Zoos put tremendous stress on their inmates that they would not experience in the wild. Zoo administrators have been very slow to realize the mental health of their "guests" is just as important as their physical condition. This unwillingness to recognize animal mental health issues may be changing, albeit slowly. Dr. Vint Virga, a veterinarian who specializes in animal behavior, has found a niche as a consultant to animal parks and zoos. When a captive exhibits behavioral problems, Dr. Vint Varga is called in to diagnose and treat. Conditions range from anxiety and depression to phobias and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Humans are not the only ones taking Prozac! This link contains an article and video about his unique practice.
Enlightened zoo practices aside, the morality of exhibiting wild animals to the public is troubling. Science now knows that many higher animals possesses consciousness and emotional lives. This conclusion of leading animal researchers was formally expressed in the Cambridge Declaration. Disputes about what is consciousness in animals remain among scientists, but that does not deny the general scientific consensus about the existence of animal higher intelligence. If animals do suffer from captivity how can it be justified morally? Preservation of bio-diversity and public education are often mentioned as justifications. Certainly these justifications were not present when ancient kings and elites created private menageries, the forerunners of zoos. Human entertainment, often cruel, was the reason for their existence. Is it not more moral to preserve man's co-owners of Earth in their natural environment? Once it was believed only man engaged in moral behavior; science has found that some higher animals also act with empathy and reciprocity, the pillars of morality. As their custodians humans have a basic moral obligation to treat animals with the respect they deserve. Psalms 50,10-11. Dr. Frans de Waal discusses the science findings: