Wild animals in the city: Considering and connecting with animals in zoos and aquariums

Abstract

Connecting people with nature is a powerful concept that opens doors for relationship building and conservation messaging. The roles of wild animals in the city (e.g., in zoos and aquariums) and how we interact with them—and vice versa—must evolve along with our theoretical discussions and animal management practices in order to advance the field. While taking into consideration the long history of animals in captivity, where we are today, and were we should go in the future, this chapter reviews animal welfare and its ethical frameworks, human-animal interactions and its effect on both animals and people, wildness in zoos and how we perceive different states of origin, compassionate education programs and their efforts to instil empathy and empower people to become agents of change, and the power of modern technology in providing real connections with artificial means. In this ever-changing world, living responsibly together has never been more important.