Two chimpanzees were shot yesterday at the Dutch wildlife park Amersfoort after escaping from their enclosure.
According to a media report, Mike and Karibuna were apparently able to escape because a staff member had not properly closed the gate. PETA sharply criticises the zoo’s claim that there was no alternative to shooting the great apes due to time pressure, even though they were still on zoo grounds. In light of this incident, the animal rights organisation once again points out that keeping great apes in captivity in zoological facilities is not compatible with their species’ needs and is associated with significant risks for both animals and humans. As part of the campaign «Great Apes Out of Zoos», PETA is calling for a general ban on breeding and importing humanity’s closest relatives.Great Apes Out of Zoos», PETA is calling for a general ban on the breeding and importation of humanity’s closest relatives.
It is a crime to lock up great apes. They are innocent prisoners who want to be free and are forced to eke out a bleak existence in zoos under inadequate keeping conditions. In their desperation, they repeatedly attempt to escape from their cages. Escapes or fatal accidents can only be prevented if the animals are no longer held captive for the entertainment of curious visitors.
Biologist Dr. Yvonne Würz, PETA’s expert advisor on animals in the entertainment industry
Escape attempts and fatal incidents are increasing
Time and again, partly fatal escape attempts involving great apes or accidents in zoos. As recently as October, chimpanzee Lutz injured a staff member through the bars at Tiergarten Straubing. In September 2019, two chimpanzees escaped from their enclosure at Magdeburg Zoo. In September 2015, two orangutans broke out at Duisburg Zoo. Only one of the two was tranquilized; the other was shot. In June 2015, three chimpanzees escaped from a zoo in Fuerteventura; after they had seriously injured three people, two of the animals were shot. During an escape attempt at a zoo in Mallorca in May 2015, one animal was shot and the other was found dead shortly afterward. In July 2012, five chimpanzees at Hanover Zoo managed to escape their enclosure by climbing over a fallen tree. These cases demonstrate that zoos represent a systemic animal welfare problem.
Great apes in captivity experience despair
According to renowned primatologists such as Professor Dr. Volker Sommer, gorillas, chimpanzees, and orangutans are so similar to humans that they can recognize the hopelessness of their situation in captivity. According to Sommer, these intelligent animals are capable of experiencing states such as despair and hopelessness. Scientific studies show that great apes in zoos frequently suffer from severe behavioral disorders. Their psychological suffering manifests through self-mutilation, extreme withdrawal, persistent rocking of the upper body back and forth, and even the consumption of their own excrement. In some cases, zoos even administer psychiatric medication to the animals simply so they can endure lifelong captivity. According to an INSA opinion poll commissioned by PETA in April 2020, a relative majority of respondents support an end to the breeding and keeping of great apes in zoos. More on the topic of animal rights.
