Sawubona adventurers! In this new entry I want to talk to you about my point of view towards sanctuaries, rescue centres and other zoological entities. It will be an entry that gives my point of view towards these places, and what I think we can do to recognize whether or not these places have good intentions towards conservation and animal welfare.
And you might ask... What does this issue have to do with the African savannah, well it is quite related since sites of this type can be found practically all over the world and many claim the release of some species to attract tourists to their facilities, but now I will explain to you whether this is true or not.
First I want to emphasize that the term "sanctuary" can be self-adjudicating, there is no entity that reviews facilities or intentions and then gives you that title, the same goes for the term "Rescue Center". I have visited several sites that proclaim themselves in this way and after some research I discovered that it was just a marketing game to attract an audience, since by calling it that we take it for granted that it will be an animal paradise.
How can we find out if the sanctuary or rescue centre is legitimate, unfortunately most of the time we have to visit it at least once, since from the outside we will only see what they want us to see. So what questions should we ask ourselves to discover it?...
My first question when I visit these sites is: Do they breed animals? It is an easy question and it is not very complicated for us to discover, that there are cubs only means one thing, and that is that the entity that we visit knows that the cubs attract tourists, we all want to see lion and tigers cubs...antelope and elephants calves etc. and one wonders... What is wrong with this? In my opinion there is no conservation in breeding animals just to attract tourists, without an end like reintroducing (releasing) the species or to maintain a bloodline that is known to be clean, but it is up to each of us to put our moral limits where we think it is appropriate. In this section I would like to add that if in addition to having cub, they can be in contact with the tourist, it is when the entity leaves much to be desired. They can claim that the mother abandoned the cub or calf, but even if that were the case, there is no need to exploit the little animal so that it spends hours under the stress of being surrounded by strangers.
You also have to ask yourself... What is going to happen to these cubs or calves when they grow up, there are many species that cannot tolerate being with their descendants once they become adults, or the space of the site is reduced and there is not enough room for many specimens, so what are they going to do with them?, we have to be aware of the difficulties of animals to live in the wild (Click here to read more about this topic) and to be told that they are going to be released is probably a lie, as it is a very expensive and very difficult process to carry out. They may also tell us that they will exchange with other zoological centres and that may be true, but then the reproduction of these animals is, as I told you, mere marketing.
Now, if the site has convinced you so far, and you think it has a good background, you have to ask yourself, are the animals OK? it is a bit difficult to answer and even more difficult to find out. Sometimes we all think that large spaces and good food is enough for an animal to be happy, but nothing could be further from the truth. I have known humble places that do not have large spaces but they do have the healthiest and happiest animals of all, because they are provided with good veterinary care and because they keep their animals psychologically healthy, yes psychologically, and let's not think that this is only attributed to us. Any living being needs mental and physical stimuli to be ok, and the same is for animals in captivity. To do this they must be provided with enrichment (games and toys) that keep their instincts and senses active, also training that can be medical (so that a visit from the vet or check-ups do not mean assured sedation) or that develop their natural abilities. But to find out whether or not the centre you are visiting has these animal welfare procedures, you should talk to the respective keepers or trainers at the site and ask them to explain what methods they use and what things they apply. I have to say that few places in Spain do demonstrations of medical training or enrichment, in my opinion these are really necessary things and the public has to be involved in order to show that the animals are well cared for, and it is up to us to push for these things to be done in a public way.
Another question you should ask yourself, and it is very important, is when you go leave, what have you learned? visiting a sanctuary, rescue centre or zoo should educate us in some way, it is very important that they know how to educate the tourist about why these animals live in captivity, the conservation of the species and the habitat, and about the species they have. These centres must help to keep the wildlife alive and that we all fight to conserve it, whether they contribute a grain of sand by donating part of their income or by educating the tourist to conserve nature, spread the message or leave the least possible footprint on the habitats they visit.
Visiting these sites is each one desition, but if we do, there is nothing better than being informed and prepared to be able to judge it. I hope that with this entry you will have one more tool to be able to visit a zoo and be able to analyze if it is really a good site or if you just want to enrich itself at the expense of the animals.
Impilo enh adventures!
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