From Feed to Folly

To Feed or Folly?
Animal-Visitor Interaction in U.S. Zoos

Caroline Cay Adams

Thomas Cook ENG. 1102 Thursday, November 8, 2012

From Feed to Folly Your hands are outstretched and a small amount of food in your upturned palms.

Seconds later, an exotic animal is sniffing your fingers and then, eating the food out of your hand.

Animal-visitor interaction occurs on a regular basis at the larger zoos in the United States, and even some of the smaller ones. Zoo education programs are held where information about various exotic animals and topics concerning exotic wildlife such as extinction and deforestation. But what if those moments werent allowed to happen? What if there were restrictions on who could handle and be around the exotic animals at the zoo closest to your home? There are arguments on many different sides of the idea of animal-visitor interaction: it is good for the human half of the interaction, but also that the meeting between human and animal is unhealthy for the animals involved. The argument comes down to whether the happiness of the visitors or the health and well being of the animal is more important.
What is your argument though? This is not a comparison/contrast paper.

From Feed to Folly Many zoos throughout the United States offer programs that encourage animal-

visitor interaction. The Jacksonville Zoo, in Jacksonville, Florida, has an educational initiative called Zoo to You where keepers transform [the] classroom lesson or special event into a not-to-be-missed occasion! Every program includes a variety of animals and artifacts that provide [] hands on learning (Zoo to You). The programs the Jacksonville Zoo provides can last anywhere from 45 to 60 minutes and the programs offer a variety of animals for hands-on experiences. The zoo offers hands-on and up close encounters [where] most of the animals brought are used for hands-on experience [], but not all are comfortable being touched (Zoo to You). While the zoo does use animals for animal-human interactions, they do acknowledge that certain animals, such as their birds of prey and parrots, do not like being touched.

Pics are good visual

In a journal titled Animalvisitor Interactions in the Modern Zoo: Conflicts and Interventions, written by four specialists in the field of animal behavior, the abstract gets straight to the point, saying that unfortunately, proximity to and social interactions with humans induce stress for many species, particularly primates (Fernandez). Not only those who work with the animals on a regular basis, but also those with education in animal passive behavior, agree that certain animals could be come stressed from being around humans that dont have exotic animal experience and the hands-on experiences the animals would be

From Feed to Folly engaged in. The journal also gives an example of two Indian leopards at a zoo who were far

more active on days when the zoo was closed to the public as opposed to days such as those when visitors were in the park; however, they paced much more near the front of their enclosure when the zoos were crowded, such as on festival days (Fernandez). The animals Ok, they get stressed but what is your were upset and stressed when visitors werent even in their faces. take? What is your stance? Now, imagine an animal perhaps a feline or a crocodile that becomes stressed when people are near their enclosure; now think of the same animal in a situation where multiple people are attempting to pet and see it. That animal will certainly not respond well. And if the animal is large, such as tiger or crocodile, the encounter might not go well for the humans involved.

Another issue of malice that coincides with animal-visitor interaction is whether or not zoos themselves should be allowed to operate in the first place. As someone who was once an animal science major, the idea that someone would think of shutting down a zoo WHY?? seems ridiculous. Many people who consider zoos to be dangerous and unfair to keep animals in such a manner are making the decisions based off of propaganda. Photos, pamphlets, packets, essays and videos are complied and distributed to people in an attempt to persuade them against certain ideas. Along with the abolition of zoos, pamphlets urging people to become vegetarian are making their way into mainstream life. What many people dont seem to know is that the pictures come from farms overseas not even farms from

From Feed to Folly

the United States and the United States government has established rules and regulations You need to prove that can prevent such events (animal neglect and abuse) from occurring. The zoos and this. Why should I believe these are recreational animal parks of the United States are inspected regularly to make sure the overseen; you have no proof. regulations are being followed. According to a New York Times article titled At the Zoo, the Bronx Zoo takes a step back from hands-on experiences and gives visitors an opportunity to get close to the tigers in their Tiger Mountain exhibit; however, the visitors are separated from the tigers through a wall of mesh (Harden). The San Diego Zoo allows visitors to be near the tigers, ^that but though large rocks at separate them from the humans, even for close up encounters. Zoos such as the Woodland Park Zoo dont even have animal-visitor interaction and even give the animals a way to escape from the visitors if they so choose; for example, in the jaguar exhibit, tall trees are provided (Programs). On the other side of the argument, many are convinced that the benefits of animalvisitor interaction are beneficial. As common knowledge, being around animals is a relaxing and calming experience. There is even such a thing as pet therapy. And while you cant necessarily bring a 600-pound tiger into a hospital room, the same sort of theory exists close communication and work with exotic animals can bring peace and comfort to a person of any age.

From Feed to Folly Many zoos offer a petting zoo sort of affair where more domesticated animals are available for interaction. And according to an article in the New York Times, titled At the

Gentle Barn [], a woman who had battled eating disorders and even bouts of depression came into contact with a rehabilitation park where she connected with an animal and the experience was life changing. The woman also says that knowing [she] can see [the animals] has kept [her] alive (Jones).
Good.

Recently, there has been a push to eliminate animal-visitor interaction all together. Many groups and organizations see these programs as causing negative effects for the world as a whole. In the United States, more tigers are kept illegally as pets than as animals in Not at all? certified parks and zoos. While it is not known through actual research, people have started to blame the increase in black market animal trade on the time people spend at the zoos engaged in the education and interactive programs. The theory is that people are exposed to exotic wildlife and see the calm animal and think they can care for it on their own. But what if that interaction was eliminated? What would happen to those who had their lives saved by such events and meetings with the exotic animals? Tiger Island, a sub-section of a larger park called DreamWorld, in Australia, had the good fortune of having 4 Bengal tiger cubs born at their facility back in 2002. The 4 cubs grew up in and around the park, taking walks and prowling through the low grass along the sidewalks as visitors walked by. Animal Planet filmed a documentary on the epic journey that the 4 cubs took and over the documentary, it was noted that the park received many more visitors and a lot of support from places that might not have taken interest in the parks well being had the cubs not been interacting with the public (The Awesome Pawsome).

From Feed to Folly

The documentary says that the cubs became part of a part tiger, part human family; they are considered part of the family on Tiger Island and are treated as such. The keepers and tigers of Tiger Island [did] their best to entertain the audience but there [was] a serious message behind the fun (The Awesome Pawsome). The keeper wanted [visitors] to know that the loss of wild tigers is far reaching consequences (The Awesome Pawsome). And the sits with a fully grown tiger snoozing on his lap as he says that the interactions Tiger Island uses their tigers and the interaction the tigers provide and engage in with the visitors Ok, so what? You are providing a ton of information and to educate them on tigers in the wild. material but are not making an argument... But the real question is really about whether or not the safety and health of the animal trumps the rewards that the visitors would receive from interacting with the animal. But based on the information that details the help that physical interaction with the animals provides, the pros seem to outweigh the cons. While animals become stressed, if the proper precautions are taken and the most apt animals are selected, that will no longer be a serious problem. Animal-visitor interaction is necessary for the proper education for those interested in exotic animals. The education allows for people to make informed decisions and help those foundations, zoos, and parks dedicated to helping the animal kingdom.

From Feed to Folly

Works Cited
Fernandez, Eduardo J., Michael A. Tamborski, Sarah R. Pickens, and Willia Timberlake. "Animalvisitor Interactions in the Modern Zoo: Conflicts and Interventions." Elsevier (2009): n. pag. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. <http://faculty.washington.edu/eduferna/Fernandezetal2009.pdf>. Harden, Tracey. "AT THE ZOO; Improving the Environment for Creatures of Two and Four Legs." The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 Mar. 2004. Web. 2 Nov. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/31/arts/at-the-zoo-improving-theenvironment-for-creatures-of-two-and-four-legs.html?pagewanted=2>. Jones, Karen. "In the Company of Animals, Healing for Humans." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 Nov. 2011. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/giving/at-the-gentle-barn-animals-andpeople-find-healing-together.html>. "Programs." San Diego Zoo Special Experiences. The San Diego Zoo, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2012. <http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/special/programs>. "Zoo to You." Jacksonville Zoo: Zoo to You. Jacksonville Zoo, n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. <http://www.jacksonvillezoo.org/education/zoo_to_you/>. "The Awesome Pawsome." The Awesome Pawsome. Animal Planet. Sydney, Australia, n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. <"Zoo to You." Jacksonville Zoo: Zoo to You. Jacksonville Zoo, n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2012. .>.

Caroline, I'm glad you wrote about your passion and interest. You have detailed information and good research, but at times, this is too heavy on information and not enough argument. You present an idea, but don't always defend what side you stand on. Add your argument for revisions. 91.