Hi everyone!
This week will be the last before the recess period. Here is another quote to get you to push through!
“Sometimes you gotta take a break from all the noise to appreciate the beauty of silence.” – Robert Tew
This case study will bring you deep into the dark of a wildlife park in Singapore. And that is the Night Safari!
The entrance of Night Safari (Source: ©Lee Wee Meng)
I always find some creatures majestic when they are real, such as the leopard or the Malayan Tiger. Otherwise, most of the time you would only get to see them on wildlife documentary channels (e.g. Nat Geo Wild). But did you notice any peculiar behaviour from some animals when they walk around the enclosure regularly? Most people would think that they are either “having fun” or walking as a form of exercise. One observation I took from my experience was when I saw a leopard walking around the same path from the viewing panel. It seemed to be avoiding human contact as it keeps walking around the back of the enclosure. This similar observation applied to the Malayan Tiger as well. On the tram ride, I noticed “Chawang” the Asian elephant has displayed stress behaviour by swaying its head. However, I could not get any videos as my phone camera could not detect the creatures in the dark.
Just like if we were being cooped up at homes all the time, we would feel depressed because the room is the only place we can wander around. Pȧskesen (2015)[1] explained that such repeated movements by the animals are a sign of poor welfare. While the wildlife parks have the purpose of conserving species to prevent extinction, they neglect the psychological welfare of the animals which are limited to the given space in their enclosure. In her video documentary, Zoochosis[2], it elaborated further that such behaviours are motivated by us because we have already taken care of their needs. Hence, their wild behavioural actions are altered, and these movements I observed have been the signs of coping mechanisms in dealing with the environment they are enclosed.
Are we keeping them to help them stay alive? Or are we bringing their psychological welfare in danger?
In the next mind,
Wee Meng
Hi Wee Meng,
the behaviours of the enclosed animals that you observed are so sad… These animals are essentially kept against their will in such limited space and are doomed to stay till they die. The worst part is, some other animal will probably be brought in afterwards to replace it. Creating a cycle of suffering.
Since animals cannot use language to communicate with us, the only way they can show their anguish is via actions. I think those actions represent their calls for help. I do not think it humane to keep them around for our viewing pleasure, yet zoos seemed to be a lucrative venture in many countries, so I doubt the practice will die down any time soon.
-Jian Xi
Hi Jian Xi,
Thanks for dropping by my blog!
While many others wouldn’t know that this is a coping mechanism to stress as they are adapting to their enclosed surroundings, they are pretty much succumbing to this lifestyle and it is a pity to know that if many of us were to know these cues that they are “calling for help”, we would have voiced our concerns over to the stakeholders who own these zoological parks so that they don’t feel their voices are not being heard. This practice, however, shall remain for many years to come still. Ultimately, if we still want these animals alive, there are conservation projects elsewhere in the world where we keep them at rehabilitation centres (if they are injured or unable to fend for themselves) and be free again once they are ready to return to the wild. That is where their homes are supposed to be, and not in zoos!
Cheers,
Wee Meng
Hi Wee Meng & Jian Xi,
It occurs to me to point out that the issue of zoos and their utility is one that transcends the animal cruelty issue and might deserve further scrutiny than to dismiss zoos out of hand based on the perception that it’s cruel to keep animals this way. Perhaps you’d be interested in Jeng Wei’s blog (https://blog.nus.edu.sg/sowjengwei/) which explores the relationship between zoos and conservation from multiple perspectives.
JC
Hi Dr Coleman,
It does deserve further scrutiny whether we should be pointing fingers directly to the zoos that they’re abusing the animals’ psychological welfare. While it is true that we keep animals in zoos as safe environments, as well as for conservation purposes, we cannot over-neglect their mental well-being as they once lived in their own habitats that were larger than the entire enclosure they have to live in with. It hurts for me to see that they have to be confined in living the same space for the rest of their lives.
Cheers,
Wee Meng