A nice family outing in parks or zoos can become a nightmare when the safety rules of the establishment are not respected, after all the animals exposed in these places are mostly wild. When what is at stake is the life of a human being, security protocols are clear: we must sacrifice animal life.
This happened with the Harambe gorilla, 17, in the Cincinnati Zoo in the United States. The animal was killed in May this year moments after a four year old entering his cage. In the same month a couple in their 20s tried to kill himself and entered the cage with three lions in the zoo Metropolitano Santiago, Chile. Staff at the site killed two of the three animals, saving the lives of the suicide.
In the recent case of the two-year-old boy who was dragged by an alligator in Orlando (USA), close to a Disney hotel, five alligators were captured and killed, and the child's body was found lifeless. The animals will undergo tests to identify which attacked the child.
In Brazil, the Normative Instruction No. 7, 2015, IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Natural Resources), which guides the zoos security protocols in case of escape from a wild animal's cage or visitors entry in the animal enclosure. The security plan is required by the state departments of Environment to grant or renew the operating license of a zoo.
And the only way out is death?
In all cases described above, the death of animals caused revolt of non-governmental organizations and activists who defend the rights of animals. "Where were the guards, in the case of the gorilla in the United States?
Today there are darts that cause the animal to lose consciousness almost instantly, because they chose to shoot the animal? "Asked Elizabeth McGregor, director of the National Animal Protection and Defense Forum.
The president of the SBZ (Zoological Society of Brazil and Aquariums), Claudio Mass, explains that there are risks when you throw a dart tranquilizer in an animal.
The dart is a syringe with a thick needle that pierces 5 to 10 cm on the animal muscle. This will hurt, which can trigger an attack on the person who is in that situation. Furthermore, the tranquilizer takes 5 to 15 minutes, depending on the size and weight of the animal, to take effect. "
Claudio Mass, President of SBZ
Biologist Zoo of Rio de Janeiro, Anderson Mendes Augusto explains that the animal sacrifice is an extreme measure. "The animal is only sacrificed when there is imminent risk of human life. If by chance someone enters the cage of a lion, for example, and the animal does not approach, of course they will not shoot the animal. The handler will try to lure it does the other way so that the person be removed. Everything will depend on the situation and to the animal. the caregiver know if, despite being a feline, he usually quiet, "says Augusto.
The Harambe gorilla, 17, was killed in the zoo in Cincinnati, USA
human recklessness is paid to animal life
In 2014, an 11-year-old spent the security barrier from the cage of a tiger to give a piece of chicken feed and pet him. He was attacked and he lost his arm. In this case, the animal was not killed.
"This was the last case we had an animal attack on a human in a zoo. It is rare to happen and usually happens when situations are caused by the visitor," said Claudio Mass.
To ensure the safety of visitors and animals, parks create a scheme that includes grills and notices to electronic monitoring.
In the case of Sao Paulo Zoo, Mara Cristina Marques explains that the area of most dangerous animals such as tigers and lions, is the most protected. "We have fixed security in animal cages, as well as cameras and electronic billboards that warn the rules. Yet there is always someone who gets too close to take a picture, the father or mother who puts the child in the wall to better see the animal" explains.
It is also asked to in some areas, such as the birds, be made the least possible noise, not stress the animals. "But on days like Children's Day at the zoo receives up to more than 25 thousand people, it is difficult to maintain the silence of the place," says Mara Cristina.
What are the zoos?
Visiting a zoo should mean to the regulars have more knowledge about the nature which should generate mainly environmental awareness. "But people go to zoos thinking it will pay to see a show and that's not it. They need to come to contemplate the animals and learn about (and with) them. Animals are not treat objects for our enjoyment" says Anderson Mendes Augusto, the zoo of Rio.
This is precisely the main criticism of entities linked to the defense of animal rights are to zoos. "Even in a zoo that offers the best conditions for the animals, they are not in their natural habitat, they can not minimally express their animal behavior. They can not be treated as stuffed animals," says Elizabeth McGregor, director of the Forum national Animal Protection and Defense.
For the manager of Peta in Latin America, Alicia Woempner, the ideal would be to create sanctuaries, accredited, non-profit, "that do not exploit animals for human entertainment." "There are studies that show that people who go to zoos, stroll, watch the animals and follow their lives. They do not learn anything in visits," he adds.
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