The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium boasts 8,000 animals on 77 acres. A growing chorus asks: Why do we have zoos?

Nestled within Pittsburgh’s urban environment, the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium brims with wildlife and plants from all corners of the world.

That’s where Snowflake, the 28-year-old polar bear, lives. On a typical Friday afternoon in May, she paces along the window of her enclosure, mouth wide as she pants. The temperature reached 62 degrees, only seven degrees higher than the North Pole on the same day. But outside of her air-conditioned cave and chilled water, Snowflake will be far out of her element as Pittsburgh’s summer temperatures rise.

On the other side of the park, African elephants stand in concrete-floored rooms with smatterings of hay and straw to alleviate the pressure from carrying their 3- to 7-ton bodies on the unnatural surface. A lone elephant suctions her trunk to cinderblock over and over again as she stands against the wall, her back facing the onlookers.

A makeshift family of gorillas sits in a dimly lit exhibit. The gorillas have an indoor and outdoor space. Inside, there is no window to the outdoors, just walls with painted-on tropical scenery. Rocks, branches and ropes are strategically placed for swinging and climbing. The babies, Bo and Charlotte, hang on their mothers, Ibo and Moka, while the surrogate father, Harry, sits in the back, staring at the people on the other side of the glass. Their biological father, Mrithi, died a few months ago during an anesthetic procedure initiated to diagnose suspected spinal issues.

Why are these animals here? Proponents of zoos proclaim education, conservation and entertainment. Detractors say it’s all about the last of those.

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Conservation, education or entertainment?

According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums [AZA], the industry’s top accreditation body, zoos are meant to be a “fun, safe and educational family experience. In addition, they dedicate millions of dollars annually to support scientific research, conservation and education programs.”

Jeremy Goodman, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, shares a similar vision. “Obviously our mission includes conservation, environment, education and animal welfare — all great things —– but our real core is making that connection for people and wildlife and wild places,” he said.

Zoos provide an educational outlet for children interested in science, said Corinne Richards-Zawacki, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Pittsburgh. Where else, she asked, would they have the chance to see an elephant, a polar bear or a gorilla, and develop a sense of respect for them? Summer camps, citizen-science programs and other formal educational opportunities aim to inspire kids to study animals and ecology.

The Pittsburgh Zoo draws a million visitors each year, Goodman noted. “That is something that’s very unique to us. Being able to have that captive audience, educate them on the issues and have living animals in our collection that people can make attachments to is what puts us in a special position to accomplish our mission.”

Research about the educational value of zoos has landed mixed conclusions, even as mounting ethical criticism pressures zoos to demonstrate their benefits. In one study, for example, researchers found no meaningful change between people’s level of environmental concern and connection to animals when surveyed before and after visiting a zoo.

Environmental researcher and writer Emma Marris , of Oregon, believes “the real mission of most zoos is to entertain.” While it’s impossible to recreate the thrill of standing mere feet from an elephant or a gorilla, she said, “We can’t always have everything we want.” In her view, that experience can’t be separated from the perils of animal captivity. She advocates instead for watching nature documentaries, bonding with native wildlife and reading books.

Pacing, rocking, swaying: signs of distress or prepping for food?

To some, the central question of zoo ethics is: What’s best for the animals? Experts differ, though, on reading their behavior and evaluating their internal wellbeing.

“Ideally, animals would be left alone in their natural habitat,” said Natalie Ahwesh, executive director of Humane Action Pittsburgh, an animal advocacy group.

To Marris, the evidence is clear that zoos are harmful, particularly to large animals. Elephants — which travel up to 30 miles a day in the wild — die prematurely and don’t thrive in captivity. “Many of these populations are migratory. They’re used to being on the move and they are just not happy being in a concrete enclosure. It’s really hard to argue that they do well,” said Marris.

Many people concerned for elephant welfare, like Ahwesh, want to see elephants moved out of urban zoos and into sanctuaries. Others, like Marris, say all zoo animals should be relocated to sanctuaries. In this view, zoos could phase out display holdings, stop all breeding and allow current animals in residence to live out the rest of their lives in sanctuaries. Other facilities could be repurposed for rehabilitation.

Speaking for the Pittsburgh Zoo, Goodman said there is an established welfare program in which each animal is evaluated at least quarterly. If, during an evaluation, an animal displays physical challenges due to age, caretakers could take measures like installing ramps in the enclosure. Training can be incorporated in an animal’s wellness plan to provide mental stimulation.

Goodman said repetitive behaviors like pacing, head bobbing, rocking and swaying are often misinterpreted. Many times, he said, the animals are merely displaying “anticipatory behavior” as they approach meal times.

Zoo critics believe repetitive behaviors, which are sometimes referred to as ‘zoochosis,’ indicate extreme stress in captive animals.

Sometimes animals do develop abnormal behaviors, Goodman acknowledged. “We don’t always know why our animals start behaving in a certain way… We try to break those behaviors whenever possible.” If an animal is pacing the same route, zoo staff might put an object in the path to break the pattern, or if an animal is overgrooming to the point of self-harm, they may explore medical intervention.

Pacing suggests another question: Do these animals have enough space? Goodman said animal husbandry manuals and regulatory agencies provide regulations and minimum standards, which the zoo adheres to.

But he suggests there’s another way of looking at the issue.

“Size is a relatively small component of whether an exhibit is good,” Goodman said. “I give the example of my children. They’re perfectly content in their bedroom … They have their snacks, phone, bed – they’re comfortable. I could put them right in the middle of Acrisure stadium, and they would have a lot more space, but if it’s not the right space, it doesn’t do anything for them.”

Marris said we can’t ask the animals how they feel and what is enough for them. “We have this clear evidence of rocking, attempts to escape . For many species, I think we have evidence that whatever amount of space they’re getting, it ain’t enough,” she said.

Animal deaths, improvement plans and AZA accreditation

The Pittsburgh Zoo is focused on regaining AZA accreditation, which it relinquished in 2015 following a dispute over the safety of its elephant management practices. The zoo no longer uses dogs to herd elephants or bullhooks to force elephants to move, according to Goodman. This is one of many changes, including facility improvements, that he hopes will lead to re-accreditation.

The AZA is “the most complete organization, as far as looking at all aspects of your operation,” said Goodman. Members must meet AZA standards, including animal welfare, care and management, veterinary programs, conservation and research, safety procedures, facilities, guest services and the quality of staff. As an independent body, they provide routine oversight and evaluate problems.

Even as it pursues accreditation, the Pittsburgh Zoo has experienced a string of deaths in the past year, including:

• a 2-year-old elephant calf (Tsuni)
• a 6-year-old lion (Kit)
• a 9-year-old red panda (Kovu)
• an 18-year-old sea lion (Seahawk)
• and a 31-year-old gorilla (Mrithi).

Goodman said the animals were all cared for properly and the zoo facilitated both internal and external investigations.

Without accreditation, external oversight is limited. “That’s why the AZA is so important, to oversee the zoo and actually know what’s happening,” said Ahwesh.

Accreditation, in general, is voluntary. However, the City of Pittsburgh’s lease agreement with the zoo required them to have it. After 2015, the zoo violated the lease agreement, which expired in 2022. Under the agreement, the zoo received 77 acres in Highland Park, plus all utilities, for $1 per year. The zoo and city are working on new lease negotiations, said Goodman.

If the zoo does not regain AZA accreditation, Ahwesh said they should have to pay the rent for the land.

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• The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium boasts 8,000 animals on 77 acres. A growing chorus asks: Why do we have zoos?
• Iulia Vann named as Allegheny County health director
• When my father died, another tragedy hit home: The newspaper obituary is on its death bed
• Controller says Allegheny County is in financial trouble, much like city and schools
• Pooches and people receive low- to no-cost care from traveling vet, medical clinic
• When it rains, fear still reigns in Pittsburgh’s flood-prone Four Mile Run
• ‘We all stayed.’ Penn Hills, once a suburban landing pad for Black households, now risks disinvestment and erasure of history.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey and City Councilor Deb Gross serve on the Pittsburgh Zoo’s Board of Directors. Olga George, Gainey’s press secretary, said the city and zoo are “operating under the old contract until a new one is negotiated.” George declined to offer a timeline for negotiations or discuss terms of the old lease.

Revenue, philanthropy and the future of captivity

The future of the zoo depends on who you ask.

Richards-Zawacki hopes the zoo is reaccredited, as the AZA is a leading promoter of endangered species programs. “Zoos make the money to do the good work” of conservation, she said.

Many zoos say they support endangered species through repopulation. They are “buying us time” for species on the verge of extinction, said Richards-Zawacki.

“Something got out of control in their natural habitat, and zoos can be a place where we can do breeding in captivity to help their genetic diversity and help increase their numbers while we’re trying to solve the problem,” she said. When the numbers increase, that can lead to stability in the wild, according to Richards-Zawacki.

If zoos don’t release animals into the wild, said Marris, they are creating “lineages in perpetual captivity.” Marris said zoos usually pursue “some direct conservation work, but it’s really small compared to operation costs.”

The Pittsburgh Zoo’s mission is to be “a leader and contributor to the conservation of endangered and threatened species,” according to tax documents.

The zoo has never released an animal bred in captivity into the wild, said Goodman. The zoo has future ambitions, but no concrete timeline, to breed pure American bison for release in the tribal and park lands, he said.

In 2022, the zoo brought in $28.9 million, according to tax returns, and spent 0.2% of that on donations to third-party conservation groups. A spokesperson said the zoo’s conservation spending has increased since 2022, and noted other conservation initiatives including hundreds of volunteered staff hours to a sea turtle rescue program and operating a 1,000-acre conservation center in Fairhope, Pennsylvania.

The elephant conservation section of the zoo’s website says the zoo partners with Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust [VFWT] in Zimbabwe “to help protect a variety of species in need.” According to the 2022 tax return, the zoo wrote a check for $15,000 to VFWT. The zoo’s other contributions to nonprofits that year include $25,000 to the International Elephant Foundation, $10,000 to the African Aquatic Conservation Fund, $7,500 to Oklahoma Zoo & Botanical Garden and $15,000 to international conservation groups for a total of $72,500.

Goodman said the zoo is committed to continuing to improve animal care, learning from past mistakes and sustaining an environment where people can have fun and learn about animals. Under his leadership, he said the zoo will not become a sanctuary and will not house only endangered species.

Will his facility have to contend with changing attitudes on animal captivity? Public opinion on SeaWorld and circus animals across the country has already soured, some zoo critics point out, prompting questions for the future of those industries.

“It may take some time,” Marris said. “But eventually I do think the tide will shift on animals in captivity.”

Rachel Windsor is a Pittsburgh-based writer and can be reached at rachelwindsor14@gmail.com.

This story was fact-checked by Briana Bindus .

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