Costa Rica and animal rights/welfare?

[DekuScrub]

Does anyone who's maybe more cosmopolitan than me know why Costa Rica seems to take such progressive stances on animal welfare/animal rights issues? I usually think of Britain as kind of the cutting edge in that respect, but what I've read recently about CR seems to blow it out of the water.

Animal circuses and sport hunting are banned...and in 2013 the Environmental Ministry tried to close down all the countries zoos unsuccessfully. (Apparently a technicality will mean the zoos remain open until at least 2024)

Now don't get me wrong....I think all this is great. Really. I just want to understand it better. Like, is it because the country has an unusually strong animal movement....or is there some kind of more cynical, tourist or economic reason why the government would take these actions? Not that the motivations necessarily matter. But does anybody know?

[Luís Henrique]

Does anyone who's maybe more cosmopolitan than me know why Costa Rica seems to take such progressive stances on animal welfare/animal rights issues?

I am not sure those are progressive stances at all. Conservatives sometimes forbid those activities, either because forbidding things gives them a boner, or because people hunting or betting on dogfights are having fun, and having fun is a no-no on conservative books.

Luís Henrique

[Ele'ill]

Costa Rica is a major tourist area and probably draws more tourism based on its already existing ecosystem and geography. I think this could heavily play into the 'tourist green-zone' appeal regarding this type of thing with the former types of interaction with the wild (circuses, zoos, hunting) not being as profitable as what the other stuff brings. Through green-washing people are less down with old forms of forced interaction with the wild and want a better upgraded version albeit the same thing. Just a guess though.


Edit- or as Luis Henrique mentioned it could be conservatives with erections. Either one is a good bet.

[Armchair Partisan]

I can understand sport hunting being banned, but zoos? Seriously? I mean, really, "ban boner" is pretty much the most sensible of all the explanations I can think of. What do they do with the animals - let them out into the wild where they can't survive?

[Tim Cornelis]

Safari parks?
@armchair partisan

edit:

"In July, the government announced controversial plans to close the country's two public zoos, citing concerns about animal captivity and welfare. More than 400 animals currently residing in the zoos will be transferred to private animal-rescue centers around the country, where those that are able will be rehabilitated and released back into the wild.

"We are getting rid of the cages and reinforcing the idea of interacting with biodiversity in botanical parks in a natural way," Environment Minister René Castro said at a press conference to announce the planned closures in July. (See pictures of seven energy-smart zoos and aquariums.)

"We don't want animals in captivity or enclosed in any way unless it is to rescue or save them.""

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/08/130805-costa-rica-animals-zoos-environment-world/

[Comrade Jacob]

I can understand sport hunting being banned, but zoos? Seriously? I mean, really, "ban boner" is pretty much the most sensible of all the explanations I can think of. What do they do with the animals - let them out into the wild where they can't survive?

Zoos should be more focused on the welfare of the animals than making money from people glaring at them, agitating them and poking them.

[Zoop]

I can understand sport hunting being banned, but zoos? Seriously? I mean, really, "ban boner" is pretty much the most sensible of all the explanations I can think of. What do they do with the animals - let them out into the wild where they can't survive?

Because zoos are contemptible places. The animals are deprived of their natural habitat and are forced to endure conditions contrary to their natural needs, which is why lots of animals develop neurotic behaviours, all signs of agitation and distress.
I find them deeply disturbing.

[Luís Henrique]

Safari parks?

So asian elephants and african rhinoceros in Costa Rican safari parks? Am I the only one that thinks that could be an ecological disaster?

Luís Henrique

[Ele'ill]

A bit dated from a few years ago but still relevant in that tourism catering to environmentally conscious progressives (allegedly) sells better than the hot topics of criticism like zoos and circuses.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-cernea-clark/green-washing-away-minorit_b_5133297.html


Tourism (in particular, eco-tourism) has been a major driver of economic growth and prosperity for Costa Rica for decades. From 1988 to 2012, annual visitors to Costa Rica increased by over 700 percent, with over 2.3 million visitors in 2012 and receipts exceeding $2.4 billion. And they are not coming for the casinos; in 2006, over half of all international visitors stopped by at least one national park. In other words, conservation policy has been serious economic policy for a long time now in Costa Rica.

And of course conservation doesn't exist as a thing without the totality of completely destroying the biosphere. If you do a web keyword search for 'costa rica greenwashing' you can see how destruction and displacement is dressed up.

[Tim Cornelis]

So asian elephants and african rhinoceros in Costa Rican safari parks? Am I the only one that thinks that could be an ecological disaster?

Luís Henrique

How's that? I'm not a zoologist but there's lions and shit in European safari parks, so why not?

[adamtheaardvark]

It really depends on the Zoo, which animals are kept, and how they're kept. I personally would never advocate keeping animals that require large areas of land to roam or anything like that. Though keeping fish, reptiles, and some types of mammals is definitely alright with me.

[Vladimir Innit Lenin]

Costa Rica is generally very progressive and honest in terms of its eco-tourism. It can do this because it contains something like 5% of the world's biodiversity and generally there are a lot of folk there - institutionally and individually - who are committed to genuine conservation ideals and practices.

They are aware, from having spoken to them, of 'greenwashing' and admit it is a problem. I think this is a problem brought with eco-tourism, but I guess that's partly just the flipside of the tourism industry that brings a lot to the Costa Rican economy. And, whilst there is an element of greenwashing that comes, for example, from tourists interacting with animals in ways that go against natural/conservationist ideals, I would say that a majority of tourist activity is beneficial to Costa Rica and its natural environment. I could be wrong, though.