Zoos move to reduce stress for animals in their care
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- 21 Sep 2022
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Zoos and aquariums nationwide are reexamining how they exhibit animals in their care and how visitors are allowed to interact with the animals, so as to reduce stress on the captive creatures.
These efforts stem from the concept of animal welfare, which emphasizes the need for animals to live in their natural habitats.
Discontinuing animal shows
In early August, when a dolphin jumped and splashed back into the water at the Shinagawa Aquarium in Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, families crammed into the auditorium during their summer vacation shouted with delight.
The dolphin show has been a popular feature since the aquarium’s opening in 1991, but the ward decided in May that the show would be discontinued alongside the renewal of the aquarium in fiscal 2027.
An animal protection group had sent in a petition accompanied by many signatures complaining that keeping the animals in the narrow, shallow pool for a show is abusive.
“There were many who regretted the decision to discontinue the show, but we took into consideration the concept of animal welfare,” said Tomoyuki Takanashi, head of the ward’s parks division.
In June, Sapporo passed the nation’s first municipal zoo ordinance following the death of a female sun bear in a fight with a male at the Maruyama Zoo, a popular zoo in the city.
The ordinance called for the creation of a breeding environment in which animals could live without stress or pain. As a general rule, it prohibits visitors from touching the animals in the zoo’s care. Read More...
