Zoos, Aquariums, and Zoological Parks

Grow, Shelly; Lyles, Anna Marie; Greenberg, Rebecca; Powell, David; Dorsey, Candice

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-822562-2.00036-0

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Similarly, animals living in modern zoological institutions are shielded from many pressures affecting mortality (e.g. starvation, disease, parasites, environmental impacts) [ 41 ]. Interestingly, at the population level, the demographic patterns of marine mammals in zoological institutions across time (and between wild and zoo populations) are qualitatively similar to those observed during the industrial revolution in humans [ 9 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specific changes in zoological management practices over the last decades ( figure 3 ; electronic supplementary material, table S6) likely have contributed to the demographic improvements we found. In the nineteenth century, many zoological institutions started as menageries, where conditions for animals were poor, and survival was low [ 41 ]. In the 1960s and 1970s, practical experience increased, and laws were passed to improve species conservation in the wild and animal care in zoological institutions (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Survival improvements of marine mammals in zoological institutions mirror historical advances in human longevity

Tidière,

Colchero,

Staerk

et al. 2023

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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An intense public debate has fuelled governmental bans on marine mammals held in zoological institutions. The debate rests on the assumption that survival in zoological institutions has been and remains lower than in the wild, albeit the scientific evidence in support of this notion is equivocal. Here, we used statistical methods previously applied to assess historical improvements in human lifespan and data on 8864 individuals of four marine mammal species (harbour seal, Phoca vitulina ; California sea lion, Zalophus californianus ; polar bear, Ursus maritimus ; common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus ) held in zoos from 1829 to 2020. We found that life expectancy increased up to 3.40 times, and first-year mortality declined up to 31%, during the last century in zoos. Moreover, the life expectancy of animals in zoos is currently 1.65–3.55 times longer than their wild counterparts. Like humans, these improvements have occurred concurrently with advances in management practices, crucial for population welfare. Science-based decisions will help effective legislative changes and ensure better implementation of animal care.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%