Western Lowland gorillas in zoos

Extract

[...] Several laws and regulations have been laid down to protect the animals, the public as well as the zoo personnel. In the case of the lowland gorilla, these laws protect the animals from being manipulated to extinction and well as keeping the gorillas from escaping thus causing havoc to the public. Ample space and veterinary care are very important security measures that should be employed in keeping the gorillas in zoos as well as access to ample food. References Animals Health Act 1981. c London: HMSO. Bekoff, M A License to Suffer. [...]

[...] The western lowland gorillas are a subspecies of Gorilla that resides in lowland swamps, primary and secondary forests in central Africa. At the moment, the western lowland gorillas face extinction due to a number of factors. Some of the factors include poaching, deforestation, and disease outbreak especially Ebola. The Western Lowland Gorilla was classified as a critically endangered species on 2007 based on a reduction of population of over 80% over three generations (Genton 2013, pp. 2). Several legislations have been put in place to conserve wild animal all over the world, especially those designated as critically endangered. [...]

[...] The gorillas are not territorial and most basic groups contain only one adult male. They usually eat shots, fruits, roots, tree bark, wild celery and pulp. An adult western lowland gorilla eats about 18kg of food every day (Douadi 2007, pp. 2252). In our case where a breeding program needs to be instituted between a group of gorillas that contain 2 females and 2 juveniles, some security measures should be taken. The exhibit contains both indoor and outdoor space thereby space sharing can be carried out. [...]

[...] The Protection of Animals Act is legislation passed by the UK parliament and received the Royal Assent in 1911. It is basically a consolidation of various legislations, repelling other legislations such as the Wild Animals in Captivity Protection Act 1900 and the Cruelty to Animals Act 1849. This legislation however has largely been repealed by the Animal welfare Act 2006. The Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 was enacted to ensure that dangerous wild animals kept by private individuals (as was the fad in the late 1960s and early 1970s), were kept in circumstances that did not endanger the public while also safeguarding the welfare of the animals (Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976, c. [...]

[...] The European Council Zoos Directive 1999/22/EC is a law passed in the UK in relation to keeping of wild animals in zoos. The directive is meant to ensure that all zoos perform several actions that relate to both animal safety and public safety as concerning the animals kept in enclosures (Mazur 2001, pp.21). According to the directive, all zoos should: perform research for conservation benefits promote public awareness, house animals under conditions that meet their biological requirements Ensure no chance of escape so as to prevent threats to indigenous species and invasions from outside pests Record all zoo collections Security system used in Zoos Currently, a large debate on whether it is right to keep wild animals in enclosures for human enjoyment has been raging (Bekoff 2011, pp.5). [...]