Translator: Ivana Krivokuća Reviewer: Denise RQ
Roman emperor Augustus
is said that he already owned a collection of 3,500 animals.
He had lions, tigers, elephants, rhinos, and hippos, crocodiles.
In those days, the Roman demand for wild animals was enormous,
and they largely got killed by the hundreds in the arena.
Animals got to fight animals,
or they were slaughtered
by African archers, and soldiers, and gladiators.
Just now and again, for a change, the animals got to kill humans,
preferably Christians.
Entertainment industry was big in those days.
And they showed it in small and large amphitheatres,
The Circus Maximus and The Colloseum,
the largest amphitheater ever built in the world.
Five thousand animals got killed at the opening event
of the Colosseum alone.
The Colosseum's exterior walls are made of five ton limestone blocks
that were held together by metal pins.
And I was told that in the later history of the Colosseum,
these metal pins were taken out to be melted down
and cast into coin money.
Certainly, the building could have coped with many pins being taken out,
but obviously, too many of these pins were withdrawn,
and the building could not sustain stability.
Eventually, not only that the Roman Empire fell apart
but so did the Colosseum.
Ecological systems are inherently stable and in balance.
A so-called dynamic equilibrium prevails.
And the pyramid is a great symbol
to get an idea of how life works.
Broader layers below provide stability
to narrow layers above,
which they carry and support.
Ecological pyramids represent quantitative layers of biocenosis,
of ecological communities.
In the very bottom layer, we find the producers.
Masses of plants and algae and even some bacteria,
that have this divine ability
to turn inorganic material and sunlight into organic matter.
That's a process we call photosynthesis.
These organisms don't need anyone else.
In the above layer, we have animals that feed on the below layer,
on the organisms at the below layer.
These organisms only represent a small fraction
of the amount of the below layer,
so despite the use and consumption of plants by animals,
there will still be enough plants left.
They will sustain and thus will the livelihood of the herbivores.
So in this category we find insects, birds,
and all the classic large herbivores:
antelope, deer, giraffe, rhinos, elephants.
There is also interdependency.
Birds for example, ingest plant seeds
which, once they've passed through the birds' intestinal tracts,
subsequently see the light of day again, this time fertilizer included.
That way the birds make sure that vegetation will regrow.
And the layer above, they are predators.
Carnivores that feed on the herbivores,
they can make sure that the herbivores are kept at a reasonable balance
and that they won't get out of hand.
Above those carnivores there are other carnivores
that feed on the previous carnivores that keep them in the balance and -
You get the picture.
It's like the animal version of "La grande bouffe."
At the tip of the top, there is the top predator.
The final user.
The end consumer.
The ultimate customer.
(Laughter)
You laugh? That's us. That's you.
Hey, we're on top! How great is that?
What some people believe that being on top allows you to do
whatever you want to who and whatever is below,
others, who share a certain characteristic
that has become very rare these days,
it's called common sense
(Laughter)
know being on top implies responsibility.
They realize the value of the base,
because they know - the higher up, the greater the fall.
Should we use nature? Of course! We are using nature already.
We go out, get some fresh air, enjoy the sunlight,
we go hiking, skiing, mountaineering, rock climbing, diving.
We also use animals and plants. We fish, we hunt, we farm.
Even if we never leave the city, even if we never go outside,
we still use nature.
We drink water, we eat plants, we eat animals.
We install windmills, solar panels.
We impound rivers to generate electricity.
We burn oil, gas, coal, timber.
We use machines and devices that contain minerals, metals, noble earths.
These things do not grow in styrofoam boxes,
like the meat that we buy off the cooling shelf in the supermarket.
These things, are blown, torn, dragged, logged, mined out of the soil,
the earth, the forests, the sea.
We do influence nature and nature's inhabitants in so many ways:
when we drill for oil, mine for gold,
drag nets through the sea,
when we destroy forests by fire,
inclusive of their natural inhabitants, like orangutans,
turn their ashes into plantations for monocultures
to produce palm oil and feed for animals in the meat production
that would be turned into junk food that makes us fat, bloated, and tardy.
Again, it's OK to use nature
as long as we use it in a sustainable manner;
as long as it sustains the stability of our pyramid, the pyramid of life.
In ecology,
sustainability is the capacity to endure.
This is how biological systems remain diverse
and productive indefinitely.
And healthy ecosystems and environments
are crucial to the survival of all organisms.
That includes ourselves.
These days,
like the Romans, who turned the Colosseum's metal pins into coins,
we ourselves thoughtlessly turn nature into money.
Remember what happened to the Colosseum?
I've always liked animals.
I grew up with animals, loved to be near animals.
Animals are great.
When I was a kid,
I only had the chance to visit two zoos.
People thought it was fun going to the zoo.
However, I didn't have the feeling
it was a lot of fun for the animals there.
So I became especially interested in biology, behavior of animals,
went to university, studied zoology,
and a couple of years later, went back to the zoo.
Childhood memories came back, and I have to admit,
I did not like zoos.
So I started to work for a zoo.
(Laughter)
Why?
Because I wanted to improve the animals' living conditions,
I wanted to make a difference for the animals.
During my work for the zoo, I got to see numerous other zoos around the globe.
Zoos that were different from the ones that I had seen before.
Zoos that cared better for their animals.
All of a sudden, a whole new world opened up and so many chances to do good.
How zoos differ?
I suddenly realized that zoos aren't all the same, you know?
There are not so good ones,
bad ones, good ones, and there are really some excellent zoos on this planet.
So what makes a zoo a good one, or even an excellent one?
Zoos are a little bit like icebergs.
The tip of the iceberg,
this is what you see when you go to the zoo, the obvious above,
but a lot of what good zoos do is hidden underneath the surface,
and it seems to be invisible for many until we take a closer look underneath.
Good zoos give their animals freedom.
Freedom from thirst and hunger.
Freedom from discomfort.
Freedom from pain, injury, disease.
Freedom to express natural behavior.
Freedom from fear and distress.
Good zoos are accredited with international zoo organizations,
demanding the highest standards in animal care, research,
education, and conservation.
Conservation is a clear message.
Zoos put themselves at service for conservation
by breeding endangered species.
At the same time, they support habitat conservation in the wild
by the provision of personnel, knowledge, training, education, and funds.
If it wasn't for good zoos,
their tireless efforts and their tremendous work,
many species would no longer exist on this planet:
like bearded vultures in Central Europe,
or Przewalski's horses,
the last remaining species of wild horse in Asia.
Thanks to breeding programs and zoos,
these species meanwhile have both returned to the wild.
Zoos breed and reintroduce vultures
to supplement stocks in India, Pakistan, and Nepal,
where numbers have declined by 95%
due to the consumption of deceased cattle that have been treated with Diclofenac,
a pain killer widely used in livestock, but highly toxic to vultures.
Here's a twist to the story.
In many countries in Central Asia, vultures are very important to humans.
They play the lead role in co-called "sky burials,"
a funeral practice that takes place
when the ground is too hard and too rocky to dig a grave,
and when cremation is not an option due to the scarcity of fuel and timber,
so corpses are put out to be eaten by the vultures.
No vultures? No disposal of dead bodies.
So over time, you run into a hygienic problem,
not to mention the smell.
Zoos also provide valuable work in the field.
They go out to study the ecology and diversity of species in the wild.
Knowing and understanding species' specific requirements
are an important prerequisite for conservation measures.
Critical voices demand that no money must be given to zoos.
All of money must be given to saving the wild.
What if we are too late in saving the wild?
What if all our endeavors saving the wild do not suffice?
What if we just cannot save a species from extinction?
Once they're gone, they're gone for good. They're gone forever.
Once they're gone, they can no longer return
regardless of whether the circumstances
for their survival in the field have improved or not.
Some people demand that species facing extinction
should be allowed to go in grace.
Let me ask you, how much grace is there in suffocating in poisonous slush?
How much grace is there in getting your horns chopped off
while slowly dying?
And how much grace is there in becoming burned alive?
While some people want to let species go,
I think it's only fair and righteous for zoos
to do everything they can to prevent just that.
Certainly, this is not the easier way.
Zoos provide urban recreational spaces.
Ten percent of the world population visit a zoo every year.
We are taking about 700 million people.
That's more than attend sports and other events combined.
So for most people from all walks of life,
zoos are simply the only place
where they can be close to wild animals,
where they can hear, smell, and see wild animals in their right size.
No documentary, no matter how good it's done,
can substitute that experience.
When you see an elephant full screen,
then the camera zooms in onto the fly on the elephant's ear,
and then you see the fly full screen,
same size as the elephant before.
Suggesting to only watch documentaries instead of seeing real animals
is like suggesting to watch porn instead of having actual sex.
(Laughter)
At the zoo, everything is real, including the sex bit.
(Laughter)
Good zoos create emotional bonds
between humans and animals.
Emotional attachment and understanding.
Zoos provide first-hand information.
And they can show you ways of how you can participate
in habitat conservation, in environmental protection,
and how you can participate in saving species' and animals' lives.
Sometimes, it's just as easy as not to buy certain things.
Remember the pyramid of life?
Good zoos try to fill the gaps that we tear into the pyramid of life.
At least they provide some pillars in their struggle to prevent the collapse.
They want to sustain stability
through breeding programs, education, research,
and they want to raise your awareness for conservation.
They want to put metal pins in before we take too many out
in order to prevent to end up like the Colosseum did.
But they can't do that alone.
So, next time you visit a good zoo -
and you really should go and visit good zoos -
you may just ask: how can I help?
Thank you.
(Applause)