfare standards at captive animal establishments in Asia, a component of Wild Asia's Responsible Tourism Initiative. ZooChecks involve visiting a zoo, evaluating it based on a checklist (for example ZEQAP: Zoo Exhibit Quick Audit Process by the World Society for the Protection of Animals), and making recommendations to the zoo to address its shortfalls.

Conducted by Louis Ng and Amy Corrigan of ACRES, the objectives of the workshop were to raise awareness of captive animal welfare issues, especially those most pertinent to the Southeast Asian region, to make tour operators, hoteliers and others in the tourism industry more aware of the animal welfare issues associated with the keeping of animals in captivity and using them for entertainment, and provide guidelines on how to promote animal-friendly tourism.

"We were delighted to have the opportunity to hold this ZooCheck workshop and raise awareness of the plight of animals in zoos throughout Asia and, most importantly, to share with others - from those working for NGOs to those in the tourism industry to writers - how they can all play a vital role in improving the lives of captive animals," said Corrigan.

More people need to be involved in conducting ZooChecks. The responsibility of ensuring the welfare of captive animals should not fall on the shoulders of a handful of NGOs, but rather, the public at large.

The point of checking on your local zoo is not to give it bad publicity or damage its business, but rather, to improve its animal welfare standards. Zoos are essentially about people, from visitor needs and comforts to profits, but it is our job - members of the public - to remind them that zoos should be about the needs of animals.

A simple Zoocheck can result in positive changes to the lives of zoo animals, such as in the case of Zoo Negara's elephants, which are now not chained all the time, following recommendations by ACRES. And changes need not be exorbitantly expensive to put in place too, often, simple enrichment can make a major difference to the animals' quality of life.

People need to be empowered into taking action for welfare of animals. Visiting a zoo and then complaining about it to your friends does nothing to improve the lives of the animals, but conducting a simple ZooCheck and making recommendations to the zoo can.

Corrigan stresses that ZooCheck work is an area of animal welfare that definitely needs a lot more focus in Asia. "We hope that this workshop is the first of many, and that others throughout Asia will be inspired to join us in our efforts to help captive animals."

To learn more about ACRES and how to conduct a ZooCheck, visit www.acres.org.sg

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