"The roadside zoo is a grossly substandard, usually amateur facility that lacks trained, experienced animal care staff, proper funding and safety practices. Animals are confined to small, barren, often filthy cages, with next to nothing to do day in and day out. Animals in roadside zoos suffer poor welfare as a result of inadequate housing, care and diet. Deprived of opportunities to exercise their natural behaviours, most animals experience some degree of frustration and boredom. In the most severe cases, these animals become psychologically disturbed and may manifest abnormal behaviours."
-World Society for the Protection of Animals (www.wspa.ca)
Not all Roadside zoos are obviously neglectful, but there is always a reason that the facility in question cannot be accreditted by CAZA (Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums)...whether it is the refusal to properly rehome all offspring, improper record keeping, unsafe enclosures, inadequate environments and enclosures, etc. CAZA accredited zoos cannot attend auctions or offer animals for sale to the pet trade. This is where many roadside zoos falter. They breed animals in order to have a constant supply of cute babies to attract the public. They have no choice to sell the surplus animals via auction. Believe it or not, there is a problem of over populated wild animals in North America. Big Cat rescues, Primate Rescues, and Native wildlife Rescues are overwhelmed due to the constant influx of animals coming out of roadside zoos. People purchase them when they are young, and ditch them when they become dangerous. The main problem with roadside zoos is their contribution to this lucrative industry, that preys on the lives of animals, condemning them to lives in captivity.
