My understanding is that PETA wants all zoos to be abolished, as they are cruel and unusual punishment for animals.
In the wake of Siberian tiger Tatiana’s escape and attack on visitors at the San Francisco Zoo—which left one person dead and two others seriously injured—PETA sent an urgent letter this morning to Manuel A. Mollinedo, executive director and president of the San Francisco Zoo, urging him to phase out the zoo’s tiger exhibit.
Since 1990, there have been more than 220 dangerous incidents in 40 states involving big cats. Four children and 15 adults have lost their lives, and more than 50 others have lost limbs or suffered other injuries after being mauled. The animals involved are victims too—75 big cats, including Tatiana, have been killed because of these incidents.
Captive tigers are forced to spend their entire lives in barren enclosures, which, on average, are 18,000 times smaller than their natural roaming range, according to an Oxford University study. The study also shows that it is simply impossible for captive tigers to express instinctual behaviors, such as staking out territory in dense forests, choosing mates, running, climbing trees, and hunting. Oxford scientists concluded that big cats—who have extraordinarily complex physical and psychological needs—become neurotic when they are confined.
“In the past, the San Francisco Zoo made the honorable decision to close its elephant exhibit and send its elephants to a sanctuary,” says PETA Director Debbie Leahy. “In light of this latest tragedy, it is time for the zoo to do the right thing once again and protect its animals and the public by phasing out its tiger exhibit.”