Most people like going to the zoo, especially with their kids. They think that zoos are entertaining and educational facilities that exist with animals’ best interests in mind.
However, animals in captivity statistics hide the harsh truth about the environment and treatment of captive animals.
It’s very bleak, but we all need to learn more to raise awareness about the actual conditions that captured animals live in.
Top 10 Animal Captivity Statistics and Facts
- Animal abuse is widespread in 75% of zoo and aquarium facilities.
- 96% of elephants in entertainment facilities are treated poorly.
- Polar bears have a million times less space in zoos.
- Only 18% of captive animals are endangered.
- Extremely threatened species are not supposed to be bred in zoos.
- The so-called “surplus” animals in zoos are often killed, even if they are healthy.
- Breeding programs in zoos in Europe include only 200 animal species.
- The annual wildlife conservation investments amount to over $350 million.
- Aquariums and zoos worldwide do have an educational role.
- More tigers are captive in America than there are free-roaming globally.
We all need to take a stand for these animals, and getting the facts straight could be your first step in the right direction.
Animal Abuse in Zoos Statistics
Animal lovers usually refrain from reading these stats because they can sometimes be too painful and shocking.
However, if you’re reading this and want to find out more about the reality, bear with us because it isn’t pink in the slightest.
1. Animal abuse is widespread in 75% of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums facilities.
(World Animal Protection)
Zoos and aquariums that are a part of WAZA often break the rules of this organization.
Some basic WAZA guidelines restrict animal cruelty, displaying animals for entertainment, stunts, and tricks.
However, over 1,200 aquariums and zoos in 78 countries connected with WAZA participate in such animal misconduct.
Visitors of these entertainment facilities are often petting the animals. The animals are often trained to do degrading and unnatural acts only to attract more visitors.
2. Petting is the most common stressful captive animal activity that 43% of WAZA partners frequently offer.
(National Geographic)
One of the recent Nat Geo animal cruelty in zoos articles revealed that captured animals in zoos and aquariums undergo many activities involving human contact and other encounters that can cause anxiety and suffering.
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Here are some of the most popular attractions:
- Around 33% of WAZA partner facilities allow visitors to walk or swim with the animals.
- About 30% of aquariums and zoos make animals perform in front of people.
- 23% of them let the visitors hand-feed the animals.
3. There is a 96% chance that an elephant in an entertainment facility is treated poorly.
(World Animal Protection)
If we don’t count marine animals, the elephant is the biggest animal in captivity.
Considering the size of elephants, one would think they are given plenty of space in captivity. Unfortunately, that’s not true at all.
Captivity is very harsh on them. They are chained most of the time, with short chains.
Young elephants are often separated from their mothers, and they suffer a lot of beating and mistreatment while being trained.
It’s especially disturbing when considering that elephants are known for being very emotional.
4. Polar bears have a million times less space in zoos than they would have in the wild.
(Freedom for Animals)
One of the most noticeable animal captivity facts is that most animals in zoos don’t have nearly enough room.
Elephants are not the only big mammals that require more space than they are given in captivity.
Besides polar bears, lions and tigers also have much less space than if they were free (about 18,000 times less).
Moreover, these animals are often perceived as aggressive. Hence, people think there are so many bear attacks, and they’re often feared more than they should be.
5. The so-called “surplus” animals in zoos are often killed, even if they are healthy.
(IDAUSA)
Even though many of us want to know how many animals die in zoos each year, these numbers are not easy to track.
According to In Defense of Animals, up to 5,000 zoo animals are killed each year — mind you, only in Europe.
What’s even more worrisome is that the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums recommends killing animals in some situations, even if they are perfectly healthy.
If this kind of euthanasia is legal, it’s not really surprising that zoos practice it. For this to stop, some core rules need to be changed.
General Animals in Captivity Statistics
We know that animals in captivity are mistreated and deprived of their natural habitat. But they’re not only kept for show. Sadly, they’re often exploited for traditional medicine or for breeding.
6. China has over 5,000 captive tigers, which they use for traditional medicine.
(World Animal Protection)
World Animal Protection revealed this shocking fact about Chinese traditional medicine.
The captive tigers, as well as lions, are being exploited for their bones and body parts.
Supposedly, certain body parts of these animals have healing properties beneficial for treating various ailments, but they come at a hefty price.
Before collecting bones and organs, these animals are treated very poorly, leading to physical and psychological suffering.
7. Breeding programs in zoos across Europe include only about 200 animal species.
(The Independent)
Animals in captivity articles are rising in popularity, which is good for raising awareness. For example, The Independent reports that a tiny number of species in European zoos get breeding programs (about 5%).
Does this mean that the other species are simply not worth the effort? Most zoo species face similar problems, including disease, very little genetic diversity, and a lot of hybridization.
8. Cetaceans in captivity stay on the surface longer 80% of the time than they would naturally.
(Animal Welfare Institute)
We didn’t forget about you marine life enthusiasts — here is one of many aquarium facts, but beware, it is not too optimistic.
Cetaceans are very social creatures, and they seek a lot of attention and nourishment from trainers. However, as they aren’t allowed to act naturally in captivity, they are often bored and annoyed.
They don’t have enough space to swim freely, and they are introduced to unnatural “roommates” in their tanks.
Plus, cetaceans are intelligent and aren’t overly amused by visitors and the stunts they have to perform all the time. They are also not keen on the surrounding noise that gets very loud in entertainment facilities.
9. Aquariums and zoos worldwide do have an educational role.
(WAZA)
One of the more positive animals in captivity statistics is that zoos help people gain some valuable education about animals, their habits and behavior, and conservation methods.
10. The annual wildlife conservation investments amount to over $350 million.
(WAZA)
This amount is divided across all global aquarium and zoo organizations and associations. It is a hefty amount of money invested in the greater good. It provides some hope for the future of endangered animals.
Endangered Animals in Zoos Statistics
Many think zoos are guardians of endangered species. But, keeping endangered animals in captivity deprives them of their freedom.
Captive animals are deprived of natural social structure and companionship. They’re forced to be too close to humans and other species, which is unnatural.
11. More tigers are captive in America than free-roaming wild tigers worldwide.
(Advocacy for Animals, World Economic Forum)
Sadly, there are only about 3,500 tigers in the wild right now.
Their numbers aren’t increasing, although they aren’t declining either.
The total number of captive tigers is about 8,000, and they are kept at breeding farms.
12. Only 18% of captive animals are considered endangered, proving that most zoos aren’t engaged in conserving rare or endangered animals.
(PETA)
One of the biggest zoo myths is that one of their primary purposes is animal conservation.
Zoo conservation statistics tell a different story.
A minority of animals kept in zoos are threatened. This is about 700 of almost 4,000 captive species.
Most zoos aren’t planning on releasing the animals at any point — and even if they did, zoo animals would almost certainly die in the wild without human care.
Even the endangered captive species, such as tigers and polar bears, wouldn’t make it in the wild due to their lack of survival skills.
13. Extremely threatened species are not supposed to be bred in zoos.
(Science Daily)
Breeding endangered animals in zoos is not the correct answer to saving endangered species, as dr. Paul Dolman says in his 2015 study.
Animals in the wild need protection. Otherwise, there’s no point in breeding them in captivity.
The study notes that captive breeding can be used as the last resort, but great efforts need to be made so that the endangered species can survive in the wild.
14. Only two female northern white rhinoceros remain captive, meaning that this endangered species in captivity is almost extinct.
(World Economic Forum, Access Science)
Unfortunately, since there are no known males of this species, captive or in the wild, they will soon be extinct.
The last known male died in the wilderness, and only his daughter and granddaughter remain. They are guarded in a Kenyan sanctuary.
Right now, there are only about 5,000 black rhinos and 20,000 white rhinos remaining in Africa, and they’re all categorized as critically endangered.
FAQ
15. How many animals are in captivity?
Today, around 1 million vertebrate animals live in captivity worldwide. There are over 10,000 zoos across the globe, and they accumulate more than 600 million visitors annually.
These statistics only account for the official zoos, while roadside attractions and private zoos are not included in them. In other words, many more animals live in captivity than necessary.
16. Are zoo animals happy?
Considering all we revealed above, it’s safe to assume that zoo animals are not happy.
On the contrary, many of them suffer from depression and anxiety. This negative psychological state of captive animals is so frequent that it has a scientific term — zoochosis. The animals that suffer from zoochosis engage in odd behavior such as pacing, rocking, excessive vomiting, biting, grooming, and self-harm.
Zoochosis and other psychological and physical problems are very common in captive animals in zoos, circuses, and other similar facilities.
17. Why are zoos bad for animals?
PETA made some excellent points about the adverse effects of zoos on animals and what causes those effects, which we will try to summarize here:
- Zoos prefer having baby animals (for attracting attention). However, when the animals mature, zoos quickly sell or trade them.
- They keep capturing wild animals for profit.
- As previously mentioned, conservation is not always the top priority.
- Above all, most zoos care about entertaining their visitors, not educating them.
- They justify bad conditions with cutbacks and losses, which they claim to be necessary because they don’t get enough visitors.
18. Why are zoos good?
Zoos aren’t all bad, despite all the grim statistics mentioned here.
Some zoos have helped and keep helping conserve many species, which are slowly reintroduced to the wilderness. This process is not always successful, but even these efforts are essential.
Zoos are also a place of research and education. Scientists have learned a lot from captured animals and have preserved some ecosystems thanks to this knowledge.
Also, most children adore zoos because it’s where they can learn about animals firsthand.
19. How many animals have died in captivity?
Finding the captive animal deaths stats is very difficult because those profiting from trading their parts try to keep it a secret.
Advocacy for Animals provided some gruesome facts, though:
- Almost all (90%) farm-raised foxes die for their fur, which is sold on the trim market. This use of animal pelts is becoming more popular than its use for making coats.
- About 100,000 carnivores in the US die to traps, poison, shooting, etc., on behalf of the federal government. These numbers account for both captive and free animals on private and public properties.
- Chinese traditional medicine also makes use of bear organs. The practitioners keep many (near 10,000) unwilling bear organ “donors” on farms across Asia.
Conclusion
Hopefully, people will start paying more attention to animals in captivity statistics, no matter how harsh they are.
Thanks to them, we can conclude that aquariums and zoos aren’t always places of education, conservation, and entertainment for everyone.
Sure, they have some benefits, but they put profits first and animal rights second for the most part.
We need to spread awareness if we want to see changes before it’s too late for abused, neglected, or endangered animals in captivity.
