Millionaire Zoo Heir Calls For People to Stop Visiting Zoos

Damian Aspinall is a millionaire zoo heir who runs Howletts Wild Animal Park which was started by his father. Despite inheriting a business that profits from the captivity of animals, he has been doing conservation work and aims to change his zoo into a rescue center. Although it could hurt him financially, he has decided to speak out against zoos. Aspinall says that all zoos should be phased out and parents should not be taking their children to zoos!

Animal activists have long been speaking out against zoos because they exploit animals for profit, keeping them captive in unnatural environments that could never replicate their natural habitats. However, zookeepers and those in Support claim that they do great work for conservation. It could help tremendously that a zoo owner himself is speaking out about the reality of these places.

Aspinall told The Times UK that zoos “exaggerate their Conservation benefits and conceal the scale of disease and hybridisation, which makes their collections worthless for preserving species. Some operate a ‘breed and cull’ policy to ensure a steady supply of baby animals to delight young visitors.” Of all the animals in European zoos, Aspinall says that there are actually very few that should be in breeding programs for Conservation.

As someone who takes animal Conservation seriously having returned rhinos and Western lowland gorillas to Africa, and clouded leopards to Cambodia, we hope he can be a reputable source to convince people why zoos are terrible for animals.

Another thing he said that’s extremely important is: “Parents should not be taking their kids to zoos. I know that would hurt me as much as anyone else but that’s my honest answer. There’s no excuse for any zoo today. Because parents take their kids to zoos when they are young by the time those young grow up they are culturised that zoos are fine.”

The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) run unnecessary breeding for elephants and preservation schemes, according to Aspinall. Aspinall said its unnecessary because there are 400,000 in the wild.

Aspinall believes the money spent at European zoos should be used to stop poaching in Africa.

Captivity is not necessary in order to teach children about animals. It gives them this false notion that captivity is fine and does not instill in them the respect and fear for wild animals that they should understand.

We agree with Aspinall and hope that he puts his money where his mouth is, changing his business from a zoo to a place that genuinely helps animals and does not profit from the unnecessary captivity and exploitation of the very animals he wishes to save. Even more importantly, we hope less and less people visit zoos in 2020. Sign this petition calling for an end to zoos around the world!

To learn more about zoos in One Green Planet, check out these articles:

• What Keeping Polar Bears in Zoos and Aquariums Does to These Animals Will Shock You
• Zookeeper Attacked by Tiger is Further Proof that Wild Animals Don’t Belong in Captivity
• Zoochosis and the Many Ways We Have Failed Zoo Animals
• Zoochosis: What Really Happens to Animals in Captivity (VIDEO)
• The Truth About the Lives of Animals in Captivity Versus the Wild
•  How Zoos are Distorting Our View of the Natural World
• These Were the 10 Worst U.S. Zoos for Elephants in 2017 – Let’s Change This In 2018! (VIDEO)
• 7 Lessons We Really Should Be Learning From Zoos
• Think Zoos Are Fun Places? You Need to Watch This Video
• Stunning Photos Showcase the Suffering of Animals in Zoos, Aquariums, and More

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