Captive Ambassadors: The Hidden Lives of Zoo Animals

Eve D’Vincent, Ph.D. (2022), is a psychotherapist and independent scholar whose research spans from the Amazonian rainforest to the remote wilderness of Southeast Alaska. Her scholarly contributions have been featured in Scholastic Magazine and Rocky Mountain Books.

• List of FiguresIntroduction1 The Zoo-Industrial Complex1 What is a Zoo?2 Zoo Animal Biographies3 Individualization, Pseudo-Individualization, and Instrumental Individualization4 Zoo Animal Ambassadors2 Anthropomorphism and Animal Ambassadors1 What is Anthropomorphism?2 Critical Anthropomorphism3 Strategic Anthropomorphism and Marketing Animal Individuals4 Animal Cultures and Animal ‘Names’5 Anthropomorphism in the Gift Shop6 Captive Painters and Musicians7 From Enrichment to Entertainment8 Captive Performers9 When Anthropomorphism Goes Wrong3 Educational Animal Ambassadors1 Educational Ambassadors2 What Lessons do Animal Ambassador Experiences Teach?3 The Invasive Human Gaze4 Impacts of Educational Ambassador Programs on the Animals4.1 Impact of Physical Proximity to Other Animals4.2 Impact of Physical Proximity to Human Visitors5 Virtual Invasiveness6 Sensory Pollution7 Aquatic Ambassadors on Display4 Iconic Conservation Ambassadors and Genetic Conservation Ambassadors1 Iconic Conservation Ambassadors2 Genetic Conservation Ambassadors3 Reintroduction to the Wild from Captive Breeding Programs4 Reproductive Servitude5 Translocation and Dislocation6 Zoo Biographies of Conservation Ambassadors7 The Disruption of Animal Cultures8 Iconic Infant Animal Ambassadors9 Passive Domestication and Behavioral Incompetence10 Sacrificial Ambassadors5 Surplus Animals1 When Does an Animal Become a Surplus Animal?2 “Managed Euthanasia” or “Zoothanasia”?3 Animal Transfer4 What ‘Animal Transfer’ Means for Animals5 From the Zoo to a ‘Career’ in Entertainment6 Zoos and the Exotic Pet Trade7 From Ambassador to Target8 Sanctuary9 The Ethics of Animal Sanctuaries10 Sanctuary Animal Biographies11 Transformed Lives12 Biographical Depth13 Beyond Pseudo-IndividualizationConclusionBibliographyAnimal Biographies AppendixIndex