The animals often suffer from a myriad of problems, including malnutrition, abuse, neglect, no access to medical care, improper housing, and lack of socialization, leading to self-destructive behaviors, depression, and even death. The owners of these zoos rarely have the animals' well-being in mind, but exploit these animals for profit in a multibillion dollar industry.
Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari, Gentry, Arkansas
The Wild Wilderness Drive-Through Safari in Gentry, AR reportedly feeds its animals expired Little Debbie snack cakes it receives for free from a nearby plant; additionally, visitors may bring whatever snacks they would like to feed the animals. Monkeys throw dead cagemates around while visitors watch, some in horror, some more amused; many residents are housed in wire-bottom cages whose mesh is too large to accommodate their feet so that they fall through the bottom just moving around their enclosures. Visitors are allowed to hold their newest babies born at the facility,and seemingly annually on the nightly news there is a report of a visitor injured by a large cat. Here, as is so common in roadside zoos, there is no hint of conservation/education. The enclosures rarely offer any information regarding the animals' natural histories or status in the wild, and if they are labeled it is often incorrect, providing misinformation to the public.
Who Monitors These Zoos?
Ironically enough, these zoos often claim their very existence is to conserve wildlife populations, though their animals have never been and will never be in the "wild". If they participate in captive breeding programs, it is not to replenish wild populations but rather to increase their own stock and profit, contributing to an existing captive surplus population of many common animals. These surplus animals are traded to other roadside zoos or sold into the exotic pet trade or entertainment industry, furthering the exploitation of these animals. Often times these zoos are even licensed by the USDA, but it is a poor system with many loopholes that by no means prevents the inhabitants of these zoos from living in substandard conditions. Violations simply result in minimal fines and, if the animals are lucky, a temporary revoke of the zoos' license, but cruelty charges are virtually unheard of and by and large the owners of these zoos are allowed to persist. Permits are freely given and the permitees are not monitored to ensure the safety of the animals, as suggested by a 2002 article by Michael Satchell titled "How some of America's best zoos get rid of their old, infirm, and unwanted animals".
What Can You Do?
Wouldn't it be nice to shut down all roadsize zoos that focus not on education and conservation but rather exploiting animals for profit? And to eliminate private ownership of exotic animals, restricting ownership to accredited zoos and educational facilities that exist to heighten awareness of the plight of these creatures in the wild? The best thing you can do as a private individual is to educate yourself about a zoo before visiting it, and avoid those that are not properly caring for their residents. Also take a stand against these atrocities, contact your public officials, and help to shut down roadside zoos.
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