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Two births at Madrid Zoo reopen the debate on captive breeding
The birth of two critically endangered animals has returned Zoo Aquarium de Madrid to the centre of an old debate. A Sumatran elephant born on 5 August and Sela, a Bornean orangutan calf born on 2 April, have become new draws for visitors and, at the same time, a reason for criticism from animal-rights groups.
The elephant is particularly unique. Madrid Zoo houses the only Sumatran Asian elephant specimens in Europe within the conservation programme of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The calf was born after more than 21 months of gestation and remains with its mother and the rest of the family group.
Sela was born a few months earlier and also belongs to a critically endangered species. The young orangutan remains under the care of her mother, Surya, and has been gaining weight over the summer. Both births form part of European programmes that seek to maintain genetically viable populations outside their original habitats.
For the zoo, this breeding serves a conservation purpose. The facility takes part in more than 60 European programmes for threatened species and argues that maintaining populations under human care makes it possible to preserve genetic diversity and to have specimens that, when conditions allow, can contribute to reintroduction projects.
The interpretation of animal-rights groups is very different. Proyecto Gran Simio and PACMA question whether breeding animals such as orangutans or elephants in zoo enclosures can be presented as a sufficient solution to the loss of their habitats. They call for models centred on sanctuaries and on protecting populations that still live in the wild.
The controversy particularly affects large mammals, whose needs for space, social behaviour and stimulation are complex to reproduce in captivity. Critics also consider that births help maintain the commercial appeal of zoos, while zoos argue that visits also support educational programmes, research and on-the-ground conservation projects.
Madrid Zoo houses more than 1,300 animals of 333 species across its 22 hectares in Casa de Campo. Part of its work takes place outside the facility itself through projects related to species such as the Mediterranean monk seal and wildlife recovery programmes.
For families visiting the zoo at the end of this summer, the new offspring will probably be two of the most sought-after animals on the route. Behind that image lies a far less simple discussion: whether 21st-century zoos can truly become conservation tools or whether keeping threatened species behind an enclosure remains part of the problem.