Those who cannot take responsibility until the end should not keep animals

(This is an English translation of an article I wrote.

I may make mistakes or grammatical errors.)

　Those who cannot take responsibility until the end should not keep animals

In recent years in Japan, we often hear news that dogs and cats have been abandoned due to the owner's own circumstances and have become stray dogs or cats, or left to the public health center. Some of them are so-called "animal hoarding", and it is not bad to keep many pets and breed them, but they can lose weight or be left ill because of not owners’ paying enough food expenses or medical expenses for animals. In some cases, and were eventually reported by citizens who couldn't stand watching that.

　 It doesn't require much initial investment to start keeping pets. You can buy a small animal for a thousand yen or even a large animal for 10,000 yen. The gauge required to keep a pet may not be as much as 5,000 yen. (※1 dollar ≒ 100 yen) But it really costs money after you start pets. Pets eat food every day. Also they may get sick. At that time, it is necessary for the owner to buy food responsibly, handle the dung, train, and consult with veterinarians if necessary. To keep an animal means to bear the life of that animal. And they can't talk to people correctly. It is necessary for owners to observe and understand them.

　The poor animals that have been abandoned are protected and volunteers are working together to provide temporary protection and search for new owners. Such movement seems to have been known in recent years.

　When you see animals at a pet shop, they may be small and cute, but they become adults. They may not be able to be obeyed gradually. Can you take care of them all the way to the end? That is what people who keep animals are being questioned. If you don't have enough money or time to take care of it, you should be discouraged to keep animals.

　Now, as these poor animals have been in the news, the recognition has been taking root among people. However, some people are unaware that this is what is happening in the zoo, although such zoos are only a very few. I think this is a serious situation.

　In the first place, people have great trust in a large organization called ”zoo”. People believe that those who work at the zoo are professionals, all zoos have their own veterinarians, and all animals in all zoos are properly bred.

　However, in reality, many zoos are in the red. If it's a public zoo, it is compensated by taxes. Even so, some zoos have few staffs, no resident vets, or insufficient facilities for the animals they keep. If that happens, the animals will not have enough welfare. However, some people think that it can't be helped because of lack money.

　People think you should take care of pets to the end if you begin to keep, why such zoos are forgiven because of lack money or few staffs? In the first place, such a zoo should not keep animals. If restricting animals' behavior, it should be the minimum common obligation of the person managing the animal to ensure their minimum happiness.

　I'm not saying zoos must make a jungle for gorillas. After all, no matter what we do, the fact remains that we limit the happiness of freedom that animals should have in their hands. Not everyone who owns a dog can make a large kennel for that dog. So, at the very least, the matters related life, hygiene, and spirit such as daily meal management, cleaning, residence management including temperature, medical care, and freedom of choice of behavior should be guaranteed.

　What should we do if zoos can no longer manage animals? Zoo animals cannot easily find a foster parent or provide private protection. Volunteers should be able to participate and help the keeper's work even a little. I think we should be able to do things such as cleaning, preparing meals after receiving sufficient disinfection and explanation in advance. The management of the participants may also become a problem. However, if zoos are in trouble with few staff or lack money, they should be willing to accept some kind of assistance or ask them for help if those who want to do.

Of course, most of the zoos are trying to make their animals happier with their own efforts even though they are short of manpower and money, and I have visited many such zoos. The problem is a few zoos that have given up doing so because of money and labor shortages, and people who are angry for people to try to intervene in the zoo.

Do not make animals that have been reared unhappy for human convenience. Don't make money or labor shortages a excuse. At the very least, in a zoo, where we learn the importance of animal life, we should not accept such a way of thinking.