Covid-19 and the Future of Zoos

Angie Pepper, Kristin Voigt

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    The COVID-19 crisis has left zoos especially vulnerable to bankruptcy, and the precarity of their financial situation threatens the lives and well-being of the animals who live in them. In this paper, we argue that while we and our governments have a responsibility to ensure the protection of animals in struggling zoos, it is morally impermissible to make private donations or state subsidies to zoos because such actions serve to perpetuate an unjust institution. In order to protect zoo animals without perpetrating further injustice, governments should subsidize the transformation of zoos into sanctuaries and then facilitate the gradual closure of most of these sanctuaries.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalLes ateliers de l'ethique/The ethics forum
    Early online date3 Feb 2021
    Publication statusPublished - 10 Nov 2021

    Keywords

    • animal rights
    • zoos
    • aquariums
    • COVID-19
    • social Justice
    • interspecies justice
    • animal sanctuaries

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