S02E01: Should all zoos be closed?

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The Answers Project, where The Agenda’s Stephen Cole and Mhairi Beveridge ask the best brains on the planet to shed light on some of the most pressing ethical, scientific, geopolitical and philosophical quandaries. In this, the first episode in the second series, we ask ‘Should all zoos be closed?’ 

There are various establishments that could be seen as zoos, not just caging animals but also aquariums, sanctuaries, safari parks and even animal rehabilitation centers. An establishment is usually referred to as a zoo if it is an area where animals are kept for public exhibition for education or commercial purposes, so how easy is it to set one up? 

We speak to Martin Zordan, CEO of The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, a gorilla veterinarian in Uganda and the founder of Conservation Through Public Health, to find out what makes a good zoo and why cultivating the human bond with animals is vital for wildlife preservation.  

We also speak to an elephant lawyer working for the NonHuman Rights project and representing Happy, an elephant in the Bronx Zoo in New York to find out if we are close to delivering justice for animals.

That’s The Answers Project ‘Should all zoos be closed?’