Letter From Jenny Moxham: Zoos keep wildlife in permanent lockdown
Letters From All-Creatures.org and The Mary T. and Frank L. Hoffman Family Foundation

Letter From Jenny Moxham as published on The Morning Bulletin
May 7, 2020

Zoos keep wildlife in permanent lockdown

Isn't it time we all opened our eyes to the cruelty of zoos? (Response to "Welcome assistance for zoos and wildlife parks," RMB May 1).

We’re all having a taste of life in partial lockdown but zoo animals spend their entire lifetime in severe lockdown.

And it’s every bit as stressful for them as it would be for humans who were permanently incarcerated.

We know zoo animals are stressed by their behavior – self mutilation, vomiting, excessive grooming, consuming excrement, rocking or swaying, excessively pacing back and forth, random biting, and twisting or nodding of the neck.

These archaic establishments began in the 1800s when seeing exotic animals was considered a novel form of entertainment. These days, with videos and wildlife documentaries readily available, we have no justification for subjecting wild animals to this aimless life of boredom and suffering.

Jenny Moxham
Monbulk 

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