The Buenos Aires Zoo has a long history of 141 years. It opened in 1875 and cared for 2,500 animals. But on December 26th, 2012, a day after Christmas, a death occurred. The winner, the mascot, and superstar of the zoo died from firecracker sounds and a malfunctioning air conditioner. Many mourned Winner’s death and people began to expose the poor conditions zoo animals were raised. ‘Animal rights’ took over the headlines and the Buenos Aires Zoo came under scrutiny.

In June 2016, the mayor of Buenos Aires announced the zoo’s shutdown and its transformation into a park. It was an unprecedented decision. Media worldwide praised Argentina for the first zoo closure in the name of animal rights. A series of actions were taken to prepare the animals to be released into the wild. Animals were trained to hunt and adapt to their new environment. A natural habitat was created for the animals to re-establish the relationship between men and animals.

Will the animals be able to return to nature at the end of all this?

Director  WOOYOUNG CHOI
Producer  SONA JO
Length 52′
Genre DOCUMENTARY | SOCIAL ISSUE | ENVIRONMENT
Shooting Format UHD | 3840X2160 | 24P
Language Spanish
Subtitles English | Korean
Starting Date of Shooting April 2017
Delivery Date Nov 2018
With Support Of Korea Radio Promotion Association | K-DOCS (Korea) | Foundation For Broadcast Culture (Korea)

Director’s Note

I first learned about the Buenos Aires Zoo in November of 2016. I was at the Mar del Plata International Movie Festival to present the documentary “Reach for the Sky”. The Argentinian director and staff members were constantly discussing the “decision of the century” — do animals  have rights? I even heard that in the past, native South Americans were displayed in the same zoo.
It was not my first time hearing about animal rights. South Korea had its own incidents. I decided to produce this movie when I realized that humans could make ultimate decisions for a species that wasn’t their own. South Korean zoos had begun documenting animal behavior, and Argentina’s dilemma was one we would face in the future.
Can humans truly empathize with animals? How do we understand another species’ emotions?
Harriet Beecher Stowe once said she wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin because she pitied runaway slaves being punished. This ‘pity’ was revolutionary in a time when slaves were considered a possession.

Pity arises when we place ourselves in the other’s shoes. Empathy begins when we imagine ourselves in their situation. What if we applied this empathy to animals? After countless controversies, slavery was abolished and mankind faced a new era. Maybe the Buenos Aires Zoo could similarly lead the way to another new era.
The Buenos Aires Zoo was shut down in June 2016. Citizens could no longer visit as the zoo prepared to release the animals. Various animal rights organizations, academics, and staff members of the zoo discussed the future of the animals.

-Director, Wooyoung Choi

Awards