What Asheboro Zoo Doesn't Want You To Know

The State's largest zoological park is not the zoo with the best track record for keeping captive animals alive. Nor do they come anywhere near being self-supporting with visitor revenues. Our tax dollars support them. Yet they are asking for a government granted coercive monopoly on the entire zoo and wildlife industry in this state, closing down all other zoos and wildlife facilities including rescue sanctuaries. And they are chairing the study group legislative advisory committee that will help decide whether any other zoos will be allowed to operate in the state of North Carolina.

We don't think it would be a good idea for the director of WalMart to chair a committee that helps decide whether to pass a law that bans all stores in North Carolina that are not owned by WalMart. Unfortunately that is exactly what is happening in our legislature right now.

The American Zoological Association is a group of zoos and aquariums nationwide that agree to abide by certain guidelines and meet certain standards. Not all zoos in this state agree with those particular guidelines or standards. Though most of them are generally good, many independent zoo and wildlife professionals feel that some of their standards and practices are not the best ones either for animal welfare, species survival or public education. Others feel that they are unreasonably high for some species and unreasonably low for others. In addition those standards are set up so that no zoo can become an AZA member until it has been open for several years. If legislation is successfully passed banning all zoos except for AZA accredited ones, there will never be another zoo in the state of North Carolina. The Asheboro Zoo may benefit, but North Carolina citizens will not.

The AZA is certainly not bad or evil. It accomplishes many good things. But it is a private club, and not all zoos want to belong to this particular club or agree with how it is run. A ban that exempts only members of this club would establish a government granted coercive monopoly in the zoo and wildlife industry in our state. A good comparison would be forcing all the smaller mom and pop grocery stores to join WalMart and pay them dues in order to have the right to stay open. WalMart may be a good store with good products, but we don't all want (or need) to belong to WalMart.

The Asheboro Zoo is not bad or evil either. But neither does it deserve to be the only zoo in the state. More animals have died at the Asheboro Zoo from various caging accidents than in all other zoos in the State combined. Many of these accidents are due to the inordinately large enclosures, which include dangerous moats that animals can fall into. Zoo visitors (including children) have also been injured in moat-type zoo enclosures. Simple chain-link fence enclosures are far safer for the captives, but less attractive to the public.

For all that, Asheboro certainly has the best funding. Due to its rather remote location, it is certainly one of the least convenient zoos for most North Carolinians to visit. As a result, fewer people visit the Asheboro Zoo than the totality of other zoos in the state. This zoo spends nearly three times the amount in upkeep of all other zoos combined and has yet to show a profit.

This must be disappointing for Asheboro Zoo executives. But perhaps they believe that like Walmart, if they can lobby hard enough to cut out the smaller businessman, they can get his business. Whether or not they succeed will decide the fate of the smaller neighborhood zoos.