The zoo of today is a post-colonial leftover. It confines animals for the sake of entertainment, and by doing so not only hurts the animals, but also the important human-animal relationship that is playing an essential role in humans understanding their place in the natural order. We are not above nature; we exist because of it. We need the food-chain to work wherein animals play a determining part. By improving the human-animal relationship, people will understand how they depend on a nature in balance.
The fight against a rapidly deteriorating earth and the global climate crisis is a battle that must be fought on many fronts. The zoo is an urban institution and is the only source of a connection to nature for a lot of people worldwide. It is therefore imperative that the zoo changes and moves away from a place supporting the highly outdated ‘man - the dominator over beast’ and into a place that supports a relationship between man and beast in a balanced and sustainable way. With awareness on the balance, people are able to approach the global situation in a more cohesive and responsible manner.
The Zoo Manifesto should be picked-up by visionary professionals who can see a business opportunity in making an alternative zoo for the 21st century. The manifesto will arm you with arguments to create platforms for actions to improve the human-animal relationship.
The strategy provides an alternative to the zoo and makes a proposal towards an entertainment park where you will experience intensive natural spectacles and regain your awe of nature and the animals in it.