--- title: Jack Hanna: What Zoo Critics Don't Understand description: We all have the same priorities—animal welfare, conservation, and education canonical: https://time.com/3859186/zoo-defense/ author: Jack Hanna article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-15T19:00:22.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:15.491Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Jack Hanna: Leave Zoos Alone! og:description: We all have the same priorities—animal welfare, conservation, and education og:url: https://time.com/3859186/zoo-defense/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte447fc79e1ff86f3/6987efe28e060171bd45e9ca/jack-hanna.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Jack Hanna is seen posing with black mountain lion cub at 'Good Morning America' on Sept. 22, 2014 in New York City. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Jack Hanna: Leave Zoos Alone! twitter:description: We all have the same priorities—animal welfare, conservation, and education twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte447fc79e1ff86f3/6987efe28e060171bd45e9ca/jack-hanna.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Jack Hanna: What Zoo Critics Don't Understand > Sponsored content. 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Alessio Botticelli—GC Images by [Jack Hanna](https://time.com/author/jack-hanna/) ## Jack Hanna May 15, 2015 7:00 PM UTC Dr. Jane Goodall recently made two statements critical of zoos and aquariums. She said two elephants in a zoo in Seattle should be released to a sanctuary and that [SeaWorld](http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/28/news/jane-goodall-seaworld/) should be shut down. After the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle invited her to learn more about the zoo’s decisions regarding elephants, she [took them up on their invitation](http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/jane-goodall-backtracks-on-elephant-sanctuary-says-zoo-is-fine/). I admire Dr. Goodall for her willingness to learn more and [re-evaluate](http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/jane-goodall-studying-whats-best-for-chai-bamboo/) her initial comments. I hope Dr. Goodall will also engage in a conversation with SeaWorld about her concerns. I encourage other zoo critics to do the same thing—engage in a meaningful dialogue so that together we can do the best thing for animals. I’m growing weary of the us-versus-them mentality. Although zoo critics and zoo champions have some differing philosophies, we all have the same priorities—animal welfare, conservation, and education. I am confident we can co-exist and be more productive if we work side-by-side. Visiting zoos and aquariums is the largest recreational activity in the United States. More than [175 million people](https://www.aza.org/visitor-demographics/) visit zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) each year. Zoos and aquariums play a critical role in the survival of endangered species and allow people from all walks of life to experience and learn about the animal world. Animals in zoos are ambassadors to their cousins in the wild—they educate people about the importance of wildlife. After a visit to the zoo—listening, seeing, smelling—people often leave with a newfound understanding and compassion for wildlife. AZA accreditation requires excellence in animal care and welfare, conservation, education and scientific studies. There are [more than 200](https://www.aza.org/current-accreditation-list/) accredited institutions, and in 2013, they donated nearly [$160 million](https://www.aza.org/annual-report-on-conservation-and-science/) to support about 2,450 conservation projects in more than 120 countries. Species such as the black-footed ferret, California condor, Mexican wolf, scimitar-horned oryx, and [Przewalski’s horses](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/04/przewalskis-horse-foal%5Fn%5F3697840.html) have overcome near-extinction in part because of zoos’ commitment to conservation. Critics say the only place animals belong is in the wild, but those boundaries are shrinking each day. Having traveled the world, the only places I consider truly “wild” are Antarctica, parts of the Amazon and some places in Africa. Even in Africa, the “wild” places tend to be national parks with guarded boundaries. Animals face many challenges, including habitat loss, poaching, severe weather, and war. The “wild” is not necessarily the idyllic place people imagine. Poaching has decimated the northern white rhino population—the last known male has his own [personal 24-hour security](http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/27/ol-pejeta-kenya-sudan-worlds-last-male-northern-white-rhinoceros) to ensure he isn’t poached for his horn. I’ve loved animals since I was a young boy and have dedicated my life to improving zoos and educating people about wildlife. In my more-than 40-year career, I’ve taken an active role in modernizing zoological parks to provide top-notch habitats, veterinary care, and enrichment, and meaningful educational opportunities for guests. During my tenure at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and _the Wilds_, I’ve had the pleasure of working with dozens of zoos, including SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment. I can tell you firsthand that the animals in SeaWorld’s parks receive world-class care. Their zoological team shares my commitment to protecting and preserving species; educating young people about the risks that animals face in the natural world; and inspiring the next generation of conservationists, marine biologists, scientists, and animal enthusiasts. The animal care teams at SeaWorld understand the value of studying animals in zoological settings in order to save future generations. Furthermore, this spring I witnessed SeaWorld’s rescue teams in full swing. More than [25,000 animals](http://seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/animals/animal-rescue/) owe their lives to SeaWorld animal rescue teams. Just this year, they have saved more than 500 sea lions on the West Coast. The SeaWorld team has worked around the clock to rehabilitate these animals, all with the goal of returning them to the wild. The team at SeaWorld San Diego even built two new pools to accommodate them, and [closed its Sea Lion and Otter Show](http://fox5sandiego.com/2015/03/06/seaworld-suspends-show-to-help-rescue-stranded-sea-lions/) so that its staff could dedicate more time to nursing the pups back to health. Every aquarium and zoo I work with believes its mission includes raising awareness about the challenges faced by animals around the world. We know animals have the power to touch our hearts, and when this happens, it opens the door to education that can inspire people to participate in protecting animals and conserving their environments. As worldwide animal populations continue to decline and children have less face-to-face experiences with animals, it’s my hope that all animal advocates—zoos, researchers, scientists, activists, philanthropists, the media, and animal lovers everywhere—will join forces to make a difference. ## Transcript >> The story that I've been exploring is on animal cognition on what's in the mind of animals. One of the first things and most important things I did was going to the Great Ape Trust in Iowa and visit several of the language adept apes. >> Tomato. >> And three of the bonobos there have been brought up with language and have acquired a vocabulary of 384 words. >> Potato. >> Potato. >> Blueberries. >> Blueberry. >> But you can see Justin in this row for example there are words-- some of the words here are like, ready, chalk, pretend, and what you'll notice is that a lot of these words are not easy nouns or verbs. How do you explain to an ape more, it, is, until, said, ed, the past tense, how do you tell an ape that? It has to be able to grasp instructions. >> Can you buy surprise? >> Surprise. >> When I first arrived, he was quite cautious and Kanzi approached the wall with some tentativeness and when that was done and he was comfortable, he pointed to the icon for coffee, pointed to me and swept his arm to include the other researchers and we all had coffee and he drinks hot coffee and he takes it with a little bit of sweetener and a little bit of vanilla milk. When he grew bored with us, he pointed to his icon for ball. The researchers suggested that I go get it for him to further strengthen our relationship and showed me where to tap out. " Yes, I will get the ball for you ." I did then get the ball for him. It took me a long time and when I returned, Dr. Rumbaugh asked him if he was ready to play and he said past ready. So apparently, I kept him waiting too long. >> Kanzi, could you cut the onions with your knife? >> That's very good. Thank you. >> One of the highest faculties that humans have are the things we'll be find it harder to measure and even articulate things like compassion and things like empathy, things like generosity. Kanzi's vocabulary includes not just words that describe his day. It includes words like happy and be and tomorrow and these are all words that suggest an animal that understand that his life while it's not the life you and I choose to live, his life is one that's meaningful to him, that brings him pleasure and is one that he looks forward to continuing and, you know, that says a lot. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3859186/zoo-defense/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3859186/zoo-defense/"},"headline":"Jack Hanna: What Zoo Critics Don't Understand","datePublished":"2015-05-15T19:00:22.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:59:15.491Z","description":"We all have the same priorities—animal welfare, conservation, and education","url":"https://time.com/3859186/zoo-defense/","keywords":["Culture"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte447fc79e1ff86f3/6987efe28e060171bd45e9ca/jack-hanna.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jack Hanna","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/jack-hanna/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte447fc79e1ff86f3/6987efe28e060171bd45e9ca/jack-hanna.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Jack Hanna is seen posing with black mountain lion cub at 'Good Morning America' on Sept. 22, 2014 in New York City.","caption":"Jack Hanna is seen posing with black mountain lion cub at 'Good Morning America' on Sept. 22, 2014 in New York City.","creditText":"Alessio Botticelli—GC Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/culture/","name":"Culture"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3859186/zoo-defense/","name":"Jack Hanna: What Zoo Critics Don't Understand"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How Animals Learn Language","description":"TIME science writer, Jeffrey Kluger visits the Great Ape Trust to meet a remarkable Bonobo ape named Kanzi.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/IB9XTqaU/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2010-08-06T14:20:17.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IB9XTqaU.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3859186/zoo-defense/","duration":"PT3M13S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3859186/zoo-defense/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```