Costa Rica Is Shutting Down All Zoos And Freeing Every Animal In Captivity

[Ichingcarpenter]

Costa Rica has announced that it will be the first country in the world to shut down its zoos and free the captive animals they hold. Costa Rica is an especially biodiverse country, holding about 4% of the world’s known species. Sadly, the country is contractually obligated to keep two of its zoos open for another decade. Still, after that, they plan to shut it down in favor of a cage-free habitat for the animals to live in.

Treehugger reports that the nation, which also recently banned hunting for sport, will close the last two zoos in the next 10 years and give the animals a more natural habitat in which to exist. They want to convey to the world that they respect and care for wild animals.

Environmental Minister René Castro says, “We are getting rid of the cages and reinforcing the idea of interacting with biodiversity in botanical parks in a natural way.”

We don’t want animals in captivity or enclosed in any way unless it is to rescue or save them.”

Any animals currently in captivity that would not survive in the wild will be cared for in rescue centers and wildlife sanctuaries. No new zoos will be opened.


http://higherperspectives.com/costa-rica-shut-down-zoos/

[libdem4life]

1. Maybe Cecil did not die in vain. RIP.

[NickB79]

2. Will these rescue centers and wildlife sanctuaries participate in breeding programs?

Because zoos have been invaluable in the fight to prevent the extinction of numerous species in the past 50 years through international breeding programs to produce animals for future reintroduction.

Here in Minnesota, the Minnesota Zoo has been invaluable in saving the Asian wild horse: http://mnzoo.org/blog/animals/asian-wild-horse/

It houses two critically endangered Amur leopards, which have produced cubs for future reintroduction: http://www.twincities.com/ci_21581764/minnesota-zoos-leopard-cubs-make-public-debut

It has a breeding program for a critically endangered species of wild hog that is being hunted to extinction in the wild: http://mnzoo.org/blog/animals/visayan-warty-pig/

They just announced the birth of another endangered Malasyian tapir, also being hunted to extinction in the wild: http://mnzoo.org/blog/animals/malayan-tapir/

They are the single most successful breeder of the Bali myna bird, almost wiped out by poachers for the pet bird trade: http://mnzoo.org/blog/animals/bali-mynah/

[NV Whino]

3. A bold move

Good for them.

[Judi Lynn]

4. Wish they would consider giving the vegetarian animals a running start ahead of the predators.

Hope they are all covered by their plans for wildlife sanctuaries.

Hope Costa Rica has every intention of preventing greedy developers from destroying swaths of life-giving forest in order to make even more money. All it would take is a lot of bribe money greasing a lot of plump little hands to lay waste to even more land needed so desperately for living creatures. Gotta protect the animals left in their limited world.

Great to see the sloth photo. More power to sloths!

[Meggulliver]

5. Good news for the animals.