Zoos and aquariums vital to global conservation

Americans love animals. In fact, more of us go to visit zoos and aquariums each year than attend all professional sporting events combined. Yet recent incidents such as the one with Harambe, the Western lowland gorilla who was shot to death at the Cincinnati Zoo after a three-year-old boy fell into his enclosure, have prompted a small but vocal minority to question if the world still needs zoos and aquariums.

The fact is, as lawmakers will learn tonight at an event on Capitol Hill, zoos, aquariums and conservation parks are essential if we want to preserve the magnificent creatures with whom we share the Earth.

{mosads}Every animal on Earth has the most basic right of all: the right to survive. Without lifeboats for those on the brink of extinction, our children might grow up in a world completely devoid of rhinoceroses, tigers, orangutans, and many more critically endangered species.

Right now, our planet is experiencing what scientists are calling a “Sixth Extinction”—with species disappearing at a rate eight to 100 times higher than expected since 1900—and today’s zoos and aquariums are playing an increasingly important role in preserving the vital web of life on Earth. Serving as arks of hope for endangered animals and powerful ambassadors for conservation, these institutions are also cultivating new generations to care about the future of these creatures.

Humans have a deep bond with animals – and for many, myself included, that bond was created and strengthened during childhood visits to zoos and aquariums. Because our connection is so important and touches virtually every aspect of our lives – from the billions of animals on our farms and ranches, to the service animals who save our lives, to our beloved pets, and those living in human care at zoos and aquariums – members of Congress led by Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) recently formed the Humane Bond Caucus to learn from and strengthen the vital connections between people, animals and the world we share.

To strengthen those bonds and the protections afforded millions of remarkable, endangered, and disappearing animals in human care, American Humane Association, which is the country’s first national humane organization and the largest certifier of the humane treatment of animals, developed the first-ever independent, science-based, third-party humane certification program focusing solely on the well-being of the animals living in zoos and aquariums. This new Humane Conservation™ program is based on comprehensive standards created by an independent Scientific Advisory Committee consisting of the most well-respected, iconic names in animal welfare, animal ethics, and the conservation community. The standards cover everything from good health to good housing, good feeding, appropriate behaviors, environmental quality and management of emergency situations. The implementation of these standards is then verified through rigorous and independent third party audits.

This new Humane Conservation program will distinguish institutions that provide good care for their animals from those that need to improve their standards or close their doors. There certainly are bad actors out there, and the public ought to have a way to help them determine which to visit and support.

Already, four leading facilities from around the world have taken this step by voluntarily undergoing and passing the rigorous audit process: Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo and Shedd Aquarium, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre in Canada, and Mexico’s Delphinus.

Together, these humanely certified zoos, aquariums and conservation parks can be effective weapons against the Sixth Extinction, allowing millions more animals to survive for the next generation to adore, appreciate and learn more about. And I think that deserves a round of “a-paws.”

Ganzert, PhD, is president and CEO of American Humane Association.