Philadelphia Zoo - From Elephants to Donkeys

The first part of this video shows the elephants, Bette and Kallie, a few weeks before the elephant exhibit was closed and they were moved to the Pittsburgh Zoo's International Conservation Center.

The second part of the video shows the new Poitou donkeys who have moved into the elephants' old home.

The donkeys are the first residents of the Zoo's future new Children's Zoo, which will be in the interior of the building which is now the Pachyderm House.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• Philadelphia Zoo
• zoos
• elephants
• elephant
• Pachyderm House
• summer
• 2009
• Poitou donkey
• donkeys

[awesomeH2O]

I have heard the idea that zoo animals get medical care and a safer life in zoos. I do understand that wild elephants are killed and persecuted immensely in the wild, but I don't think the solution is to bring elephants here and imprison the animals in zoos.

[ZooVisitorMM]

@awesomeH2O I disagree that zoo animals are being imprisoned. Nature creates invisible boundaries that restrict their actions and their capability to move, too, you know. No animal, whether it is living in the wild, or in a zoo, can just go where ever it wants to go or do whatever it wants to do.

And neither can humans, for that matter. We are all "imprisoned" in one way or another.

[awesomeH2O]

@ZooVisitorMM True...but the Zoo animals have to live in the same place, every day, going no where. Even with enrichment, it's probably going to get boring. Think about it...how would you feel if you spent about 15 hours a day in only one or two rooms the size of a closet in your house, and then spend 9 hrs on the front lawn? Wouldn't that be boring?

[ZooVisitorMM]

@awesomeH2O I'm not sure how to reply to this. Like you, I tend to believe animals think similarly to the way we do.

Most humans are confined to a workspace, then to a living space, for most of every day. Some get bored. Some don't.  Assuming that animals think similarly to the way we do, I think it all depends on what is going on in the individual's mind.

[ZooVisitorMM]

@awesomeH2O Also, life in the wild might also be boring in that it would require the animals to do the same things every day just to survive. Who knows, elephants may not like having to walk 30 miles every day just to find something to eat or drink. But they would have no freedom to choose in that situation, either.

I think for myself I would prefer zoo life. But, if I ran a zoo, I would try my best to add as much variety as possible to the animals' lives.

[Swedetres]

@awesomeH2O WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE THEM KILLED FOR THEIR IVORY?

[ZooVisitorMM]

@awesomeH2O I just noticed that I did not focus my reply just on elephants being captured in the wild.

To answer your question about wrenching animals from their families in the wild, of course I object to that, unless, as in the example I mentioned in my other reply, their families were attempting to harm them, or were unable to care for them.

In other words, I would never object to capturing animals in the wild to bring them to a better life, a safer life, or a healthier life.

[ZooVisitorMM]

@awesomeH2O

However, I would not object to bringing in animals from the wild under some circumstances. In fact, I would encourage it in some cases. For example, when a new male lion takes over a pride, he usually kills all the cubs fathered by the previous "king" of the pride. I would gather all the cubs that would have been killed and place them in zoos.

[ZooVisitorMM]

@awesomeH2O Well, first, zoos don't accept animals captured in the wild any more (at least not U.S. zoos). All animals are either captive bred or determined to have been unable to survive in the wild.

[awesomeH2O]

@ZooVisitorMM, what is your view about having elephants being captured from the wild and wrenched from their families to be placed on exhibit in zoos?