Behind the Glass
A deep dive into the positives and negatives of captivity
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
This summer I went to a camp at an aquarium in my area to get behind-the-scenes information and interview staff about their thoughts on captivity. I can tell you the results of this investigation were rather interesting! At this aquarium specifically, I saw many interesting interactions between staff and those asking questions. Staff were not only rude or ambiguous in their responses but actively avoided answering the questions — obviously something was not right so I kept digging!
I did much research into the specifics of the animals in the different habitats, and what they need to thrive, as well how they would react if standard zoo conditions are not met. With steady observation over the course of two weeks, I was able to conclude that the protections put out by the AZA (Associations of Zoos & Aquariums) were being followed, but did each animal still show a degree of mental and physical degradation?
This got me wondering, why, despite all of these precautions and intense therapies, did the animals still experience so many problems?
WHAT IS CAPTIVITY?
Captivity is a noun defined by Merriam-Webster's dictionary as “the state of being kept imprisoned, confined, or enclosed. The condition of being held as a prisoner or a slave.” So if that's the case, why do we still do this to animals in the modern day? Usually the process of bringing animals into captivity, caught or purchased, from the wild is not a very pretty or ethical one, involving extreme conditions of transportation, bycatch, and more. Some proportion of zoo denizens are from breeding programs.
In many scenarios where captivity is used to showboat animals, whether for profit, affection, or nursing purposes, these are all abysmal to these animals. Many of the animals in these enclosures experience a wide variety of health issues —-according to Freedom for Animals, some examples are: brain atrophy, neurochemical imbalances, learned helplessness, increased aggressiveness, depression, chronic stress, ptsd, heart failure, chronic immunosuppression, severe oral degradation, reproductive failure, weight altercations, physical deformities, and more.
HOW DOES CAPTIVITY IMPACT ANIMALS?
Studying animals in their natural habitats produces a more precise and accurate result for conservation initiatives, but the problem is, it is not only expensive but extremely hard for scientists to study animals constantly over periods of time in the wild.
All species are different, so obviously ocean, pond, and lake dwellers react differently than land, mountain, and cave dwellers to captivity. While marine mammals such as dolphins and whales are incredibly smart, their intelligence and sentience is greatly impacted by being held captive, no matter the circumstances. When it comes to insects, with our limited knowledge of their level of intelligence, it is less clear that captivity is harmful.
NEGATIVE EFFECTS
In my opinion, all captivity is bad no matter the justification, but some can think differently about this! With the main effects stated above such as: brain atrophy, neurochemical imbalances, learned helplessness, increased aggressiveness, depression, chronic stress, post traumatic stress disorder, heart failure, chronic immunosuppression, severe oral degradation, reproductive failure, weight altercations, physical deformities, and more. Here is evidence gathered from interviews at the aquarium in my area and findings and effects I witnessed in person.
Endangered - Little Blue Penguins from Australia & New Zealand:
-only one penguin jumped in the water over a 30-minute period
-some displayed physical signs of aggression towards other little blues and the veterinarian
-many were staring at the painted jungle walls for 5-minute intervals.
Critically Endangered - Sand Sharks from US and Mediterranean:
-banging nose into tank walls frequently
-not eating/actively avoiding feeding time
-noticeable scars and infectious wounds surrounding face and tail
Touch Exhibit- Near threatened - Southern Sting Rays from US, South America, and Grand Cayman (Stingray City):
-deep scratches on back
-aggressive sudden movements towards other rays
-carving their bodies against the walls of the enclosure
Little Concern - Giant Pacific Octopus from US and Canada:
-longest lifespan in the aquarium was 3-5 years
-avoiding the sand and hiding/sitting in plain sight and wouldn’t move or play
-refused food
Globally Vulnerable - Black Tip Reef Sharks:
-rubbing against objects
-physical scratches and marks
While there were many more examples, these were the main things that stood out to me. There were also small things, such as over sanitized tanks (too much cleaning can result in a loss of nutrients - most aquariums overclean so the tanks are more visible and appear “cleaner”). Overcrowding of people visiting puts stress on the animals and touch exhibits where small children could have direct contact, stunted the movement of the majority of animals and they showed signs of depression and anxiety, such as isolation, refusal, and aggression. All of these conditions were present even while the aquarium followed precautionary measures enforced by AZA standards!
Another circumstance I witnessed and spoke about during my interviews was the process of taking in endangered or critically endangered animals as a push to bring them back to a safe population. While this sounds great in theory, the constant pampering and reproduction pushes will lead to a better population in captivity, but when released they have difficulty repopulating on their own and taking care of themselves: they become dependent on humans for survival.
While the above was not part of my personal investigation, there are other examples outside of marine animals. Animals (mainly mammals) captive in places like zoos and labs also consistently show signs of physical and mental degradation according to World Animal Protection US. Zoochosis, repetitive behaviors, thinning of the cerebral cortex, degraded neural connectivity, neurotransmitter imbalances, learned helplessness, depression and anxiety, extreme aggression, self-mutilation, immunosuppression, diseases, tooth and jaw damage, and more.
A perfect example of this was Kitombe (Kit), a silverback gorilla at Franklin Park Zoo. Brought there at 12 years old in 1998, he developed extreme stress and anxiety disorders after two months in confinement. Over time he became extremely aggressive, and ended up repeatedly attacking another gorilla named Gigi, causing serious physical and psychological injuries. As a way to drastically curb this behavior, they pumped him full of over four different antidepressants and another four anti-psychosis drugs. Constantly weaning him off and changing drugs caused extreme neurological problems. Kitombe died in 2024 by human euthanization due to extreme chronic health issues that would not abate.
POSITIVE EFFECTS
With an extremely small list of positives, we have to see both sides. Some places do help rehabilitate and release back into the wild, inspire people to take action, push for educational outreach, research into specific species, and track population patterns.
Many scientists use already imprinted, captive animals for research purposes. This is a valuable and very advanced practice for environmental biology and a key stone to improving conservation status for the animals researched.
While this may seem crucial for conservation, we must realize that the way we are doing it is wrong and furthermore, more harmful to the population.
CONCLUSION
All captivity should not be deemed as bad nor good; the main thing to consider are the effects on the individual animals forced to experience these things for science and entertainment. There are countless cases supported by my own individual investigation that reveal how much or how little the benefits outweigh the harms caused by captivity.
Before taking your kids to an aquarium or zoo, consider how the constant enclosure, public eye, and social dynamic affect the animals you are dying to see.
Sage Baron
They/Them
16 years old
FFF USA National Communications Coord.
New Jersey, USA
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