Buzz
Zoos are fascinating spaces that allow us to observe a diverse array of animals, from the gentle and small to the large and fierce. While these places offer a chance to study wildlife, the reality is that some individuals have taken advantage of their position, using the guise of animal conservation to engage in practices that can sometimes be harsher than necessary. If the cages were removed, would we still behave the same? Regardless, zoos often hold far more oddities than we give them credit for.
10. Ban on Animal-Themed Clothing
While wearing animal-themed clothing is generally accepted in zoos around the world, it’s prohibited at Chessington World of Adventures in the UK. The rule was introduced after the zoo discovered that animals in their Zufari, a replica of an African safari, were drawn to visitors wearing clothes that resembled their natural patterns or colors. Conversely, they tended to avoid individuals wearing outfits that mimicked the appearance of their predators.
Banned prints include patterns resembling the fur of zebras, giraffes, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, tigers, and African wild dogs. Visitors wearing any of these prints within the zoo grounds face a choice—either accept a gray jumpsuit provided by the zoo or be asked to leave.
9. Fake Animals
The Chinese have a notorious reputation for creating knock-offs of almost anything, from electronics to clothing and even food. This trend once extended to the animal kingdom as well. A zoo in Henan Province, China, attempted to deceive visitors with fake animals. Among the exhibits were a Tibetan mastiff posing as an African lion, giant sea cucumbers and rats masquerading as snakes, and dogs dressed as leopards and timber wolves. The ruse came to light when the so-called “African lion” began barking.
To save face, the zoo’s head of the animal department claimed the real lion had been temporarily sent to a breeding facility, though he couldn’t explain the presence of the mastiff in its cage. Another zoo official backed up the story, insisting that the timber wolf was actually in its pen and that the mongrel dog was merely the wolf’s pet.
8. Short-Lived Elephants
Generally, animals in zoos live longer than their wild counterparts due to better food, medical care, shelter, and the absence of predators. However, this doesn’t apply to elephants—wild elephants tend to outlive their zoo counterparts. African and Asian elephants born in captivity typically live only 17 and 19 years, respectively, compared to an average lifespan of 56 years in the wild. That’s a significant difference.
The mystery deepens when considering that wild-caught elephants brought into zoos also tend to live longer than those born in captivity. Experts believe something unusual happens during their early years (between ages three and four), with factors like stress, obesity, and a lack of exercise being potential contributors.
7. Animal Thefts
Just like humans, animals can fall victim to “cubnapping.” The targets are often smaller animals or the young of larger species, as they are less aggressive than their adult counterparts. These abductions usually involve intruders breaking into tanks or cages, but sometimes things escalate. In the Gaza Zoo, located in the Gaza Strip, four masked men armed with Kalashnikovs stole a four-month-old lion cub and two Arabic-speaking parrots.
In another shocking incident, a Bengal tiger and two camels were stolen during transport to the Bowmanville Zoo in Ontario, Canada.
6. Animal Shows
In an effort to boost visitor numbers and maximize profits, Chinese zoos have resorted to some extreme measures, including using animals in circus-style performances. Wild creatures are coerced into performing unnatural tricks, such as riding bicycles, tricycles, and even horses. They're also made to jump through flaming hoops, balance on balls, and, in one bizarre instance, a goat was trained to walk a tightrope with a small monkey perched on its back.
Bear cubs have been forced to box one another for the entertainment of a cheering crowd. As expected, the animals often resist, so zoo staff use various “training” methods—including beatings and prodding with metal hooks—to get them to comply. Big cats like lions and tigers are even subjected to de-fanging.
5. Drug Cartel Zoos
Private zoos come in all sizes, from small backyard enclosures to vast ranches owned by individuals or organizations. Some are legal, while others are not. Many private zoo owners have faced controversies, such as the Vietnam veteran who released exotic animals from his Ohio zoo before taking his own life. However, drug lords have taken the concept of private zoos to a whole new level, using them as a display of their wealth and power.
The number of illegal zoos run by drug cartels is staggering. In fact, in July 2011 alone, 5,500 animals were seized from gangs operating in Mexico. These wild creatures are often exploited for horrific purposes, such as execution—members of the Mexican Zetas gang (a group of former military commandos) have been known to feed their enemies to tigers. In other instances, animals are used as drug couriers, with their bodies surgically opened, stuffed with cocaine-filled condoms, and then sewn back up.
4. Anti-Zoo Movements
Anti-zoo movements are groups of animal rights activists who oppose the captivity of animals in zoos. While zoos claim their mission is to aid in animal conservation, these activists argue otherwise. They contend that if zoos genuinely cared about conservation, they would protect animals in their natural habitats rather than imprisoning them in artificial, stressful, and monotonous environments that deprive them of both physical and mental stimulation. These groups believe zoos are profit-driven enterprises that manipulate visitors’ emotions, often using adorable baby animals to boost ticket sales.
3. Zoochosis
Zoochosis is a combination of the words zoo and psychosis, first introduced by the late Bill Travers of the Born Free Foundation, an anti-zoo organization. It describes abnormal, repetitive, and unnatural behaviors—akin to madness in humans—displayed by animals kept in captivity. This condition arises from various factors such as being removed from their natural habitat, the loss of social bonds, boredom, the use of drugs and medications (including birth control), confinement in cages, and general human interference. Zoochosis symptoms have never been seen in animals living in the wild.
One of the symptoms is repetitive biting and sucking on cage bars, which can lead to tooth damage and is often seen in captive bears. Another common symptom is “tongue playing,” where animals like giraffes and camels lick the walls, bars, or gates of their enclosures. Other behaviors include pacing back and forth along a defined path, vomiting, biting limbs, regurgitating food, eating excrement, and in primates, hugging their knees while rocking back and forth. The latter symptom is particularly disturbing, as it also mirrors signs of madness and distress in humans.
2. Unusual Animal Friendships
Animals don’t always form friendly bonds, especially when one of them is a carnivore. However, at the Garold Wayne Interactive Zoological Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, a baby chimpanzee, a baby wolf, and two baby tigers have surprisingly become close companions. Though they share a strong connection now, as they grow older, it’s inevitable that they will outgrow their bond and possibly turn into natural adversaries. Or will they?
Another unlikely trio of animals comes from the Noah’s Ark Animal Rescue Center in Locust Grove, Georgia: Baloo the bear, Shere Khan the tiger, and Leo the lion. These three were rescued in 2001 during a drug raid in Atlanta, Georgia, when they were just three months old. Now fully grown, Baloo weighs 450 kg (1,000 lbs), while Leo and Shere Khan each weigh around 159 kg (350 lbs). They all live together in the same enclosure, where they share meals, nap together, and play like the best of friends—engaging in affectionate hugs, wrestling matches, and frolicking, just like a group of playful kittens.
1. Tatiana
Tatiana, a female tiger, created chaos at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas day in 2007. The four-year-old Siberian tiger, who was later euthanized, injured a man named Kulbir Dhaliwal, killed 17-year-old Carlos Souza Jr., and then pursued Kulbir’s blood trail to a zoo café. There, she attempted to finish the attack on Kulbir and his brother. When the police arrived, they found the 136 kg (300 lbs) tiger sitting next to one of the brothers. Upon his call for help, she attacked again. While the attack itself wasn’t shocking, how Tatiana managed to escape from her enclosure was the real mystery.
San Francisco Zoo officials initially claimed the wall of Tatiana’s exhibit was 5.5 meters (18 ft) high, but later admitted it was actually 3.8 meters (12.5 ft) tall. Despite this, 3.8 meters is still quite tall, making it all the more impressive that Tatiana managed to jump out. Some have speculated (though it remains unproven) that the three men she attacked had been taunting her before her escape. After all, even a tiger has its limits.
