On Wednesday, three chimpanzees were shot to death after they escaped from their enclosure at Furuviksparken in Gävle. The drama is not over when four chimpanzees, one of which is injured, find themselves trapped in a monkey house surrounded by shooters.
The fate of the chimpanzees has aroused outraged feelings in social media with demands that all zoos in Sweden be closed. In a debate in SVT’s Current on Thursday, a representative from Djurens right ran the same line.
– We at Djurensrätt are very appalled by what we heard, that these shootings of chimpanzees took place. This raises the question of whether we should have zoos, should we keep wild animals in cages?, says Anna Harenius from Animal Rights.
Crucial for conservation
According to her, there is a risk that the animals will get hurt, with the aim of being ambassadors for their species. Instead, nature reserves without visitors are advocated. But the parks are crucial for the conservation of endangered species, counter-debater and Skansen’s aquarium owner Jonas Wahlström retorts.
– Who would have saved the bison that are now found in five countries, which were endangered in the wild? Skansen was one of the forerunners for that, he says, as an example.
Teaching purpose
In addition to conservation, the teaching purpose is one of the zoos’ purposes, according to Wahlström. Not all children are given the opportunity to see a real moose out in the forest, and there the zoos can contribute to knowledge.
–- It is very important to learn about animals. But you shouldn’t learn about animals in captivity, in cages, says Anna Harenius.