Animals in a Cage: Human Zoochosis

By Ell

When I was a child, my elementary school took us to the zoo. Children love to see animals up close, and it was a beloved field trip by teachers. Like most kids, I wasn’t able to tell if an enclosure is too small or poorly designed for an animal. There was one animal that my classmates and I could tell was not okay.

At the zoo, there was a polar bear enclosure. The bears had come from circuses. All of them had been abused while in the circus. The zoo was supposed to be a much better home for them, despite the oppressive southern heat. This one bear swayed in place and swung his neck side to side. It didn’t look okay in the eyes. The zookeeper explained that it was due to the bear’s rescue status, which was normal for the bear. We sat near the exhibit for lunch, and that bear just swung his neck the whole time.

That bear always stuck with me. Even though the zookeeper said it was better than the circus and the bear couldn’t be returned to the wild, why would they keep an arctic animal in this heat? Polar bears walk 18 miles a day in search of food. This system may have been “better,” but it certainly was not what was best.

Zoochosis is a psychological condition observed in captive animals, characterized by the presentation of stereotypic behaviors. These behaviors are repetitive, functionless, potentially dangerous to the animal, and are not seen in wild animals. Common presentations of these behaviors include pacing, swaying, biting bars, grooming themselves bald, bobbing and head swinging, and even self-mutilation. The condition happens through abusive captivity (isn’t all bondage abusive?), where animals are unable to live their natural instincts and behaviors. Zoo animals are limited on who to mate with, unable to roam or swim for miles, and live in environments that limit the stimulation they would have in nature.

Animals that commonly get zoochosis are elephants, marine mammals, primates, bears, birds, giraffes, and wolves. This is not a comprehensive list of the animals affected, and mammals are the most commonly observed sufferers.

It’s not always a beneficial thing to compare human behavior to animal behavior and yet sometimes it’s worth cross-examining species to compare our similarities and differences. We often forget that we, too, are animals.

We know that much of human suffering comes from the systems we have placed ourselves in, yet most of us did not choose this. We were born in captivity. Perhaps we are unsuited for returning to the wild, but couldn’t we create sanctuaries for ourselves? Who is watching us swing our necks and gnash our teeth on the barriers? Who has the keys to our cages?

Edited by Welby Delinois.