National Zoological Park
3001 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington DC 20008
U.S.A.
Attn: Dr Michael Robinson, Director.

Thursday, July 31, 1997.

Dear Dr Robinson,

I hope you will take a moment to read this heartfelt letter.

I am a semi retired medical doctor who has had a life-long interest in zoos. I travel a lot and always make a point of visiting the local zoo. I find that the way animals are treated in zoos is a pretty accurate reflection of the state of civilisation in that country. Most of my travel is in third world countries and I am well used to seeing horrific conditions. It was with a light heart, therefore, that I set off with my companion for a day at the National. Several people had advised me that this was one of the best in the U.S. and therefore one of the best in the world.

Unfortunately the visit turned into an emotional disaster for us. We were quite unprepared for the numerous examples of animal misery that we came across - so much more shocking for not being excusable by ignorance or poverty. There seemed to be a general lack of empathy with the animals - little attempt seems to have been made to see things from the animals' point of view.

I must particularly mention the Giant Panda sitting in a clean but so totally featureless cell. If I was a Panda I would rather be extinct than live under such conditions. There is a Colobus monkey sitting like a text book illustration of a severely depressed patient in a mental hospital. The Orang Utang overhead walkway seems ill-conceived - it does not appear like natural habitat to me or, apparently, to the Orang Utangs.

But the worst feature is the Small Mammal House - a real house of horrors. In this prison within a prison reside numerous poor creatures in tiny containers exposed to public view. The cats in particular have grossly inadequate space. There is a poor armadillo for ever circling, circling desperately looking for an exit.

My visit to the National Zoo has confirmed my belief that even major zoos exist primarily as entertainment and profit centres. No public space - large or small - which cages wild animals can be a suitable home for living beings adapted by nature to the wild. Neither can zoo personnel, well-trained and attentive though they may be, provide real care for the disturbing psychological and emotional maladies so evident in these pent up creatures. No amount of "environmental enrichment" provided by the zoo - no matter how "rich" or "appropriate" - can be sufficient.

The simple truth is that concrete floors, painted trees and artificial ponds can never take the place of natural habitat which is the ONLY environment fit for wildlife. Nor will bars and cages ever teach children about human kindness to animals or - by extension - to other humans. It seems to me that all the visitors really ever learn is that the animals are present for their own amusement.

When will the National Zoo and the global zoo industry recognise that the future of wildlife depends not on putting animals on exhibit but upon preserving their true habitat and concentrating on conservation in the wild? When will zoos stop spreading the message that they try their best to cater to the physical and psychological needs of the animals and that they work hard to save endangered species, to educate, and to provide family fun? When will they face up to the fact that those words are used primarily for public relations purposes? A genuine concern for animal protection and the environment does not and cannot entail keeping, breeding, and displaying captive wild animals; neither can a few isolated "conservation programs" save endangered species.

When will the National Zoo follow the lead of Vancouver and other progressive cities and close its gates?

Thank you for taking the time to consider these serious issues. Your response will be very much appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Dr John Wedderburn.

CC:

Mr. Syd Butler

Executive Director

American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums

7970D Old Georgetown Road

Bethesda MD 20814

Mr. Clinton A. Fields

Executive Director

Friends of the National Zoo

3001 Connecticut Avenue NW

Washington DC 20008

Visitors' Department

Washington DC Conventions and Visitors' Association

1212 New York Avenue NW, Suite 600

Washington DC 20005

Mr. William Norman

President

Travel Industry Association of America

1100 New York Avenue NW, #450W

Washington DC 20005-3934