Animals — Us and them? What is the purpose of zoos in an extinction crisis?

Zoos are changing — they are no longer just places for us humans to gawk at animals in cages. In the midst of a global extinction crisis, they are now playing a vital role. So what is their future?

This event was recorded at the International Society of Behavioural Ecology Congress in Melbourne on 2 October 2024, with thanks to organiser Professor Andy Bennett from the University of Melbourne.

Listen to the rest of our special series Animals — Us and Them?

Speakers

Dr Sally SherwinDirector of Wildlife Conservation and Science, Zoos Victoria

Professor John WoinarskiConservation biologist, Charles Darwin UniversityAuthor, A Bat's End: The Christmas Island Pipistrelle, Cats in Australia: companion and killer and moreDirector, Australian Wildlife ConservancyCo-chair, IUCN Australasian Marsupial and Monotreme Specialist GroupMember of the science advisory committees of Zoos Victoria and of Invertebrates Australia

Associate Professor Lee BergerMelbourne Veterinary SchoolFellow of the Australian Academy of Science

Professor Dan BlumsteinProfessor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Professor in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles

Dr Jen Martin (host)Associate Professor in Science Communication, and founder of the Science Communication Teaching Program, University of MelbourneHost, Triple R community radioAuthor, Why am I like this? The science behind your weirdest thoughts and habits