(Disclaimer: the image used is not affiliated with the Central Park Zoo in any way and stands solely as a marker for animal justice.)

The Central Park Zoo is not an institution that should exist as it does in 2020. As both New Yorkers and environmental advocates, we insist that the New York City Council hold the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Central Park Zoo accountable and ensure that they comply with the demands listed below. Should the Central Park Zoo fail to consider our recommendations and, in turn, the realities of the 21st century and New York City, we ask that the zoo be closed.

To see our full list of demands and research, please see the google doc linked at the bottom. I am starting this petition as a junior in high school who has lived in New York City for almost my whole life. I’ve been to the zoo many times, and while I know how much of a cultural staple it is, we cannot let that change the fact that there are some serious flaws with the way the institution functions in the status quo. We cannot, and will not, keep funding animal suffering. 

Our Two Main Issues (Shortened):

NOISE POLLUTION IN NEW YORK CITY: In 2012, the average levels of outdoor noise at many locations around the city exceeded federal and international guidelines set to protect public health. The Auckland Zoo concluded in a report studying the impacts of noise pollution on zoo animals that high levels of noise are harmful to animals and can significantly disrupt their behavior. 

AIR POLLUTION IN NEW YORK CITY: From research between the years 2015 and 2017, the American Lung Association gave Manhattan an F grade due to the number and severity of high ozone days the city experienced. Experts affirm that when animals inhale dangerous matter they are often prone to contracting severe respiratory infections and lung diseases. 

Abridged Version of Our Demands:

We demand more transparency and information regarding the origins of the Grizzly Bears currently on exhibition at the Central Park Zoo. The Central Park Zoo’s website claims that “in the wild, these impressive bears grew too comfortable with people, so we took them in as rescues,” but unless the zoo can provide specific evidence that the bears situation warranted captivity we ask that they be transferred to another zoo that is not in a city with harmful levels of air and noise pollution; if the zoo fails to justify the captivity of a non-endangered species that cannot be reintroduced into the wild we insist that they not be allowed to exhibit them in the future.

We call on the Central Park Zoo to first address the correlation between exhibiting Sea Lions contracting ocular diseases, then publish research accordingly. Due to the nature of the Sea Lions open enclosure in the Central Park Zoo, once on display the animals fall victim to health concerns including sunburn, stress, and eye damage. Research from the IAAAM affirms that “Sea Lions in captivity develop problems with their eyes that can lead to blindness. The reason for these ocular problems..are thought to be associated with...the “in-ground” design of the pools (for which) these animals are forced to constantly look up and into the sun which may cause overexposure to UV rays.”  Additionally, we demand that the Central Park Zoo pledge to no longer keep Sea Lions in captivity as the population of California Sea Lions has rebounded and no captive environment, no matter how advanced, can accurately mirror that of the wild both physically and mentally.

We insist that the Central Park Zoo end its participation in keeping Red Panda’s captive. This entails both sending current Red Pandas on exhibition to other AZA accredited zoos in safer, less urban settings and not engaging in Red Panda trade in the future. We urge that the zoo to comply with this demand as infant mortality in captive Red Pandas is already staggeringly high, and research from a study entitled “Keeping Red Pandas in Captivity” provides evidence that suggests that air pollution in New York City is only exacerbating the problem. In the study, one of the most common reasons for death was lesions in the respiratory system with pneumonia as the most observed problem. While the pneumonia cited was mostly aspirational and a result of hand-rearing, the effects of pneumonia can be exacerbated through poor air quality. Research has proven that air pollution accelerates pneumonia and asthma, making infant Red Pandas particularly vulnerable. 

We demand that the Central Park Zoo end its participation in lemur captivity. The only species of lemur currently on exhibition at the zoo is the Black and White Ruffed Lemur (Varecia variegata variegata). The Duke Lemur Center notes that while Ruffed Lemurs tend to thrive in captivity, the captive population size is currently too large and too homogenous. Additionally, we maintain that the zoo’s ongoing conservational approach to lemur captivity is not only flawed, but unethical. Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world; when the WCS makes capital out of exhibiting lemurs whose captive population is too large, we believe these funds are ending up in the wrong place.
 
We ask that the Central Park Zoo address concerns about the changing microbiomes and prevalence of reproductive lesions in Snow Monkeys. Researchers from the University of Minnesota found that monkeys' gut bacteria completely changes to resemble that of humans while kept in captivity. Changes in microbiomes have been associated with disorders including diabetes, malnutrition, obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, and more. If research of this kind has not occurred at the Central Park Zoo, we strongly suggest that something be done. If the zoo does come to the same conclusions as the University of Minnesota study, we ask that the Snow Monkeys be moved to a different, less urban and polluted environment. Additionally, a study by the USNLM analyzed lesions of the female reproductive tract in Snow Monkey (Macaca fuscata) of two captive colonies. Necropsies were performed on 15 female M. fuscata. The study’s results indicated that 14 of 15 individuals had reproductive tract lesions of varying types. In an intra-species comparison, the findings of this study differ from a population of M. fuscata managed within a biomedical research facility in the U.S. The M. fuscata observed in the biomedical lab had significantly lower rates of reproductive lesions and disease because the population was derived from a troop imported directly from the Hiroshima prefecture in 1965 and is genetically distinct from the zoo populations reported here. If research has not been done regarding reproductive lesions, it must occur immediately. If evidence of reproductive disease is found in the M. fuscata in the Central Park Zoo, we ask that their exhibit be permanently closed to the public and that they receive treatment. 

Photo credit: Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals