Photo of Little Girl Staring at Fish in a Big Tank Will Make You Rethink How We Relate to Animals

Who, as a child, wasn’t excited to visit a zoo or aquarium? After all, it’s perfectly natural to be fascinated by wildlife and to want to see and engage with them up close. This exact fascination is exhibited by the young girl in the photo below. This image was taken by Jo-Anne McArthur, as part of her “A Year of Captivity” social media campaign designed to raise awareness for animals in conjunction with the new book she’s releasing called “Captive.”

Many parents believe such an activity is in the interest of not only the child, but also the animals viewed. They believe that exposing their children to captive wildlife will inspire those kids to make a connection with those species, which will then leave them more wont to conserve in the future. After all, zoos and aquariums are all about Conservation, right? At least, that’s what most people seem to believe, according to a study published in Applied Animal Behavior Science.

Often, adults were taught to believe this, as children themselves, and because they have such fond memories of their own first encounters with wild animals kept behind glass and bars, they figure it must be a step in the right direction for their children, too.

Too often, they ignore the truth of the matter, which is that zoos exist for profit, not Conservation, and these encounters do not afford anyone a true view into how these animals naturally live. Although some zoos and aquariums attempt to recreate these animals’ natural habitats, only nature can provide the real thing. The behaviors displayed by animals held in captivity are proof that we humans are the only ones being fooled.

Rocking, swaying, excessively pacing back and forth, circling, twisting of the neck, self-mutilation, excessive grooming, biting, vomiting and copraphagia (consuming excrement)… these are behaviors that captive animals commonly resort to out of boredom, anxiety, and depression – behaviors that are rarely seen in the wild.

What this means is that when a child visits a zoo or aquarium or captive enclosure, they are not witnessing, nor learning about, wildlife in a natural sense. In fact, a UK government-commissioned report notes, “despite zoos promoting education programs, there was little evidence of educational impact by the industry.”

Moreover, a study published in Conservation Biology involving 2,800 children who had just visited a zoo found that visiting such establishments can have a “negative learning outcome” in kids. The majority of children “did not feel empowered to believe that they can take ‘effective ameliorative action’ on matters relating to Conservation after their zoo experience.”

So really, what’s the point when there are ample opportunities for children to get out into nature and experience wildlife as it is truly meant to exist? Animals forced to live in captivity suffer tremendously solely for our entertainment and, of course, the profits that pad the pockets of a select few.

It’s time for society to see these places for what they truly are and stop supporting the misery they cause. You can help by vowing to never buy a ticket to these establishments and by letting everyone you know that animal captivity does not in any way Support Conservation or care for the wild animals that intrigue us so. For more ideas on how you can teach kids about wild animals, click here.

Image source: Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals