Radiolab “Zoos” (June 4, 2007) – Episode Summary

Overview

This Radiolab episode, hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, delves into the history, ethics, and science of zoos. The hosts and a range of guests trace humanity’s evolving relationship with captive animals, from ancient times of spectacle and bloodshed, through the development of “naturalistic” zoo enclosures, to contemporary debates on animal welfare and the sometimes-conflicted emotions that zoos evoke—both in visitors and keepers. The episode features vivid stories, cutting-edge neuroscience, and personal testimony, culminating in conservationist Alan Rabinowitz’s moving account of how zoos shaped his life’s work.

Key Themes & Discussion Points

1. From Colosseum to Zoo: Shifting Human-Animal Relationships

(01:27-03:23)

• Nell Boyce recounts the Roman Colosseum (80 AD), where animals were brutally slaughtered as public spectacle:
  • “On a good day you could watch, no joke. Hundreds of animals slaughtered right in front of your eyes, one after the other.” (Jad Abumrad, 01:43)
• Modern zoos contrast sharply: children press their faces against glass to glimpse animals, seeking connection, not carnage.
• Host Jad frames the show’s central question:
  • “[Now] we want to be their friends, we want to help them. How did that happen? … How exactly do you help an animal when it has to spend its entire life in a cage?” (Jad Abumrad, 03:23)

2. Revolution in Zoo Design: The Woodland Park Story

(04:00–15:31)

• David Hancocks, an architect-turned-zoo-director, tells how he sought to change caged, sterile habitats by building more “natural” enclosures.
  • “I'd actually for a while toyed with the idea ... do I want to stay outside zoos and work to close them down? And I came to the conclusion that there's no way you're gonna close zoos down.” (David Hancocks, 04:41)
• Influences included primatologist Dian Fossey:
  • Fossey advised Hancock that a Seattle freeway’s green verge resembled gorilla habitat; this inspired their design (07:16–08:34).
• Landscape architect Grant Jones describes the project’s daring new enclosure with mounds, trees, and space (08:41-09:15).
• Zoo world skepticism:
  • “I had zoo directors tell me it was stupid, irresponsible, and it was unnecessary ... the gorillas would fall out of the trees and hurt themselves.” (David Hancocks, 10:10)
• The first gorilla’s emergence—Kiki’s transformative liberation:
  • “He looked up for a long time and took all this in ... all of a sudden, he sees us ... And then he did something that we in a million years hoped he never would, which was to ... pull out this big chunk of broken concrete ... and looked with an angry look at us. ... And then he just dropped it ... and laid down on his back” (Grant Jones, 12:08–14:44)
• Profound change: “The old Kiki never returned. Never filled his body again.” (Grant Jones, 15:20)

3. Science: How Environment Affects Animal Brains

(15:40–24:16)

• Neuroscience with Jonah Lehrer:
  • Citing Dr. Elizabeth Gould’s research, monkeys in enriched (social, complex) cages have “bushier” brain cells—more dendritic branching.
    • “Between the bottom and the middle is a big difference ... generally between 20% and 40%.” (Jonah Lehrer, 18:40)
  • But between “middle and upper,” little difference—pointing to a threshold effect (“tipping point”) where adequate stimulation triggers brain flourishing.
  • Monkeys moved from impoverished to enriched cages experienced significant brain growth within weeks.
    • “Within four weeks ... the brain itself has changed. It begins to flourish again.” (Jonah Lehrer, 19:37)
• Field study with biologist Fernando Nottebohm: Wild chickadees generate twice as many new neurons as caged ones due to the mental challenge of remembering food caches.
  • “In the wild group? Absolutely. We need your help to remember where we put all those seeds. In the caged group, there's nothing for those neurons to do. ... You don't get a job, you're gone.” (Alan Rabinowitz & Jad Abumrad, 23:10–23:54)

4. What Zoo Predators Eat—and Human Emotions

(29:47–40:09)

• On predator diets:
  • “They're eating mostly this. This is a little bag of kibble. It's basically like dog food.” (Nell Boyce, 30:08)
• Reporter Nell Boyce documents the Toledo Zoo’s “Big Feed”—feeding whole animal carcasses (including calves) to predators, in view of families:
  • “I have never seen ... a tiger move that fast.” (Nell Boyce, 34:29)
  • Children are fascinated but shocked to learn, “it's actually a baby cow. ... Why is he doing that? That's the kind of food they eat.” (Nell Boyce, 35:21)
  • Survey: 98% of visitors reacted positively or enthusiastically—except opposition around feeding rabbits at Easter.
• At a live-feeding park in China (Jocelyn Ford’s report), tourists buy live chickens to toss to lions:
  • “They had the most intense look I have ever seen anywhere ... [the lion] just took it in its mouth ... and I noticed that its legs were still quivering.” (Jocelyn Ford, 40:45, 42:13)
  • Cultural attitudes: “If you don't eat them first, they're going to eat you. ... That's the lesson of life.” (Chinese grandmother, 44:18)
  • Jocelyn notes contrasts in attitudes toward animal suffering and death between American and Chinese zoo visitors.

5. Zoos as Vessels for Empathy and Transformation

(48:01–61:34)

• Alan Rabinowitz, renowned conservationist, recounts how as a child with a severe stutter, zoos (especially the Bronx Zoo) were his sanctuary:
  • “The only time he says he could free his tongue to talk was in the dark with his pets.” (Robert Krulwich, 49:47)
  • He saw captive animals, especially a pacing jaguar, as “like me ... I felt strong ... but yet I was trapped inside this cage of my body.” (Alan Rabinowitz, 51:32)
  • Made a vow to “find a place for us.”
• Jaguar Conservation Story:
  • Rabinowitz details harrowing efforts to study and save wild jaguars in Belize—“It's like saying, go catch a dragon” (52:57)
  • “Of everything I have ever done in my life, I still rank that as the absolute hardest.” (Alan Rabinowitz, 53:43)
  • Early failures and a tragic event—losing a colleague to a snakebite—reinforce the difficulty and cost of fieldwork (54:16).
  • Successfully lobbies the Belizean government to create the world’s first jaguar preserve:
    • “If it works, you've got a jaguar preserve. You have the world's first jaguar preserve.” (Alan Rabinowitz, 56:44–57:17)
    • Secures it despite enormous personal challenge: “Two whole decades [he] could barely speak” but “never stuttered” during his cabinet pitch (57:44)
  • Closing: emotional field encounter with a wild jaguar:
    • “There was fire in the jaguar's eyes. The last thing I remember very clearly is looking into its eyes and thinking of seeing the jaguar in the Bronx Zoo as a child. ... But seeing the wildness in this animal's eyes, it didn't look anything like that cat in the cage. It showed strength and freedom. And we had just protected this incredible area.” (Alan Rabinowitz, 60:18–61:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The fascination of wanting to be close to wild animals cuts across every strata of society.” —David Hancocks (04:41)
• “He looked up for a long time and took all this in. ... And then he looked down ... and he just starts looking all around.” —Grant Jones on Kiki the gorilla’s first steps (12:19)
• “You can't exactly ask a monkey ... ‘are you happy?’ But you can look at their brain cells and ask, are they branching? Are they growing?” —Jad Abumrad (17:56)
• “Within four weeks ... the brain itself has changed. It begins to flourish again.” —Jonah Lehrer (19:37)
• “In the wild group? Absolutely. We need your help to remember where we put all those seeds. In the caged group, there's nothing for those neurons to do. ... You don't get a job, you're gone.” —Alan Rabinowitz on neuronal decline in captivity (23:10–23:54)
• “Why is he doing that?” ... “That's the kind of the food that they eat.” —Parent and child at tiger feeding (35:21)
• “If you don't eat them first, they're going to eat you. ... That's the lesson of life.” —Chinese grandmother at live-feeding park (44:16–44:18)
• “I felt this animal is like me because I felt strong ... but yet I was trapped inside this cage of my body.” —Alan Rabinowitz (51:32)
• “There was fire in the jaguar's eyes. ... It showed strength and freedom. ... I remember telling the cat ... that I'd find a place for us.” —Alan Rabinowitz (61:18–61:34)

Timestamps of Key Segments

• Ancient animal spectacles vs. modern zoo (01:27–03:23)
• Woodland Park Zoo—Birth of “naturalistic” enclosure (04:00–15:31)
• Neuroscience of enrichment & brain growth (15:40–24:16)
• Predator diets, human reactions—Toledo Zoo and China live-feeding (29:47–44:38)
• Alan Rabinowitz’s personal journey, stutter, promise, conservation (48:01–61:34)

Tone and Storytelling

The episode balances science, philosophy, and emotional storytelling—ranging from irreverent banter (“I want the animals to not be there ... I'd rather watch them on TV, frankly” —Jad Abumrad, 04:23) to moments of awe and vulnerability. Interspersed are evocative natural sounds, field recordings, and first-person testimony, maintaining Radiolab's signature immersive, curious energy.

Conclusion

“Zoos” interrogates the paradoxes of captivity—how humans have moved from exploiting animals as spectacle to seeking connection, and how, through deepening scientific and empathetic understanding, we continue to struggle with what it means to care for wild creatures behind glass. The final word is one of hope, transformation, and personal commitment—“I’d find a place for us”—echoed in the lived experience of Alan Rabinowitz and the animals he championed.