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Activity: Rich Thinking Task

This WebQuest or Rich Thinking Task was initially created by the preservice teachers at the University of Richmond and can only be found on the Web Archive. It was adapted for the Clemente Program ACU 2018 by Frances Moore and revised in August 2020.

IntroductionTaskProcessResourcesConclusionEvaluationTeacher’s Guide

Introduction

When you think about the last time you visited a zoo or marine park, what things do you remember? You probably think about an enjoyable afternoon spent looking at fantastic animals which you normally would not have been able to see. But, while you were watching these truly amazing animals, have you ever wondered about what they were thinking and feeling? Was this the "best" place for them to be in?

What is a Zoo? What is the purpose of zoos?

A zoo is a place where animals live in captivity and are put on display for people to view. The word “zoo” is short for “zoological park.” Zoos contain wide varieties of animals that are native to all parts of the Earth.

Though people have kept wild animals for thousands of years, those collections have not always resembled modern zoos. The first zoos were created as private collections by the wealthy to show their power. These private collections were called menageries.

Wall carvings found in Egypt and Mesopotamia are evidence that rulers and aristocrats created menageries as early as 2500 BCE. They left records of expeditions to distant places to bring back exotic animals such as giraffes, elephants, bears, dolphins, and birds. There is evidence that ancient zoo owners hired animal handlers to make sure their animals thrived and reproduced.

Zoos also existed in later civilizations, including China, Greece, and Rome. The Aztec emperor Montezuma II, in what is today Mexico, maintained one of the earliest animal collections in the Western Hemisphere. It was destroyed by Hernan Cortes during the Spanish conquest in 1520.

Hierakonpolis, the capital of Upper Egypt during the Predynastic period, is the site of the world's first zoo

Modern Zoos

The model of the modern, public zoo became popular in 18th century, during the Age of Enlightenment. The Age of Enlightenment was a period in European history when science, reason, and logic were promoted as ideals of society and government. The scientific focus of the Age of Enlightenment extended to zoology.

During this time, people started wanting to study animals for scientific reasons. Scientists wanted to research animal behaviour and anatomy. To do this, scientists and zookeepers had to keep animals in places that were close to, or resembled, the animals’ natural habitats.

The first modern zoo, built in 1793, opened in Paris, France. The menageries of French aristrocrats, including the king and queen, were taken by leaders of the French Revolution and relocated to the Ménagerie du Jardin des Plantes. The facility is still a busy and popular zoo in downtown Paris.

Early zoos like the Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes were more like museums of living animals than natural habitats. Animals were kept in small display areas, with as many species as space would allow.

Orangutan at Menagerie du Jardin des Plantes, Paris.What do you notice about this picture?(Source: BonjourParis)

Today, zoos are meant to entertain and educate the public but have a strong emphasis on scientific research and species conservation. There is a trend toward giving animals more space and recreating natural habitats. Zoos are usually regulated and inspected by the government.

Types of Zoos

Urban and Suburban Zoos

Urban zoos, located in large cities, still resemble the smaller zoos that were popular 200 years ago. Often, these zoos sit in the middle of cities, making expansion difficult. There is little room for urban zoos to grow, and many of the zoo’s buildings are historic landmarks that cannot be destroyed or redesigned.

In many urban zoos, animals are kept in relatively small enclosures. Some animal activists argue that keeping animals in urban settings is cruel because of cramped conditions, noise, and pollution.

Urban zoos are common in Europe, while many zoos in the United States developed as sprawling parks in suburbs outside cities. These open-range zoos give animals more territory to roam and provide more natural habitats. This popular technique of building realistic habitats is called landscape immersion.

The San Diego Zoo, in southern California, is the largest zoo in the United States. It is a suburban zoo that houses more than 4,000 animals (800 different species) in its 0.4 square kilometres (100 acres). Landscape immersion divides animals into their natural habitats, such as the tundra (with reindeer and polar bears) or bamboo forest (featuring pandas.) The San Diego Zoo also includes a wild animal park, which is even more expansive (almost 8 square kilometres or 2,000 acres.)

Two giraffes with Sydney in the background

Safari Parks

Larger than urban and open-range zoos, safari parks are areas where tourists can drive their own cars to see non-native wildlife living in large, enclosed areas. These attractions allow the animals more space than the small enclosures of traditional zoos.

Fuji Safari Park, in Susono, Japan, offers a traditional zoo as well as a drive-through safari park. Visitors can take their own cars or one of the park’s buses. Fuji Safari Park offers night tours, so visitors can see nocturnal animals, or animals that are active at night. At the park, visitors can also feed some animals, such as lions, from bus windows. Not all parks encourage or even allow visitors to feed animals.

Safari parks, especially in Europe, are often part of larger theme parks or resorts. They include golf courses and fairground attractions, such as games and rides.

Game Reserves

Game reserves are large swaths of land whose ecosystems and native species are protected. The protections allow animals to live and reproduce at natural rates. Animals are allowed to roam free.

In the 1800s, a trip to hunt “big game” (large animals such as elephants or lions) was called a safari. While some game reserves allow traditional hunting safaris today, others limit visitors to a “photo safari,” where visitors can shoot photographs, not animals.

Animals in all game reserves are protected from illegal hunting, which is a threat to many endangered species. Legal hunts are regulated by the government. Hunters must purchase licenses and are strictly limited to the type and number of animals they can hunt. Poachers, or hunters without licenses, kill animals for valuable body parts. Elephants, for example, are killed by poachers for their ivory tusks.

There are game reserves in Asia, the Americas, and Australia. However, most game reserves are in Africa. Millions of visitors flock to sites across Africa to see the same animals that captivated audiences thousands of years ago. The biggest attractions are Africa’s “Big Five” species—lions, leopards, rhinoceroses, elephants, and water buffalo. The Big Five are not Africa’s largest species (although the elephant is): They are the most difficult to find and, when legal, to hunt.

Only recently has a single zoo, Gondwana Game Reserve in South Africa, offered all Big Five animals in one place. Gondwana sits on 10,000 hectares (24,710 acres) near the center of South Africa’s southern coast. Like many large game reserves, Gondwana has diverse

ecosystems that occur naturally and has no need for landscape immersion. In Gondwana, grasslands coexist with shrubland called fynbos. Visitors to Gondwana, like many game reserves, can stay in hotels right in the park.

Lace Monitor - taking refuge in a gum tree in Chowilla Game Reserve, SA.(Source: AussieAnimalEncounters)

Petting zoos

Petting zoos feature domesticated animals that are gentle enough for children to pet and feed. Sheep, goats, donkeys, and rabbits are common petting zoo animals. These types of zoos are found at parks and inside of larger zoos. Sometimes mobile petting zoos travel with fairs or carnivals from city to city.

(Source: Noah's Ark Petting Zoo)

Specialization

Most zoos have specialized enclosures and habitats for specific animals. Zoos in cold climates, such as Novosibirsk, Russia, must recreate warm ecosystems for animals like lemurs. Lemurs are a type of primate native to the island of Madagascar, off Africa’s east coast. The summer temperatures of both Siberia and Madagascar are about the same—around 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit).

However, Madagascar receives about 200 to 250 millimetres (8 to 10 inches) of rain each summer, making it a humid jungle environment. Novosibirsk gets just 60 to 65 millimetres (2 to 3 inches) of rain and snow. The difference in winter temperatures is even more drastic: Madagascar is about 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit). Lemurs’ fur can keep them warm at this temperature. Winter in Novosibirsk is -10 degrees Celsius (13 degrees Fahrenheit). The Novosibirsk Zoo has two species of lemur with a specialized heated enclosure with high humidity.

Some zoos are dedicated entirely to certain species. Aquariums are types of zoos that exclusively house aquatic animals. The Sydney Aquarium in Australia has exhibits of all of Australia's major water systems and is home to more than 650 native Australian species.

Merlin Entertainments, the UK-based owner of Sydney Aquarium, is the home of the world's biggest Great Barrier Reef tank.What do you notice about this image? (Source: The Australian)

Aviaries and bird parks are another type of specialized zoo. The Jurong Bird Park in Singapore has more than 8,000 birds of 600 species from around the world. Jurong has more than 1,000 flamingoes in an African wetlands exhibit that features a daily simulated thunderstorm.

Conservation

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the international organization for zoos, is concerned with the health of animals in zoos. The focus of environmental efforts takes the form of research, captive breeding of rare animals, and conservation.

Researchers at zoos can study animals up-close. They can observe behaviour such as mating and nutrition choices. Biologists and veterinarians are also available to treat sick or injured animals.

Captive breeding of endangered species makes zoos valuable places for animal survival. Animals such as the black soft-shelled turtle, native to India and Bangladesh, are extinct in the wild. But they survive in several zoos around the world, with their health looked after by biologists.

A black softshell turtle being released in the water in Assam's shrines(Source: The Hindu)

The goal of many captive breeding programs at zoos is the re-introduction of animals into the wild. The California condor, a very large bird native to the west coast of the United States, has been re-introduced to its native habitat after breeding in zoos and wildlife parks. There are several breeding pairs of California condors in the wild today.

Critics of captive breeding programs say that releasing a few animals into the wild does little to help the species population. Animals are extinct in the wild largely due to loss of habitat. The re-introduction of animals, especially large mammals that require vast territory for

survival, does nothing to recover lost habitat. People continue to develop land for homes and businesses.

Zoos often have conservation projects in the native habitats of the animals they keep in captivity. For instance, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums established a partnership with people in rural Papua New Guinea to save tree kangaroos. These rare species are threatened by loss of habitat and the growing population of Papua New Guinea: Villagers hunt the tree kangaroo for meat. A zoo program introduced a rabbit-farming program to address the nutritional needs of the villagers. Zoos also set up conservation sites where the hunting of tree kangaroos was outlawed.

While zoos have put more importance on conservation and humane animal treatment in recent decades, some critics say it is cruel to keep animals in captivity. Critics argue that living in captivity takes away wild animals natural behaviour and instincts. Supporters of zoos say they play an important role in protecting endangered species. (Source: National Geographic)

Task

During this Critical Thinking Skills activity, you will be asked to think about several different aspects of zoos, some of which may never have occurred to you before. You will make decisions about whether these homes are humane to animals, and whether keeping animals in captivity for human entertainment is a good thing to do. You will also have the opportunity to look at different features of zoos and choose which features you think are the best suited to animal species. You will also create your own virtual zoo.

The BIG Question you are to answer is

“In reference to zoos, is there a way to make everyone happy (animal rights activists, zoologists, habitat experts, zoo evaluators, AND animals)?”

Process

1. Form groups of 4 students.

Roles

2. Now you are ready to take on your individual roles. It is very important that you take your job seriously, because no two roles are alike. This means that no one else in your group will have the opportunity to visit your sites.

The roles are:

Animal Rights Expert - fights for humane treatment of animals (see page 3)

Zoo Evaluator - evaluates zoo operation (see page 4)

Zoologist - studies animals and the way they live (see page 5)

Habitat Expert - expert in proper habitats for animals (see page 6)

You should take notes on each website you visit in your role. This will help you to answer each of your role questions. Write your answers in your book. Later, you will share these notes with your group members to make some important planning decisions.

Research

To get your team ready for this activity, you will all need to visit and explore the following group of sites.

You will need to use the Expert Jigsaw Strategy to convey your research to the rest of your group.

Animal Rights Expert – Resources

Go to Animals Australia’s website and read the following two articles. http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/things-we-need-to-stop-telling-ourselves-about-zoos.php &https://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/marine-parks-aquariums.php

Celebrating 150 years of captivityhttps://theconversation.com/celebrating-150-years-of-captivity-6569

PeTA: Pitiful Prisonshttps://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/animals-used-entertainment-factsheets/zoos-pitiful-prisons/

Zoo Evaluator - Resources

What do Zoos Do?

https://youtu.be/XOrPmOXhxo0

Are Zoos Ethical?https://youtu.be/24oi5jw19eI

OzAnimals

https://www.ozanimals.com/nature-travel-tourist-attractions/Australia/zoo/na.html

https://theconversation.com/pandanomics-is-a-grey-area-but-to-us-the-value-of-giant-pandas-is-black-and-white-112956

https://theconversation.com/gorillas-in-zoos-the-unpalatable-truth-60249

Australian Butterfly Sanctuary

Bugs Alive! Melbourne Museum (or did they pay the ultimate price?)

Zoologist - Resources

Zoos aren’t Victorian-era throwbacks: they’re important in saving species

https://theconversation.com/zoos-arent-victorian-era-throwbacks-theyre-important-in-saving-species-78533

https://theconversation.com/star-zoo-animals-draw-crowds-but-they-wont-save-their-species-31811

https://theconversation.com/zoos-arent-meant-to-be-maximum-security-prisons-and-sometimes-there-will-be-an-escape-67087

https://www.thoughtco.com/zoos-kill-animals-127659

Habitat Expert – Resources

https://theconversation.com/looks-like-an-anzac-biscuit-tastes-like-a-protein-bar-bogong-bikkies-help-mountain-pygmy-possums-after-fire-131045

https://theconversation.com/zoos-of-the-future-break-down-the-enclosure-walls-26605

https://theconversation.com/australian-endangered-species-lord-howe-island-stick-insect-11789

If you wish to do more research, go to the end of this activity.

Share Your Info

Now that you have had a chance to take on a role, it is time to come together and share what you have learned with your group members. Your group should discuss each major issue that was read about during this critical thinking skill activity. It is each individual member’s job to share their findings with the rest of the group. Even if you are a shy person, you must remember that your team cannot have a complete, effective discussion without YOUR input!

Don't worry if you don't agree with the opinions of other members in your group. The point of the discussion is to get all of your thoughts and feelings out into the open.

Remember to listen respectfully to other students’ opinions

Here are some questions to help you start your discussion.

· What is the most important thing you can share about your role?

· Are zoos necessary?

· What are the purposes of zoos?

· Do zoos really help the endangered animals?

· How can zoos be negative for animals?

· How can they be positive?

Distinction Making: Discuss whether these zoos are humane to animals, and whether keeping animals in captivity for human entertainment is a good thing to do. Remember to provide reasons and not just opinions.

Once you have thought about these questions it is up to you to evaluate everything you have discussed and answer the BIG question:

“In reference to zoos, is there a way to make everyone happy (animal rights activists, zoologists, habitat experts, zoo evaluators, AND animals)?”

Express your ideas. What things would be necessary to make this happen? What is “happiness”?

Conclusion

Create Your Own Zoo

General Rules

· The objective of any zoo is to conserve the wildlife and no zoo shall do anything contradictory to the objective.

· Every zoo must have a wall that surrounds the entire zoo and is at least two meters tall.

· The zoo operator should create and maintain a healthy living area in the zoo by planting trees, flowers, and grass.

· All of the designed habitats should ensure the safety of the animals, visitors, and workers.

· It is the responsibility of the zoo to create an environment for the animals that is as close as possible to their natural habitat.

· Every zoo should have all of the necessary veterinary services including a hospital, equipment, and supplies.

· The zoo must also provide the visitor with bathrooms, drinking fountains, and information centres.

It is the job of your class to create a zoo that addresses the concerns of each role represented in this critical thinking skill activity. Each group will design an aspect of the final project. You will told what part of the zoo your group is responsible for creating (this might be a specific animal exhibit, a habitat area, the overall design of the zoo, etc.). Once you are given your assignment, visit The Virtual Zoo and check out any information that you feel might help you with your section of the class project.

The class needs to create some kind of visual representation of the zoo (poster, 3-D model, map, etc.) This can include pictures of each part of the zoo. Each group should also create a report describing their section of the zoo. Each report will be combined to create one class report. The only requirement for each section is that you follow the guidelines below and choose a category that best fits the needs of your zoo (see the table below). The final decisions are all up to you. Good luck!

Table

The following table is designed to show you different types of zoos and to help you choose what size zoo you would like to create.

Category of the Zoo

Large

Medium

Small

Mini

Area of the zoo in acres

More than 185 acres

125-185 acres

50-125 acres

Less than 50 acres

Number of Animals Exhibited

More than 750

500-750

200-499

200

Animals variety exhibited

More than 75

50-75

20-49

20

Number of endangered species exhibited

More than 15

10-15

5-9

Less than 5

Annual attendance of visitors per year

More than 750,000

500,000-750,000

200,000-500,000

Less than 200,000

Now that you have completed your virtual zoo, look at the zoos of your fellow classmates. After the creation of your zoo and looking at the other zoos of the class, answer the following questions:

A. Did viewing other group's zoos cause you to think of any additional ideas you might like to add to your zoo?

B. How did this assignment cause you to feel about the treatment of animals in zoos? Do you think reform is needed?

C. Were the RSPCA’s Five Freedoms adhered to in your Zoo?

Create Your Own Zoo Enclosure

It is the job of your group to create an enclosure that addresses the concerns of the needs of the animals and the visitors to the zoo.

Each group will design a new enclosure for an animal of their choice.

Each group needs to create some kind of visual representation of the chosen enclosure (poster, 3-D model, map, etc.) This can include pictures of the enclosure and the animal involved.

You need to say why you have created the enclosure and give the reasons for your choices.

How would you improve the life of this animal?

Reflection

• Did viewing other group's enclosures cause you to think of any additional ideas you might like to add to your enclosure?

•How did going to the zoo cause you to feel about the treatment of animals in zoos? Do you think reform is needed?

Appendix: If you are stuck in designing an enclosure, here is the Chester Zoo UK design for the African Painted Dogs

African Painted Dogs – Enclosure Designhttp://www.chesterzoo.org/education/case-studies/enclosure-design

Building the Painted Dog Exhibit at Chester Zoohttps://youtu.be/RLZv5IA0Qcs

New African Painted Dogs at Chester Zoohttps://youtu.be/TqJ3hE8bVTk

January 2018 – 7 endangered African painted dog pups make their first public appearances at Chester Zoo.

April 2017: 11 pups born at the Perth Zoo: https://youtu.be/O9FVPMkEYP0

Extra Resources

The Pros and Cons of Zoos

https://youtu.be/RHBuAOp5upU

Listen carefully and write down 3 pros and 3 cons of Zoos. Share with your group. Collate your group’s lists.

Share with the class.

Analyse the thinking of the staff in these videos:

The Secret Life of the Zoo – 4th Serieshttps://youtu.be/jcSn6wjPn4Q

A Cheeky Orangutan Christmas | The Secret Life Of The Zoo At Christmas

https://youtu.be/-N7V1d_EHzI

Even scientists take selfies with wild animals. Here’s why they shouldn’t.

https://theconversation.com/even-scientists-take-selfies-with-wild-animals-heres-why-they-shouldnt-61252

It’s great that Blue Planet II is pushing hard on plastic pollution in the oceans – but please use facts, not conjecture

https://theconversation.com/its-great-that-blue-planet-ii-is-pushing-hard-on-plastic-pollution-in-the-oceans-but-please-use-facts-not-conjecture-87973

Ivory Trade WebQuest [created May 2016]

https://www. onthejob.education/classhome_activities/Ivory_Trade_WebQuest.htm

The Conversationhttps://theconversation.com/laughs-cries-and-deception-birds-emotional-lives-are-just-as-complicated-as-ours-69471

And by the same author: https://theconversation.com/magpies-can-form-friendships-with-people-heres-how-83950

https://theconversation.com/crying-elephants-and-giggling-rats-animals-have-feelings-too-87977

Summary of ideas from this article:

“we now recognise that animals (including our “superior” human selves in that category) can experience emotions from more simple ones such as happiness and sadness to more complex ones such as empathy, jealousy and grief. Animal sentience is defined as the ability to feel, perceive and experience subjectively. In other words, it’s about emotions and feelings and in some respects, having an awareness that “you are you”.”

Emotions mainly stem from a part of our brain called the “limbic system”. Our limbic system is relatively large and indeed humans are a very emotive species.

So when we come across a brain that has a smaller limbic system than ours, we assume it feels fewer emotions. But, and here’s the big but, when a limbic system is comparatively much bigger than ours, we don’t assume it feels more emotions than us. Most likely because we cannot imagine something that we do not feel or even know about.

In some marine mammals, their limbic system is four times larger than ours is. In addition to this, some marine mammals have spindle cells, which we originally thought were unique to humans, allowing us to make rapid decisions in complex social situations. Arguably, would these evolve if they weren’t used for the same (or at least similar) purposes.

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