Document type : article published in The Conversation
Author: Audrey Maille
Preview: I hopw that Pierre Gay, former director of the Doué-la-Fontaine Biopark, will forgive me for borrowing the title of a book he published fifteen years ago. The question he asked is a very good summary of the many debates that have resurfaced since the French Minister for Ecological Transition announced that there would be a gradual ban on travelling wildlife shows and dolphinariums.
But why should lions, monkeys and elephants be kept in captivity in zoos, when they are no longer allowed to be caged in circuses?
The zoo community is vast, numbering more than 1,200 establishments worldwide, including nearly 400 in Europe; France alone has 94, including a dozen public zoos.
The zoo-owners' response to these arguments can be summed up in a few words: "We are part of the process of protecting biodiversity! ».
As well as offering entertainment, such places would also educate their visitors, giving them the opportunity to see wildlife up close that can otherwise only be "viewed" through wildlife documentaries.
