8. Committing to Conservation: Can Zoos and Aquariums Deliver on Their Promise?

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Foreword xi
4. Introduction Zoo and Aquarium Conservation: Past, Present, Future 1
5. PART I. Protoconservation in Early European Zoos
6. 1. Animals in Circulation: The “Prehistory” of Modern Zoos 15
7. 2. The World as Zoo: Acclimatization in the Nineteenth Century 27
8. PART II. The Rise of US Zoo and Aquarium Conservation in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
9. 3. Historic and Cultural Foundations of Zoo Conservation: A Narrative Timeline 41
10. 4. Teetering on the Brink of Extinction: The Passenger Pigeon, the Bison, and American Zoo Culture in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries 51
11. 5. American Zoos: A Shifting Balance between Recreation and Conservation 65
12. 6. (Re)Introducing the Przewalski’s Horse 77
13. 7. Conservation Constellations: Aquariums in Aquatic Conservation Networks 90
14. PART III. Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Today: Visions and Programs
15. 8. Committing to Conservation: Can Zoos and Aquariums Deliver on Their Promise? 107
16. 9. Saving Animals from Extinction (SAFE): Unifying the Conservation Approach of AZA- Accredited Zoos and Aquariums 122
17. 10. Integrating Ex Situ Management Options as Part of a One Plan Approach to Species Conservation 129
18. 11. Zoos and Gorilla Conservation: Have We Moved beyond a Piecemeal Approach? 142
19. 12. Lessons from Thirty-One Years at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Reflections on Aquariums’ Expanding Role in Conservation Action 156
20. 13. The Phoenix Zoo Story: Building a Legacy of Conservation 169
21. PART IV. Caring for Nature: Welfare, Wellness, and Natural Connections
22. 14. Bears or Butterflies? How Should Zoos Make Value-Driven Decisions about Their Collections? 179
23. 15. Why Zoos Have Animals: Exploring the Complex Pathway from Experiencing Animals to Pro- environmental Behaviors 192
24. 16. People in the Zoo: A Social Context for Conservation 204
25. 17. From Sad Zoo to Happy Zoo: The Changing Animal Welfare and Conservation Priorities of the Seoul Zoo in South Korea 212
26. 18. Wildlife Wellness: A New Ethical Frontier for Zoos and Aquariums 226
27. 19. Zoos and Sustainability: Can Zoos Go beyond Ethical Individualism to Protect Resilient Systems? 238
28. PART V. The Science and Challenge of the Conservation Ark
29. 20. Opportunities and Challenges for Conserving Small Populations: An Emerging Role for Zoos in Genetic Rescue 255
30. 21. Cloning in the Zoo: When Zoos Become Parents 267
31. 22. Advancing Laboratory-Based Zoo Research to Enhance Captive Breeding of Southern White Rhinoceros 279
32. 23. Beyond the Walls: Applied Field Research for the Twenty-First-Century Public Aquarium and Zoo 286
33. 24. Frogs in Glass Boxes: Responses of Zoos to Global Amphibian Extinctions 298
34. PART VI. Alternative Models and Futures
35. 25. Sustaining Wildlife Populations in Human Care: An Existential Value Proposition for Zoos 313
36. 26. Reflections on Zoos and Aquariums and the Role of the Regional Biopark 320
37. 27. Today’s Awe-Inspiring Design, Tomorrow’s Plexiglas Dinosaur: How Public Aquariums Contradict Their Conservation Mandate in Pursuit of Immersive Underwater Displays 329
38. 28. Zoo Conservation Disembarks: Stepping off the Ark and into Global Sustainable Development 344
39. 29. Rewilding the Lifeboats 360
40. 30. The Parallax Zoo 370
41. Acknowledgments 383
42. Notes 385
43. References 389
44. Contributors 431
45. Index 435