S3 Ep. 16 : Should zoos be banned?

Zoos bring us much closer to wildlife, but their existence is a controversial topic. Go online and it’s easy to find groups that advocate for the closure of zoos, assessing that they do more harm than good to animals.

Complaints usually relate to confinement, the lack of space, unnatural environments and crowded conditions as the main problems against animal well-being. But experts working in zoos think differently. So the question boils down to: are zoos actually beneficial to animals? Do they have a role to play in conservation? And what can we learn from zoos on the impact of human beings on animals still living in the wild?

In this episode, we will investigate these questions with Martin Boye, President of the European Association for Aquatic Mammals, and Kate Werner, Senior Campaign Manager at PETA UK.