Dr. Koen Margodt

Many people had a close relationship with Jane Goodall. She knew how to connect with people – and animals – instantly and reach to the bottom of their heart. Jane and I have known each other for thirty years. As each year passed, we grew ever closer and here I want to share some memories of a wonderful person and very dear friend.

Zoos have been in the news recently for killing healthy animals. Some zoo people focus on typical prey animals, but want to expand this to all animals in their care, including great apes and dolphins. In this essay, I explain that this fits within the context of zoos struggling to establish viable breeding programs. They want to keep too many species, often not endangered, and face serious breeding problems. One solution is to kill unwanted animals; another would be to keep fewer species. I also outline the risks of this approach for companion animals and animals living in the wild. It turns the clock back decades, if not centuries. At the very least, zoos should keep fewer species in larger enclosures. Even better would be to transform zoos into sanctuaries—places that truly respect animals as individuals and do their utmost for each one. Besides the animals themselves, this issue clearly creates tensions between conservationists and other animal advocates.

We have written an open letter to the people and authorities of the Faroe Islands, asking them to end the hunt of pilot whales and other cetaceans. Together with Dr Jane Goodall and other experts, we argue that cultural traditions need to adjust to respect animal welfare. The way these highly sensitive sea mammals are killed is even illegal in many slaughterhouses.