Ethics on the Ark: Zoos, Animal Welfare, and Wildlife Conservation

by Bryan G. Norton, Terry L. Maple, Michael Hutchins

Ethics on the Ark presents a passionate, multivocal discussion - among zoo professionals, activists, conservation biologists, and philosophers - about the future of zoos and aquariums, the treatment of animals in captivity, and the question of whether the individual, the species, or the ecosystem is the most important focus in conservation efforts. Contributors represent all sides of the issues. Some advocate proposals to increase zoos' work in captive breeding programs. Others call for zoos to turn away from exotic, charismatic species and focus instead on community education programs aimed at protecting local fauna and habitats. Still others contend that zoos ought to be abolished.
Moving from the fundamental to the practical, from biodiversity to population regulation, from animal research to captive breeding, Ethics on the Ark represents an important gathering of the many fervent and contentious viewpoints shaping the wildlife conservation debate.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Biology, Conservation

332 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bravo to the editors for compiling essays covering the extremes of both the pro- and anti-zoo perspectives (and managing a few middle-ground compromises). This book is the result of a series of discussion groups held in Atlanta. A heavy emphasis is placed on the ethics of captive breeding -- how it should be managed, whether it actually accomplishes anything related to conservation, whether it should be done at all. There is an attempt made to reconcile the conservationists and the animal rights perspectives, with the general conclusion that at best they can agree to disagree. They don't sugarcoat the issues -- this should be required reading for anyone in exotic animal care, especially within the zoo world. It's refreshing to see some less delusional takes on zoo conservation efforts. My only real objection is the standard "All hail the AZA!" attitude permeating the essays (all facilities fall into two categories: AZA accredited, or dumpy roadside attractions that must be shut down to save the reputation of zoos). The hypocrisy and hubris aside, this is an excellent presentation of ethical issues within zoos and in the field of conservation as a whole.

[Heather Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection of essays exploring the ethical issues surrounding captive management programs in zoos - animal welfare, taking animals from the wild, management euthanasia, liaising with public. The book is twenty years old now and that's probably the primary weakness as some of the material felt outdated. The focus in the 90s on zoo breeding programs for reintroduction has now been largely replaced by a focus on connection and education for the public, and support for in situ conservation work. I would love to see an updated version dealing with current zoo issues.

[Lance Grabmiller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found a lot of the essays that stuck strictly with ethics to be a bit shallow and unaware of what zoos actually do and how they function. Once those early essays were out of the way, it livened up a lot with some interesting information on where zoologists within the AZA wanted to head. But we're more than 20 years out from the publication of this book and even the good stuff seems a little outdated.

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting collection of essays for people both for and against modern Zoological Parks and Aquariums. It's a little bit dated coming as many of them do from the 1990's but of no less quality for that. In some ways it's interesting to see how zoos and aquariums have evolved over the last twenty years and which of these theorists were correct in guessing what the industry should and would become.

The pessimists were somewhat hard for me to read as I can't say that I agreed with their bleak interpretations of human nature and the environment at all. This is a book for someone who works in or around zoos and aquariums. I can't imagine many people in the outside general population enjoying this very much, but I could be wrong.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough.