The Zoo and You – Conclusion and References

Image by laurent marx from Pixabay Ethics are complicated. There is no doubt about it. What's more complicated is considering ethical questions regarding a species so similar, yet so different to our own. As Kreger and Hutchins (2010) observe, the main issue when thinking about these ethical questions “is that there is no consensus across institutions worldwide”. It’s …

Part Seven – ‘You can talk!’: An analysis of ‘Zookeeper’

Arguably, out of all four movies analysed in this project, the representation of the zoo environment in Zookeeper promotes the most ethical relationship between humans and animals. Although it is not explicitly referenced, animal wellbeing is obviously prioritised throughout the plot, as the relationship between zookeeper Griffin Keyes (Kevin James) and his animals goes from …

Part Six – So you bought a zoo… but for who? An analysis of ‘We Bought a Zoo’

Recent advancements in CGI animation has seen an influx of live-action animal films, both with and without human characters. Cameron Crowe’s We Bought a Zoo (2011) and Frank Coraci’s Zookeeper (2011) both feature human characters as zookeepers, and ‘real-looking’ animals (who have been anthropomorphised in the case of Zookeeper). Both films proved very successful, but …

Part Five – A little too familar… an analysis of ‘The Wild’

As soon as it was released, The Wild was called out for it’s blatantly obvious similarities to Madagascar (check out this video explaining how they are essentially the same film). Unfortunately, with this resemblance came a similar reinforcement of the idea that the zoo is the natural home of the animal, promoting an unethical and …

Part Four – “Nature, get it off me!”: An analysis of ‘Madagascar’

Released in 2005 and 2006 respectively, DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar and Disney’s The Wild are strikingly similar animated films featuring a handful of New York zoo animals that mistakenly end up in Africa. Quickly becoming two of the most popular family movies of the decade, the films’ animal characters (and their human characteristics) became almost instantly …

Part Three – Representations of zoo animals in the media

Audio and visual media has a rich history of portraying animals and zoos – the first ever YouTube video was in fact the website’s creator enjoying a day at the zoo. A wide range of film and television representations of animals, specifically those aimed at children, anthropomorphise the animals – that is, gives them human …

Part Two – On The Right Track: Ways to improve our ethical relationship with animals

ANIMAL WELFARE VS. ANIMAL WELLBEING Photo by Juliya Zemlyanaya on Unsplash An important way in which we can prioritise the health and happiness of animals in captivity is by shifting our focus from animal welfare to animal wellbeing. What’s the difference you ask? As Pierce and Bekoff (2018) explain, welfare improvements focus on reducing sources of stress for …

Part One – Animal Ethics

Image by Sharon Kehl Califano from Pixabay For thousands of years, humans have been fascinated by the animal kingdom. Modern zoos as we know them today did not start operating until the opening of establishments such as the London Zoo in 1826. However, humans have a rich history of keeping animals in captivity, as highlighted by this timeline …

The Zoo and You – BCM312 Final Project

As individuals, we develop a personal set of values, morals and behaviours from a young age as we are exposed to different ideas and experiences. We are also exposed to various forms of media from a young age, especially film and television. For decades, research has emphasised the connection between exposure to film and television, …

“We’re going, to the WILD!” Exploring the relationship between animated animals and wildlife conservation

When you’re a child, there’s not much more exciting than going to the zoo. For my 9th birthday, my family and I celebrated with our own zoo trip. My eyes filled with wonder as I watched the chimpanzees chat to each other, the giraffes stretch themselves beyond belief to dig into lunch, the lions prowl …