The tundra is considered to be one of the harshest of Earth’s biomes. The majority of tundra ecosystems are found in Alaska, Greenland, Canada, Europe and Siberia. The tundra ecosystem is characterized by its lack of trees, extremely cold and windy climate, short growing season, low precipitation levels, and its permanently frozen ground, known as permafrost. No deep-rooted vegetation exists in the tundra due to the permafrost. Only plants with shallow root systems can survive, and an alarming 1700 different species of these plants exist, including types of mosses, lichens, sedges, dwarf shrubs and grasses. Few birds and mammals live year-round due to the harsh climate. Most spend the summer months breeding and raising their offspring, and then migrate south into the boreal forest for the winter months. There is as much as two months of darkness in the tundra, and yet the summer consists of a 60 day season with 24 hour a day sunshine. The average temperature, ranging between -12 to -6 degrees Celsius, supports year-round animals such as Arctic foxes, polar bears, gray wolves, caribou, snow geese and musk-oxes.
Given the limited space and resources the zoo has, the zoo did a fair job at recreating the tundra habitat, with some exceptions. Some of the factors that prevented it from being accurate resulted from uncontrollable elements such as the climate. It is impossible to mimic low precipitation levels, the average temperature of -12 to -6 degrees, the two months of darkness, the summer season with 24 hour sunshine and the permafrost when we live in a continental climate.
The Toronto Zoo exhibited 5 species as part of the Tundra ecosystem, which included the polar bear, Arctic wolf, European reindeer, lesser snow geese, and snowy owl. The accuracy of the habitat varied from species to species. Beginning with the polar bear, the habitat provided the bears with open terrains where they were free to roam. They had access to natural grounds, large rocks, elevated areas for long views, and shallow pools of water. The display included dens, an area where polar bears typically sleep and females give birth in the wild. However, it is important to note that the average polar bear enclosure in captivity is 1 million times smaller than the natural range of a polar bear in the wild, even though it seemed relatively large in comparison to the other habitats. In addition to the small size, the habitat lacked sea ice, an element of the tundra ecosystem that is vital to polar bears. Polar bears use sea ice as a hunting platform and protective cover, as it is usually inhabited by plankton and micro-organisms which nourish the polar bear's prey, the seal. Polar bears, along with other predatory animals, spend a great deal of time roaming and stalking their prey in their natural habitat. This aspect is completely eliminated when animals are brought into captivity. Zoo workers provide such animals with regular feedings, defeating routines that make up large portions of these animals' lives. Some improvements that could be made is to add sea ice and snow to the habitat, as well as finding more mentally stimulating ways to feed the bears. This could include hiding the food in places, or creating obstacles between the bear and its food, to mimic the hunting conditions of the wild.
Given the limited space and resources the zoo has, the zoo did a fair job at recreating the tundra habitat, with some exceptions. Some of the factors that prevented it from being accurate resulted from uncontrollable elements such as the climate. It is impossible to mimic low precipitation levels, the average temperature of -12 to -6 degrees, the two months of darkness, the summer season with 24 hour sunshine and the permafrost when we live in a continental climate.
The Toronto Zoo exhibited 5 species as part of the Tundra ecosystem, which included the polar bear, Arctic wolf, European reindeer, lesser snow geese, and snowy owl. The accuracy of the habitat varied from species to species. Beginning with the polar bear, the habitat provided the bears with open terrains where they were free to roam. They had access to natural grounds, large rocks, elevated areas for long views, and shallow pools of water. The display included dens, an area where polar bears typically sleep and females give birth in the wild. However, it is important to note that the average polar bear enclosure in captivity is 1 million times smaller than the natural range of a polar bear in the wild, even though it seemed relatively large in comparison to the other habitats. In addition to the small size, the habitat lacked sea ice, an element of the tundra ecosystem that is vital to polar bears. Polar bears use sea ice as a hunting platform and protective cover, as it is usually inhabited by plankton and micro-organisms which nourish the polar bear's prey, the seal. Polar bears, along with other predatory animals, spend a great deal of time roaming and stalking their prey in their natural habitat. This aspect is completely eliminated when animals are brought into captivity. Zoo workers provide such animals with regular feedings, defeating routines that make up large portions of these animals' lives. Some improvements that could be made is to add sea ice and snow to the habitat, as well as finding more mentally stimulating ways to feed the bears. This could include hiding the food in places, or creating obstacles between the bear and its food, to mimic the hunting conditions of the wild.
|
The same sizing problem occurred with other animals in the tundra exhibit, specifically the snowy owl. The snowy owl's habitat in the zoo consisted of a 3 m high cage covered by nets. Snowy owls are a highly nomadic species and their movements typically revolve around their main prey, the lemming. The animals are strong hunters, and have excellent hearing. They tend to live in tree tops and build their nests in the few high areas in the tundra. They prefer habitats in snowy mountain tops where they can camouflage themselves. This display completely inhibited the natural movements of the snowy owl and did not include any trees or snow, two essential elements of their habitat. Similarly to the polar bears, the display lacked mental stimulation as their prey had been laid out on a log near them, despite their strong hunting abilities . Further, the snowy owl in the display lived in isolation when in nature, snowy owls choose a breeding partner and stay with that owl for the rest of their lives. To improve this display, the size and height would have to increase dramatically to allow more movement for the owl. High areas would need to be added so the owl could perch in search of prey, and prey would have to be more hidden to increase mental stimulation.
|
The habitat of the arctic wolves and the reindeer were similar in that they consisted of large open fields, with few trees, and little vegetation. It is a misconception that there is little diversity when it comes to vegetation in tundra. There are over a thousand species, and in these habitats, only grass, coniferous trees, and birches were represented. This is inaccurate considering that the main source of food for the reindeer is lichen and other food sources include flowers, shrubs, and mushrooms, none of which were found in its environment. To improve the accuracy of the caribou habitat, food that is more similar to the food sources found in the tundra, such as lichen should be added.
The reindeer is feeding off grass, however in the tundra, the reindeer would use its split-hooves to dig deep into snow to reach lichen.
The arctic wolf, like any wolf, is a very social animal that live in social units called packs. Wolves travel and hunt packs and perform almost all other activities in the company of fellow wolves. The pack is considered the basic unit of wolf social life, and is usually a family group. Most packs have 6 or 7 members, although some may include as many as 15 wolves. In the exhibit, there were 3 wolves, most likely none of which were related. Captivity prevents the wolves from functioning as they would in the wild, as the social dynamic that exists in the wild cannot exist in zoos. To improve the habitat, more wolves could be added to the display to imitate the pack structure. Further, activities that require co-operation and teamwork from the wolves could be organized to mimic the activities that take place in the wild, such as hunting.
It is evident that the animals were not designed for the zoo environment and therefore lacked purpose when they were placed in this environment. They could not partake in daily activities such as hunting and social activities with animals, and they demonstrated signs of boredom and distress. The animals lacked mental stimulation and physical exercise which would be attained by roaming and performing such activities. Animals in the tundra rarely interact with humans, and in the case of zoos, they are surrounded daily. There is rarely any privacy and they are exposed loud noises, human disturbances and human bacteria. In addition, animals in the tundra have a wide range of interactions with animals of different species, which is impossible to recreate in the zoo when each species is living in insolation. No matter how much effort the zoo put into recreating the tundra environment, their lives in the zoo is incomparable to the lives they would live in their natural habitat. The restricted territory, the climate, the exposure to humans, the lack of permafrost, vegetation, mental stimulation and social interactions are a few of the elements that impede the zoo from accurately representing the tundra habitat.