Captive Ambassadors: The Hidden Lives of Zoo Animals

Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-90-04-72778-6
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 29, 342 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: Human-Animal Studies

Captive Ambassadors challenges the notion of zoo animals as "ambassadors" for their species, revealing the exploitative marketing tactics behind their individualized narratives. Drawing on cognitive and behavioral ethology, transspecies psychology, and critical anthropomorphism, this multidisciplinary work exposes how zoos fabricate biographies to mask the harsh reality of animals’ lived experiences in captivity. It critiques the disruptions of animal culture caused by captive breeding programs and the tragic fate of surplus animals deemed no longer useful. Advocating for authentic animal biographies and ethical engagement, this book argues for a shift in human-animal relations that honors animals as unique individuals with intrinsic value, transcending the confines of their captive roles.

Autoren/Hrsg.

D'Vincent, Eve

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Politikwissenschaft Allgemein Politische Theorie, Politische Philosophie
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Umweltsoziologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Sozialphilosophie, Politische Philosophie

Inhaltsverzeichnis

List of Figures

Introduction

1 The Zoo-Industrial Complex 1 What is a Zoo? 2 Zoo Animal Biographies 3 Individualization, Pseudo-Individualization, and Instrumental Individualization 4 Zoo Animal Ambassadors

2 Anthropomorphism and Animal Ambassadors 1 What is Anthropomorphism? 2 Critical Anthropomorphism 3 Strategic Anthropomorphism and Marketing Animal Individuals 4 Animal Cultures and Animal ‘Names’ 5 Anthropomorphism in the Gift Shop 6 Captive Painters and Musicians 7 From Enrichment to Entertainment 8 Captive Performers 9 When Anthropomorphism Goes Wrong

3 Educational Animal Ambassadors 1 Educational Ambassadors 2 What Lessons do Animal Ambassador Experiences Teach? 3 The Invasive Human Gaze 4 Impacts of Educational Ambassador Programs on the Animals 4.1 Impact of Physical Proximity to Other Animals 4.2 Impact of Physical Proximity to Human Visitors 5 Virtual Invasiveness 6 Sensory Pollution 7 Aquatic Ambassadors on Display

4 Iconic Conservation Ambassadors and Genetic Conservation Ambassadors 1 Iconic Conservation Ambassadors 2 Genetic Conservation Ambassadors 3 Reintroduction to the Wild from Captive Breeding

Programs 4 Reproductive Servitude 5 Translocation and Dislocation 6 Zoo Biographies of Conservation Ambassadors 7 The Disruption of Animal Cultures 8 Iconic Infant Animal Ambassadors 9 Passive Domestication and Behavioral Incompetence 10 Sacrificial Ambassadors

5 Surplus Animals 1 When Does an Animal Become a Surplus Animal? 2 “Managed Euthanasia” or “Zoothanasia”? 3 Animal Transfer 4 What ‘Animal Transfer’ Means for Animals 5 From the Zoo to a ‘Career’ in Entertainment 6 Zoos and the Exotic Pet Trade 7 From Ambassador to Target 8 Sanctuary 9 The Ethics of Animal Sanctuaries 10 Sanctuary Animal Biographies 11 Transformed Lives 12 Biographical Depth 13 Beyond Pseudo-Individualization

Conclusion

Bibliography

Animal Biographies Appendix

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Eve D’Vincent, Ph.D. (2022), is a psychotherapist and independent scholar whose research spans from the Amazonian rainforest to the remote wilderness of Southeast Alaska. Her scholarly contributions have been featured in Scholastic Magazine and Rocky Mountain Books.