How do zoos acquire their animals?

Very often, zoos acquire animals from other zoos; in most cases, these animals have been bred in the originating zoo. Since many zoos cooperate and coordinate with other zoos around the globe, this facilitates a large degree of availability for many species.



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Zoos don't buy or sell animals, they only trade. It may seem odd to run a business – even a non-profit – with a collection that you can't buy or sell. How do zoos get new animals to enhance their collections or get rid of animals they no longer need or want? No money changes hands.

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Some animals that are in zoos are taken from their families and natural homes. Most of the time it's the babies that are taken to zoos because people enjoy seeing baby animals more than adults. These babies then have to grow up without their parents to show them their habits as they are growing up.

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As with all food for the Zoo's animals, the meat comes from reputable USDA-inspected facilities. While it may seem somewhat unappetizing to us humans, feeding large carnivores this way is in line with the best available animal care science.

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Zoos follow a fundamental principle: You can't sell or buy the animals. It's unethical and illegal to put a price tag on an elephant's head.

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The Chinese government owns nearly all the giant pandas on earth. And American zoos will shell out up to $1 million a year to rent just one. Most sign 10-year panda diplomacy contracts, and if any baby cubs are born, they pay an additional one-time $400,000 baby tax.

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Reintroduction programs, by which animals raised or rehabilitated in AZA-accredited zoos or aquariums are released into their natural habitats, are powerful tools used for stabilizing, reestablishing, or increasing in-situ animal populations that have suffered significant declines.

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Animals also get vitamins and other supplements to keep them healthy. Most big zoos have a fulltime staff of veterinarians and other health experts. They examine the animals and treat them in case they become ill. However, even in zoos, animals can get hurt.

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Very often, zoos acquire animals from other zoos; in most cases, these animals have been bred in the originating zoo. Since many zoos cooperate and coordinate with other zoos around the globe, this facilitates a large degree of availability for many species.

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Anything remaining will be cremated, including even the tiniest of animals. “Everything from guppies to elephants is incinerated,” says Neiffer. While burials were once commonplace at zoos, very few bury their animals anymore.

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On average, captive animals (especially mammals) live longer than wild animals. This may be due to the fact that zoos provide refuge against diseases, competition with others of the same species and predators.

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A lot of Zoo animals choose to go outside in the winter. Dens, heated rocks and other exhibit features help them stay comfortable, even in the rain and snow. The Zoo also has heated, indoor exhibits that keep animals (and visitors) warm on cold winter days.

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To meet our big cats' needs, we feed them three diet items: whole rabbits, which are a good substitute for the skin and organs of large prey; ground meat, representing the muscle tissue of a kill; and bones, which help our cats maintain strong jaw pressure and clean their teeth.

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Zoos and aquariums also often rehabilitate injured animals, and then release them into the wild.

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What Are Some Pros and Cons of Zoos?
  • Animals Often Only Have Quite Limited Space. ...
  • Zoos Are Crowded. ...
  • Animals Are Trapped in Unnatural Environments. ...
  • Confinement May Alter the Behavior of Animals. ...
  • 'Surplus' Animals Can Be Killed. ...
  • Animals Are Often Mistreated. ...
  • Animals Don't Like Being Visited. ...
  • Animals Struggle to Form Connections.


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This study reviewed 45 case studies, involving 17 carnivore species, and found that only 30% of captive animals released survived.

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Most zoos close when the sun sets. This gives the animals a break from visitors and many of them rest and sleep at this time. Keeping a zoo open after dark would require lighting up all the habitats and that would be costly and fairly ineffective.

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