Council for animal ethics issues consultative statement on ethics of zoos; my role

Norway´s Council for animal ethics has issues the consultative statement "Etiske grenseoppganger for hold av dyr i dyrepark" (loosely: Ethical limitations for the keeping of animals in zoos). I have been main responsible for composing the text, along with Guri Larsen (though such texts are always ultimately consensus products).

Response from NOAH to my chronicle on Tiger King

Today Siri Martinsen, leader of the animal protection NGO "NOAH - for dyrs rettigheter", has a letter to the editor published in the Norwegian daily Vårt Land, titled "Illusjonen om dyrehagene", in response to my chronicle ""Tiger King" Joe Exotic: En ekte dyrevenn?".

To give two talks at Swedish zoo association conference "The zoos of the future"

I am scheduled to speak twice at the Swedish zoo association conference "Fremtidens dyreparker" (The zoos of the future), which takes place at Bjørneparken (Flå, Norway) September 25-27th 2019. On November 26th I will give the two talks detailed below. I am presented as professor of philosophy (University of Stavanger) and member of Norway´s Council for animal ethics.

— 12.15-13.15 «Dyreparker i fremtiden – om å møte samfunnets holdninger og forventninger»  

— 13.30-13.50 «Gjestemøter»

Visit to Prague Zoo

A few days ago, on July 6th, I visited Prague zoo, for the first time, along with some colleagues (including biosemioticians, and wolf socializers). We observed a couple of examples of stereotypical behavior (in a hyena, and an elephant), but the wolves appeared very relaxed.

Research visit to Tangen zoo scheduled

I have agreed with Runar Næss, director of Tangen zoo (formerly Amadeus zoo), and fellow researcher/biosemiotician Laura Kiiroja, that I will be visiting Tangen zoo March 9-11. The zoo holds socialized foxes, among other animals. The research visit will be conducted within the research project "Animals in changing environments: Cultural mediation and semiotic analysis", more specifically within the case study "Agencies and Conflicts of Interest in Zoological Gardens as an Environment for Mediated Communication".

Summary report from Polar Zoo available online

Last week I finished my summary report after my field trip (in March) to Polar Zoo in Bardufoss, Northern Norway (cf. previous posts, including pictures and links to videos). The 23pp work paper has now been uploaded to Scribd.

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Contents:

1. Factual questions (and questions to the human caretakers)

2. The wolves' interaction among themselves

3. The confinement

4. The wolves and other animals

5. Wolf senses

6. The wolves and their caretakers

7. The wolves and the visitors to the zoo

8. The wolves and me

Monkey business (Kristiansand zoo)

Up North

Today I arrived in Polar Zoo, in Bardu municipality, Norway. At 68,5 degrees North, it is the Northernmost zoological garden in the world. At the moment it is -6 degrees Celsius, but yesterday it was raining - and last week temperatures were at winter lows of -31.

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Polar Zoo has kept wolves since its start in 1994. There's currently 6 wolves here - 4 of them socialized (the alpha male - their father, and one of the two shy wolves - is 10 years old, and was born in the zoo). I will meet them all tomorrow (and until Thursday). Plus the brown bear cubs Salt (female) and Pepper (male).

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This afternoon I have been talking with the staff (3 permanently here (of which I have met 2), and an additional 2 visiting at the moment). Bear trainers and the like. A lot of information to digest.