How many animals are killed by zoos each year?

The so-called “surplus” animals in zoos are often killed, even if they are healthy. Even though many of us want to know how many animals die in zoos each year, these numbers are not easy to track. According to In Defense of Animals, up to 5,000 zoo animals are killed each year — mind you, only in Europe.



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Throughout the ensuing global outcry, questions were asked about how widespread the practice of killing healthy animals is in zoos. Opinions and reports ranged wildly, with disputed industry estimates reporting that between 3,000 and 5,000 healthy animals are killed across European zoos every year.

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The one number everyone seems to agree on, including In Defense of Animals, is “In Europe, it is estimated that between 3,000 – 5,000 “surplus” zoo inmates are killed every year.” It's hard to imagine how many are killed in the US.

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More than 80 percent of mammals survive longer in zoos than in the wild. This was true even of carnivores, according to study co-author Marcus Clauss, professor of nutrition and biology of zoo and wild animals at the University of Zurich.

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Dr Lesley Dickie, executive director of EAZA, [said] that between 3,000 and 5,000 healthy animals are put down every year across Europe. 'That's our estimate for all animals management euthanised in the zoo, be it tadpoles up until a giraffe'.

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Animals at these unsafe, non accredited zoos are often at risk for overbreeding, which can lead to overcrowded zoo spaces, with animals being sold to other zoos and circuses without as much thought to each animal's best interests.

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AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums have collaborated on breeding and reintroduction programs that have helped save at least nine species like California condors, black-footed ferrets, Przewalski's horse, golden lion tamarins, American red wolves, and more from the brink of extinction.

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What we do know so far is that evidence suggests wild animals can be as happy in captivity as they are in nature, assuming they are treated well. Confinement alone doesn't mean an animal is automatically worse off.

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Animal abuse is widespread in 75% of zoo and aquarium facilities. 96% of elephants in entertainment facilities are treated poorly. Polar bears have a million times less space in zoos. Only 18% of captive animals are endangered.

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Polar bears are the animals that do worst in captivity. Carnivores such as polar bears, tigers, cheetahs, and lions are especially poorly suited for life in a zoo, according to a new study. The more an animal roams in the wild, the researchers found, the worse it fares in captivity.

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That captivity can be REALLY bad for both physical AND psychological health. And while zoos have been really helpful is saving endangered animals, it doesn't work out for certain species. For example, most large carnivores like lions and tigers that are bred in captivity die when released into the wild.

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According to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), there are over 10,000 zoos worldwide.

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Cherokee Bear Zoo and Santa's Land—two roadside zoos located on tribal land in western North Carolina—keep bears and other animals in grossly inhumane conditions. As if they were stuck in the 1950s, these facilities display often neurotic bears in desolate concrete pits or cramped cages.

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While zoo advocates and conservationists argue that zoos save endangered species and educate the public, many animal rights activists believe the cost of confining animals outweighs the benefits, and that the violation of the rights of individual animals—even in efforts to fend off extinction—cannot be justified.

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Do zoos help or harm animals? While some suggest that zoos exploit captive animals and that wild animals should be wild, these facilities also present wildlife conservation attempts and learning opportunities as well. Zoos may introduce trauma to animals, but they are also taken care of in zoos.

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Zoo's Research Helps Wildlife Studying animals in zoos can create real positive change for wildlife populations. Even if animals in zoos are never introduced to the wild, they still help improve the lives of their counterparts living in nature.

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5 animals that wouldn't exist without zoos
  • Chicken frog. The population has decreased with over 90% the last 10 years which makes it critically endangered. ...
  • Scimitar-horned oryx. Scimitar-horned oryx are extinct in the wild. ...
  • European bison. ...
  • Lesser White-fronted Goose. ...
  • Przewalskis wild horse.


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In the past 26 years, there have been 256 injuries from animal attacks at accredited and non-accredited zoos, menageries and wild animal parks in the U.S., according to a searchable database developed by the animal advocacy group Born Free. Thirty-three victims died from their injuries.

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After an animal dies, a necropsy is done to determine a specific cause of death to list beyond simply euthanasia, and the results are added to the animal's permanent file. Once this testing is completed, the remains of the animal are cremated.

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Most animals confined in zoos are not endangered, nor are they being prepared for release into natural habitats. In fact, it is nearly impossible to release captive-bred animals, including threatened species like elephants, polar bears, gorillas, tigers and chimpanzees into the wild.

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