As much as I want to support ethical farming practices I will be buying the cheapest bag of frozen chicken thighs as much as the next frugal/poor person which is why animal welfare needs to be legislated, not left up to the invisible hand of the free market or some bullshit. Invisible hand of the free market finds itself around a lot of throats.
As an ex-animal welfare student I should watch the jurassic parks films and list every animal welfare violation I can find
Off the top of my head, the Indomunus Rex exhibit in Jurassic World is severely lacking in space, a human-sized entrance-exit, and a double-door system. All of those are very basic things every enclosure needs.
Not to mention the electric fence failure in Jurassic Park one. The fence had no backup power source and it was literally the only thing separating the dinosaurs from the visitors. At least use fences that can't be ripped through by a t-rex's teeth like scissors through paper. And add a freaking ditch, that's such a normal thing in zoos.
The Jurassic Park franchise has never been a warning about bringing dinosaurs back, it was a warning about following basic fucking zoo and animal welfare guidelines.
Hey uh I just found this out and I'm FURIOUS but miami zoo has a kiwi bird. Which is fine if they were doing what we do here and keeping it in a darkened enclosure with clear notices to be quiet and not bang on the glass. But instead this shy, solitary nocturnal bird is being kept in broad daylight and people are being allowed to pet it. NZ twitter is out for blood right now. https://twitter.com/zoomiami/status/1637864741954637824
…fucking yikes.
The kiwi I’ve seen in other AZA zoos have been kept according to the practices you describe: dark exhibit on a flipped light cycle, in a signed quiet area. What it looks like Zoo Miami is doing is… not good.
Here’s the link to their tweet with a video about the encounter (so it’ll embed):
The video shows a kiwi out of its exhibit: on a table in what looks like a back room with bright overhead fluorescent lighting. The kiwi has no room to move around and no place to hide as people pet it and reach around it to take selfies.
What do you pay to bother the kiwi four days a week - a species which in NZ is apparently illegal to touch without permission from the Department of Conservation? $25.
Obviously it just started and I don’t know anything more about it than what’s online, but even so, this is such a bad look for an AZA zoo, holy shit. I know a bunch of new ambassador animal rules just got promulgated… I wonder if this meets them. I’ll have to go do some reading. Also, USDA is now promulgating new bird rules (it didn’t regulate birds until just recently, only mammals) so this will also have to pass their muster soon.
The guy who runs Miami’s PR, and manages the animal media like the birth of their first kiwi chick in 2019, is known for big media stunts. I’m not surprised by this but I don’t think it’s going to go over well. There’s a lot of pressure on zoos to offer new encounters and programs to help make up for inflation and pandemic losses but this not how to do it.
I’d honestly suggest New Zealanders who are upset about this contact Zoo Miami formally (more than just on twitter) using the contact form on their website, and maybe even the AZA to express concerns about this program animal’s welfare - as well as the lack of cultural awareness at one of their accredited facilities.
Edited to add: a statement from Zoo Miami is supposed to be forthcoming tomorrow. I’ll update once we have it.
Apparently a lot of ppl are making reports to DOC about this. Idk how much they would be able to do about practices at a foreign zoo but like ... considering how mega endangered these lil guys are it wouldn't be surprising if the govt gets involved....??
If anyone knows how wildlife loaning/movement from NZ works, I’d love for you to chime in. I know the bird’s egg came to the zoo from another AZA facility. With animals bred at facilities, generally ownership goes to the owner of one or both of the animals (or alternates). I don’t know if kiwi that were taken outside NZ are part of any agreement where the DOC has control or oversight over them. I did see an article from the chick’s birth noting that he can’t be returned to NZ due to biosecurity laws, though.
Kia ora (greetings), I just wanted to note for everyone that New Zealanders’ outrage at the mistreatment of Paora the kiwi by Zoo Miami goes beyond animal welfare concerns. There’s an important cultural context behind it too. Kiwi are not only considered a national symbol of NZ, but are also considered taonga (cultural treasures) by Māori, the Indigenous people of NZ. I speak on this as a Māori trained in the enviro sciences - but I can’t speak for all Māori, and it’s difficult to translate some Māori concepts to English.
Thanks to @why-animals-do-the-thing and @fruitbird15 for sharing this situation.
Māori consider kiwi taonga because in the Māori worldview, everything is related in one big environmental ‘family’ through shared descent from the primordial parents, Ranginui and Papatūānuku. Additionally, generations upon generations of kiwi and Māori have shared a relationship of caring and providing for the other, and so they've become interwoven into our culture's traditions. This concept of interconnection through shared descent & ongoing relationships is called whakapapa. For Māori, the protection and care of kiwi and other taonga is a cultural responsibility - not one that is a burden, but an honour passed down by our ancestors.
A foreign zoo shamelessly exploiting and mistreating a kiwi with no regard for its cultural importance not only hurts the bird, but also all those connected to it, New Zealanders and Māori in particular. To take a sacred responsibility and to dishonour it in such a way is disgusting. The ideal scenario would be for Paora to return to NZ where they can be properly cared for both culturally and physically, but as noted above because they were born and live overseas there are biosecurity concerns. An additional issue is that it currently appears that the NZ Govt has failed to ensure the authority over Paora’s care remains with NZ/Māori. This means the only thing the NZ Govt (and its Department of Conservation/DoC) can do for Paora is use diplomacy to convince American organisations to improve Paora’s situation. The NZ Govt will face a lot of internal pressure from Māori in this case, because the NZ Govt has a responsibility to protect the relationship between Māori and our taonga under Te Tiriti o Waitangi - the founding treaty of New Zealand, which the NZ Govt ultimately derives its authority to govern NZ from.
It does not matter that Paora was born in America - Māori have a responsibility to them and any descendants they may have, and the NZ Govt in turn has a responsibility to Māori. This means Paora is not just a random animal being mistreated overseas that happens to be an endangered species endemic to NZ, but an important individual whose welfare and ‘ownership’ has social, cultural and political significance.
It's really hard to convey just how repugnant Paora's mistreatment is for many Māori and how infuriating it is that we ultimately can't do anything to protect our whanaunga (kin/relative).
If you can, please formally express your concerns for Paora's wellbeing to Zoo Miami and/or the AZA.
I really appreciate you taking the time to add the cultural context here. It definitely provides a lot more insight into why people are so angry, beyond what appears to be “just” inappropriate treatment of an endangered bird.
For those not following along on other reblog chains, the New Zealand DOC put out a statement a few hours ago indicating they’ll be communicating with AZA about their concerns. (Which is interesting, politically - they didn’t say they’d be contacting Zoo Miami, but indicated instead they’re going to talk to the organization with oversight authority about it. I don’t know if that’s an intentional indication of what they feel needs to happen to incite change, or just a place they’re starting with a system they’re not super familiar with).
I’ll post another update later in the day when we get a statement on the concern from Zoo Miami. I’m not… incredibly optimistic it’s going to be appropriate to the situation. But it depends on what happens in the morning.
If the zoo puts out a statement on their own in the AM, it’s entirely possible the zoo will take the stance that their facility staff feel Paora is in a good welfare situation and the program shows no negative impacts (probably a line about choice and control or voluntary engagement). This may go hand in hand with dismissing the concerns of the people of New Zealand because after all zoos are the experts on bird science. But it’s also possible conversations with the DOC/AZA will result in Miami being told to either hold a statement while they discuss, or to put out a specific statement, or to end the program entirely. The latter is unlikely because that’s not how AZA’s internal mechanism are supposed to work… but the thing is, the CEO of AZA used to run the Department of the Interior for the US Government. I’m guessing he’s likely be even more sensitive to feedback from the DOC as someone who was once more of a peer in that political space.
It’ll be an interesting next 24 hours.
I think it’s important to take into consideration not just what pain, discomfort, or health conditions a selected-for trait adds to an animal, but also what said trait removes from an animal’s experience of life.
Basically, does the trait deny an animal the ability to adequately perform the natural behaviors of its species: Does it prevent a cat from climbing, jumping, and playing normally? Does it prevent a python from being able to strike at and constrict its prey without assistance? Does it prevent a dog from being able to run and play vigorously without risking injury, overheating, or other issues? Does it affect an animal’s ability to see or hear or restrict their basic range of motion?
The freedom to perform natural behaviors is a very basic, well-established measure of welfare. We should not be intentionally producing animals that are physically or neurologically incapable of performing such behaviors.
