Random Secrets Zoos Don't Want You to Know (19 items)

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  (#4) Captive Animals Suffer From “Zoochosis”

  Captive animals often become depressed, bored, and lonely. This condition is called “zoochosis.” It is so rampant in zoos that animals are often given mood-altering drugs, such as Prozac. Many of the symptoms are things we have all seen at the zoo before; symptoms include head bobbing, constant pacing, over-grooming, bar biting, and even self-mutilation. The term stems from a 1992 documentary by Bill Travers that examined the harsh effects of captivity on animals. 
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  (#17) The Zoo Conservation Myth

  Zoos claim to help with conservation. However, hardly any zoo registers their animals on an international species database and most zoo animals are not even endangered species. Since the animals are living in captivity with frequent human contact, it would be extremely difficult for the to ever return to the wild. What's more, is many zoos acquire animals based on the conversation myth, saying they're keeping the animals to rebuild a healthy population, but mostly give the offspring of these animals to other zoos. 
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  (#12) It's More Expensive To Maintain Animals in Captivity

  It is about 50 times more expensive to maintain elephants in zoos than to protect equivalent numbers of elephants in the wild. Using the money for conservation programs instead not only allows the animals to live in their natural habitat, it also helps keep ecosystems in balance.
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  (#14) Captive Breeding Can Be A Recipe For Disaster

  Captive animals don’t choose their mates. They are sometimes artificially inseminated and their babies can be sold or traded to other zoos. Animals, like us, have strong attachments to their children and a pregnant female's emotional state can result in an unhealthy pregnancy. Thus, the breeding practices of zoos often result in miscarriages, stillbirths, or the mother’s rejection of her young.
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  (#16) Regular Feedings Instead Of Hunting Leads To Stress

  Animals like bears or large cats are used to hunting in the wild, but their natural source is replaced with regular feedings of processed food in the zoo environment. This causes stress in these animals, and studies have found that more naturalistic carcass feedings reduce stress and related behaviors. 
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  (#6) Almost Anyone Can Start A Zoo

  Unaccredited zoos are a large problem, at least in part because they are so easy to set up. Any person who privately possesses wild animals can obtain an exhibitor license under the Animal Welfare Act and establish a zoo, but only 10% of the 2,000 zoos in the U.S. are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. While some states have restrictions on what kind of wild animals you can possess, not all do. And some states are easier than others to establish privately-owned animal operations. 

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