Behind the glass and the visitors’ smiles, some experts say that certain animals in zoos may be developing behaviors characteristic of profound psychological suffering. The phenomenon has a name: “zoochosis”.
Lions that pace the same route over and over again. Birds that pluck out their own feathers. Primates that consume their waste or smear it on the walls. These are behaviors that animal rights organizations attribute to the stress of spending years confined far from their natural habitats.
Zoos defend their role in conservation. Their critics believe the animals pay the price.
