Zoos offer a snapshot of biodiversity on earth – from the most charismatic of large mammals to the miniscule yet omnipresent arthropods. - Photo: ST
SINGAPORE: In March 2025, Rainforest Wild Asia, Singapore’s fifth wildlife park, will open to the public.
The S.E.A. Aquarium at the Resorts World Sentosa is also undergoing a facelift, and will reopen as the Singapore Oceanarium later in 2025.
But even as we celebrate the expansion of our local zoo and aquarium, we should also pause and ponder – what are their roles in society, and should they do more than just entertain?
Today, there are more than 10,000 zoos worldwide, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a global non-profit organisation.
Collectively, they see immense footfall – attracting more than 700 million visitors each year.
In Singapore, the four existing parks managed by Mandai Wildlife Group – the Singapore Zoo, Bird Paradise, Night Safari and River Wonders – draw an average of four to five million visitors annually.
Many arguments justify the existence of zoos – they are sanctuaries for vanishing animal populations, and places of inspiration for the next generation of environmentalists.
But in the words of American journalist Thomas French: “All zoos, even the most enlightened, are built upon the idea both beguiling and repellent – the notion that we can seek out the wildness of the world and behold its beauty, but that we must first contain that wildness.”
A justifiable existence?
Zoos offer a snapshot of biodiversity on earth – from the most charismatic of large mammals, to the miniscule yet omnipresent arthropods.
Dr Ian Chan, a lecturer at NUS’ Department of Biological Sciences, says their existence is justified – but only if conservation and education are their main goals.
He said: “When we keep animals in captivity, we deprive them of their freedom, so we must have a higher purpose for doing so.”
This could include rehabilitating injured animals, or participating in conservation breeding programmes, he said.
Zoos are also uniquely poised to raise awareness and funds to protect wildlife.
Now more than ever, this is crucial – from 1970 to 2020, there was a 73 per cent decline in the size of monitored wildlife populations, according to the conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature’s 2024 Living Planet Report.
Unlike natural history museums or conservation organisations, zoos are brick-and-mortar attractions where visitors can interact with live animals.
Bernard Harrison, who was the executive director of the Singapore Zoo from 1981 to 2002, said: “If you’re a conservation organisation, and you want to try and get public attention, it’s quite difficult because you aren’t really a physical entity.
“You don’t have the captive power that live animals have.”
A day at the zoo may ignite feelings of awe and wonderment, and kickstart deeper conversations about the environment and policies which dictate its governance – topics which may otherwise be dry or inaccessible.
The makings of a ‘good’ zoo
How can zoos demonstrate their commitment to conservation and education? One way is to be intentional about how enclosures are designed.
According to Harrison, who today runs an ecotourism consultancy company, naturalistically designed exhibits – such as those at the Singapore Zoo – are most effective at driving home conservation messages.
“We look at nature as a benchmark – there’s nothing better than displaying animals in a simulated natural environment, so that it tells the story of where they come from,” he said.
Many zoogoers may already know the natural habitats of animals, Harrison explained. And seeing them in enclosures which closely resemble nature helps visitors draw links between the animals and their counterparts in the wild.
Zoo enclosures should also seek to recreate animals’ roles in the ecosystem, the zoologist said. If they are arboreal, for example, the habitat should contain trees, so that the animals can climb and stay off the ground.
Immersive exhibits like Bird Paradise’s aviaries, where humans and animals coexist in the same environment, are also a plus, Harrison said.
These encourage organic encounters between man and nature, and nudge visitors to view animals not just as exhibits, but in the context of the larger environment.
Signboards also play crucial roles in educating visitors about the ongoing conservation efforts to protect animals in their natural habitat.
At the tiger exhibit in Rainforest Wild Asia, for instance, there will be signs showcasing the work of Mycat, a Malayan Tiger conservation project based in Malaysia.
According to Cecilia Tang, a curator at Mandai Wildlife Group, these signs explain the threats that tigers face and what is being done to protect them. In the case of Mycat, the public may donate to support the project, or volunteer to patrol the tigers’ habitat – Taman Negara National Park in Malaysia – which helps to keep the threat of animal poachers at bay.
Live shows are another major component of zoos.
But these shows have to be thoughtfully executed, in ways which ensure the welfare of the animals involved, said Assistant Professor Eunice Tan, a researcher from NUS.
An example is the Keeper Talks at Bird Paradise, where food is placed atop giant metal plates and zookeepers explain more about the different birds as they swoop in for their meal. This show – which showcases the animals’ natural feeding behaviour – is ethical.
Bird Paradise also has regular feeding times, and birds are first fed in the morning before visitors arrive.
“The birds are then given additional food during the feeding experience, so they are not starved,” she explained.
Other live shows, such as SeaWorld’s dolphin shows, where trainers ride atop the heads of the mammals and risk injuring them, offer cautionary tales for how such interactive experiences may undermine the welfare of zoo animals.
The entertaining features of zoos – elusive creatures and the like – offer a hook to capture visitors’ attention. But it is the thoughtfully designed exhibits and informative experiences such as the Keeper Talks which help zoos take conservation education to the next level.
Collaborations and partnerships
Zoos may expand their impact by collaborating with external stakeholders to further conservation efforts, and facilitate the creation and sharing of knowledge.
Prof Tan, who studies the arthropods (an animal group that includes insects and spiders) of South-east Asia, currently works with Bird Paradise to examine how birds interact with stick insects as prey.
The project centres four species of hornbills from the zoo, one of which – the oriental pied hornbill – is native to Singapore. The other three species – the rhinoceros hornbill, great hornbill and black hornbill – are found in other parts of the region.
Her team studies the way stick insects interact with their natural predators, as well as the unique feeding behaviour of hornbills, which throw the insect into the air before catching and swallowing it.
According to Prof Tan, these research collaborations are a win-win for both academic institutions and zoos. They allow scientists to study animals which may not be easily found in the wild, and zoos an opportunity to learn more about the animals in their care.
This knowledge may then inform conservationists and lawmakers on how to better safeguard animal populations in the wild.
The research undertaken at Monterey Bay Aquarium in California, for instance, contributed to the designation and evaluation of the state’s network of marine protected areas (MPAs).
Dr Joshua Smith, a research scientist at the aquarium, found that the state’s MPAs successfully conserved marine populations throughout reef and kelp forest ecosystems.
Additionally, revenue earned from visitors to the zoo may also be ploughed back into conservation.
Mandai, for instance, contributes both monetary funding and expert knowledge to support more than 40 conservation projects around South-east Asia. These include initiatives to protect the orangutans in Sumatra, as well as the Asiatic black bears and sun bears in Laos.
Zoos can also do more to study the impact of their education and awareness programmes to fine-tune their approaches, said Dr Chan, the NUS lecturer.
This could come in the form of pre- and post-visit questionnaires, for instance, which examine how the zoo experience impacts visitors’ knowledge and attitudes towards conservation.
When it comes to evaluating the impact of zoos, experts such as Dr Sonja Luz, the chief executive of Mandai Nature, believe there is no easy way.
“There’s a structure and metric which helps us calculate the impact of climate investments, but there’s no such thing for biodiversity,” she said.
But one of the biggest hallmarks of a good zoo is its openness to criticism, and willingness to rethink best practices, said Dr Luz.
She said: “If you look back 20 years, you could have an orangutan or a chimpanzee sit on your lap at the Singapore Zoo.
“But now we know better, that animal-visitor interactions are more about respectful, ethical experiences that do not always involve touching. Rather, it is about admiring animals from a distance and learning about them and their natural behaviours, rather than making them do things that are not natural for them.” - The Straits Times/ANN
[Angelica Ang is a journalist on The Straits Times’ breaking news team, where she covers the latest local and international developments.]
