The Philadelphia Zoo's stated mission is "by connecting people with wildlife, the Philadelphia Zoo creates joyful discovery and inspires action for animals and habitats," and it positions itself as a progressive institution that "challenges zoo norms."  

But the Zoo still promotes abusive and outdated traveling animal displays -currently with renting out animals for display at the Philadelphia International Airport. The Philadelphia Zoo's controversial "Zoo on Wheels" program had been suspended since 2020 due to the pandemic, and other, more progressive zoos including the Detroit Zoo have permanently ended their traveling animal displays due to the stress experienced by the animals.

Animals should not be treated as luggage or paintings to be shipped and displayed for human entertainment. Yet the zoo and airport officials admit that the airport display is for human enjoyment - in a January 9, 2023 article published in the Philadelphia Inquirer, no mention was made of the stress involved to the animals in being packed up and trucked and put on display in inadequate cases or cages - the focus was on the alleged human benefit in gawking at captive exotic animals. 

“It’s always fun seeing people’s expressions because it’s so unexpected and delightful,” said airport director of guest experience Leah Douglas, and “The biggest takeaway from this experience is that animals are a universal good,” said the zoo’s director of mission integration, Dani Hogan. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you do — seeing a live animal just enjoying themselves in a surprising way is such a genuinely good thing for people to experience.”

The animals on display at the Philadelphia International Airport did not choose to be in captivity, they did not choose to be on display, and they are not "just enjoying themselves." Please tell the Philadelphia Zoo that traveling animals displays are an exploitative and inhumane practice that has no place in a professedly progressive institution allegedly focusing on inspiring respect for wildlife.