Costa Rica Will Do Away With Caged Animals At Its Zoos - Polidicks

[IMG]http://media.npr.org/chrome/news/nprlogo_138x46.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://media.npr.org/branding/blogs/thetwo-way/branding_main-ae5a857b62f0dd73b0ea36869b2018ae0b3d5bba.png[/IMG] [QUOTE][IMG]http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/08/05/174736271_custom-89a849be0c82b659d11fe5483a9ea0e67b60a02c-s40.jpg[/IMG] [I]A spider monkey sits inside its cage last month at the Simon Bolivar Zoo, which recently celebrated its 97th anniversary, in San Jose, Costa Rica.[/I][/QUOTE] [QUOTE]Here's a bit of news that has been making the rounds in Costa Rica for more than a week but is just now picking up steam stateside: Saying it's time for a more natural experience, Costa Rica's minister for energy and environment said they would get rid of caged animals at the country's public zoos by next year. The Associated Press, which resurfaced the story today, reports: [I]"Environment Minister Rene Castro announced in recent days that the 97-year-old Simon Bolivar zoo in central San Jose will become a botanical park next year. Another zoo west of the city, the Santa Ana Conservation Center, also would close. Together they hold 400 animals of 60 species, including a lion, crocodiles, monkeys and a tapir. "The Environment Ministry said the animals would be released into the wild or sent to rescue centers."[/I] [B]...[/B][/QUOTE] [B]Read the rest of the article.[/B] [url]http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/08/05/209180467/costa-rica-will-do-away-with-caged-animals-at-its-zoos[/url]

For a second there I thought they were just gonna let dangerous shit like lions & bears roam free and kill people.

[QUOTE=Computrix;41724084]For a second there I thought they were just gonna let dangerous shit like lions & bears roam free and kill people.[/QUOTE] They will probably do something like the Detroit Zoo and create the illusion of freedom.

In related news, deaths by exotic animals have increased in recent weeks.

So they're getting rid of all the animals? Don't they realize the animals are the only reason that people even come? [editline]5th August 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Computrix;41724084]For a second there I thought they were just gonna let dangerous shit like lions & bears roam free and kill people.[/QUOTE] Sounds like an average game of Zoo Tycoon.

Using animals as entertainment is asinine, good

[QUOTE=Zeke129;41724566]Using animals as entertainment is asinine, good[/QUOTE] 90% of youtube is asinine, no shit

[QUOTE=Fangz;41724152]They will probably do something like the Detroit Zoo and create the illusion of freedom.[/QUOTE] Correct me if I'm wrong but is that how zoos work? I mean absolute freedom is all well and dandy but as soon as you give a tiger absolute freedom and let it walk around wherever it wants and eat whatever it fancies you end up with it walking through Walmart and eating children.

[QUOTE=RobbL;41724617]90% of youtube is asinine, no shit[/QUOTE] With domesticated animals like housecats and dogs it's slightly different, but I still find pet ownership as a whole to be somewhat selfish and it's one of the things I agree with PETA on

[QUOTE=Computrix;41724084]For a second there I thought they were just gonna let dangerous shit like lions & bears roam free and kill people.[/QUOTE] It's now a petting zoo for people who aren't pussies.

I'm all for zoos and stuff keeping whatever they want as long as the animals live in comfort and not in some tiny ass cage [editline]6th August 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Zeke129;41726357]With domesticated animals like housecats and dogs it's slightly different, but I still find pet ownership as a whole to be somewhat selfish and it's one of the things I agree with PETA on[/QUOTE] really

The best zoos are the ones where nothing separates the people from the lions.

[QUOTE=*Freezorg*;41727253]I'm all for zoos and stuff keeping whatever they want as long as the animals live in comfort and not in some tiny ass cage [editline]6th August 2013[/editline] really[/QUOTE] It's been shown that animals in captivity express symptoms of depression so there's no way that keeping a wild animal in an enclosure, even if it's made to resemble the real world, isn't cruel

[QUOTE=The golden;41726997]I think keeping domestic animals is alright if you go out of your way to make sure its looked after and has an appropriate living space. Keeping dogs and cats in a tiny-ass apartment or keeping pets in tiny cages is just...no The best option for domestic dots and cats is to get a pet-door or something and let them roam free if you can.[/QUOTE] This is why I'd only get a cat if I lived in a house off a main road or a ground floor flat so it could get in and out easy. My Parent's cats have it made, they live next to a massive graveyard so they can get out and about and aren't likely to be hit by a car. Only downside is they keep killing shit, bringing it home and getting the body jammed in the catflap.

[QUOTE=Zeke129;41727313]It's been shown that animals in captivity express symptoms of depression so there's no way that keeping a wild animal in an enclosure, even if it's made to resemble the real world, isn't cruel[/QUOTE] I'm sure proper zoos can identify if the animals are suffering from depression, identify the cause and fix it. Even if it means releasing them into the wild.

[QUOTE=*Freezorg*;41727426]I'm sure proper zoos can identify if the animals are suffering from depression, identify the cause and fix it. Even if it means releasing them into the wild.[/QUOTE] all animals in captivity express depression and elevated cortisol levels, and its multiplied when they are visited by people this is an established zoological fact, no animal welfare group peta or otherwise is supportive of zoos

[QUOTE=thisispain;41727525]all animals in captivity express depression and elevated cortisol levels, and its multiplied when they are visited by people this is an established zoological fact, no animal welfare group peta or otherwise is supportive of zoos[/QUOTE] Does the same apply for animals who were born in a zoo?

[QUOTE=*Freezorg*;41727554]Does the same apply for animals who were born in a zoo?[/QUOTE] its even worse for animals born in captivity, they often have their lifespans halved compared to animals born in the wild and they lack stress coping mechanisms that they otherwise would have learnt

[QUOTE=Fangz;41724152]They will probably do something like the Detroit Zoo and create the illusion of freedom.[/QUOTE] Detroit let their monkeys out of the pens and now Detroit has gone bankrupt.

[QUOTE=thisispain;41727573]its even worse for animals born in captivity, they often have their lifespans halved compared to animals born in the wild and they lack stress coping mechanisms that they otherwise would have learnt[/QUOTE] Not exactly true. For example the average tiger or lion in the wild is lucky to live 13 years where tigers in zoos often live roughly 20 years. Polar bears in captivity have been capable of living 40 years or more. Though this is primarily due to the fact that the wild has more risk factors and the animals don't have access to medical treatment for illnesses or things of that nature. I would prefer that animals be able to live free in the wild too but zoos can be incredibly useful conservation tools as well when implemented correctly. There have been cases where a species has been extinct in the wild but has been reintroduced due to breeding programs, one of the best examples I can think of being the Przewalski's Horse.

[QUOTE=Zeke129;41726357]With domesticated animals like housecats and dogs it's slightly different, but I still find pet ownership as a whole to be somewhat selfish and it's one of the things I agree with PETA on[/QUOTE] So what you are saying is, instead of taking a dog and give it a specific turf, a warm place to sleep, food on a daily basis and constant attention, we should just let all dogs roam free and devour each other to death, attacking bystanders and being a general nuisance ? Sorry I don't think I'm getting your reasoning

[QUOTE=Zeke129;41726357]With domesticated animals like housecats and dogs it's slightly different, but I still find pet ownership as a whole to be somewhat selfish and it's one of the things I agree with PETA on[/QUOTE] Those animals would be killed as they would be, in general, pests, and in the case of larger dogs, violent and extremely dangerous.

[QUOTE=Fangz;41724152]They will probably do something like the Detroit Zoo and create the illusion of freedom.[/QUOTE] if they wanted to do something like the detroit zoo, they should only have about 6 animals in the whole zoo