The Myth Of Zoos As Conservation

Captive animals generally lack the survival skills necessary to be released into the wild and often have developed such severe zoochosis (psychological trauma brought on by captivity) that they would not survive.

No gorilla, bear, rhino, elephant, tiger, or chimpanzee born at a zoo will ever be released into the wild. In fact, some wild animals have been poached from the wild en masse for a lifetime of captivity in zoos to fill their quota of animals people want to see. As of 2019, zoos in China and the United States both petitioned for dozens of wild-caught African elephants to be imported.