Jonathan Wilcken and Karen Fifield: Zoos in it for good of the animals

Iwani the siamang gibbon had to be put down after 11 years of care from his keepers. Photo / AP

Criticism over inability to replicate the wild is misplaced — it’s a cruel world out there, but we can help.

Recently, Auckland Zoo had to make a difficult animal welfare decision. Iwani was a siamang that had been rejected violently by his mother at a very early age. He would have died miserably were he in the wild, and survived only because of the care of his keepers. But sadly he suffered severe developmental damage. He did not know how to be a siamang and did not know how else to be. As he grew older, despite the love and exhaustive efforts of his keepers, his distress increased. All experts consulted agreed he had no prospect of a decent life, at Auckland Zoo or elsewhere. Auckland Zoo staff could not allow his life this way and so made the difficult decision to euthanise Iwani.

This was a decision made with great care, after extensive consultation, and always with Iwani's well-being as the paramount consideration. It reflected the overriding concern of all good zoos for the well-being of the animals in our care.

As members of the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia, organisations like Auckland and Wellington Zoos are at the leading edge of the developing science of animal care. Our zoo association is among the first in the world to adopt the most up-to-date animal welfare thinking, developed by Professor David Mellor and colleagues from Massey University. We focus holistically on providing for our animals' physical needs and ensuring each animal's emotional fulfilment.

Many look to the wild as providing the ideal in well-being for wildlife. Some criticise zoos for not being able to replicate, precisely, these circumstances. If we were to do so, it would mean also replicating all the suffering, hunger, cruelty, fear, injury and disease that awaits most animals there. The truth is that the wild is often a fearsome place for animals. When good zoos care for animals, we aim to avoid all such suffering and provide an interesting and fulfilling life for our animals by giving them rich environments, challenging circumstances, and social settings appropriate to their biology.

Nevertheless, the main work of modern zoos is conserving wildlife in the wild. This work has never been more vital. There are half as many wild animals now as there were only 30 years ago. At least a third of all remaining animal species are on a path to extinction, including many of our native species.

Working in support of Department of Conservation programmes and those of other partners, kiwi, kaka, grand and Otago skinks, wetapunga and many other species are bred and raised in our zoos every year for their restoration to the wild.

For many species, this is critical. A recent review demonstrated that conservation breeding and support in zoos has played a part in a quarter of all successful species conservation programmes worldwide.

Zoos also provide significant funds to help conserve wildlife. Indeed, zoos represent the third largest source of conservation funding in the world, contributing more than US$350 million ($483 million) to field conservation each year. We provide grants, fund research and send our staff to work out in the field, helping recover wildlife.

Perhaps even more importantly, modern zoos are uniquely placed to reconnect our communities with nature and to galvanise them to act.

Today, 87 per cent of New Zealanders live in cities. Increasingly, people don't feel connected to nature and don't understand the effect our everyday lives have on the environment. Unknowingly, we are putting great pressure on the wild and helping many species to extinction.

If we are to change attitudes, we need people to re-establish an emotional connection to wildlife, to care and be concerned enough to act. This social science of conservation psychology is a growing area of expertise, and study after study has demonstrated the power of such experiential learning in zoos. Without well cared for animals, such advocacy would not be possible.

So, when some accuse zoos of exploiting our animals for profit, bear in mind that zoos like Auckland and Wellington are, in fact, not-for-profit organisations; that our organisations are dedicated to the well-being and conservation of the world's wildlife; that last year we released more than 1000 animals to the wild; that our zoos alone spent over $1.3 million last year supporting field conservation; that we can influence the one million people a year who visit our two zoos; and that 80 per cent of these report an increased appreciation of wildlife after their visit.

And that no one cares for our animals more than we do.

Jonathan Wilcken is director of Auckland Zoo and a board member of the Zoo Aquarium Association Australasia. Karen Fifield is chief executive of Wellington Zoo Trust and president of the Zoo Aquarium Association Australasia.