# IMO Zoos may have been a good thing at one time but today they are just ridiculous. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 30, 2014, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124 "2014-01-30T12:00:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/61 "2014-01-31T08:38:38Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > People who like going to zoos would be hurt if zoos shut down. The Association of Zoos and aquariums estimates that attendance at zoos is 175 million per year. That is alot of people who would be hurt if zoos closed down. > Animals at the zoo are protected from predators and given plenty of food to eat. If I was an animal would I rather be out in the wild running from predators and scrounging for food, or in an enclosure safe and with a full belly? I have no idea and neither does anyone else, since it is impossible to understand the mental state of animals and what makes them happy. > Closing zoos would hurt tens of millions of people while possibly helping or possibly hurting the animals involved. I remember a line by Al Jaffee (of\* Mad); \*I have paraphrased it somewhat: “What! Give up this terror-ridden jungle for a life of ease and security? Are you out of your mind?” ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/62 "2014-01-31T14:53:37Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Probably not, Edinburgh is further north than Edmonton. Two or three people have mentioned this, and it’s quite true. But Edinburgh Zoo no longer has any elephants, and hasn’t had for 25 years! But there are some at Blair Drummond, a safari park an hour’s drive away near Stirling. The zoo is a charity and any profits are either used for improving the zoo\*, or funding several conservation and research projects around the world. They also have modern research facilities for studying several species. I think they’re an organisation worth supporting and just upgraded my annual membership to a life membership… - usually the animal enclosures and collection although visitor facilities have also been improved. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/63 "2014-01-31T15:17:11Z")
> [@texasmiss](#): > > That is hilarious! 🙂 > My view on zoos is I dont like them, the rescuing, breeding, and reintroducing into safe areas would take care of the endangered, … What, pray tell, do you think zoos do? Several examples have been given in this thread where zoos have helped increase the numbers of endangered animals by doing exactly that. Here’s the rub - rescuing, breeding (and associated feeding, housing, medical care, etc) and reintroducing all cost money. Big money. Zoos offset part of that cost by displaying animals and charging people to see them. In your worldview, who pays for all this? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/64 "2014-01-31T15:36:22Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Being used to Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo with its “Tropic World” exhibits, I was taken back by how shitty the exhibits in the National Zoo in DC are. Especially for the primates. The National Zoo has had a lot of money poured in and never-ending renovations, but the quality has gone down considerably from when I was a kid. They got pandas, but that’s about it. I used to love going there; they used to have giraffes, hippos, rhinos, and _polar bears_. They even got rid of my favorite exhibit, the lowly capybaras (I like them because they were just in a roped pen outside the elephant house, and they were friendly). I understand the elephants needed a better space (which is why the giraffes and hippos were removed), but frankly elephants just aren’t that exotic or interesting. ---
**Author:** ![texasmiss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@texasmiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/texasmiss)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/65 "2014-01-31T17:48:56Z")
Please everyone read this: or just google Elephant Whisperer, Lawrence Anthony [http://delightmakers.com/news/wild-elephants-gather-inexplicably-mourn-death-of-elephant-whisperer/](http://delightmakers.com/news/wild-elephants-gather-inexplicably-mourn-death-of-elephant-whisperer/) ---
**Author:** ![texasmiss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@texasmiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/texasmiss)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/66 "2014-01-31T17:56:48Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > What, pray tell, do you think zoos do? Several examples have been given in this thread where zoos have helped increase the numbers of endangered animals by doing exactly that. Here’s the rub - rescuing, breeding (and associated feeding, housing, medical care, etc) and reintroducing all cost money. Big money. Zoos offset part of that cost by displaying animals and charging people to see them. > > In your worldview, who pays for all this? Well in my world people are a little more respectful in the way they address other folks, but maybe this will give you an idea [http://www.elephants.com/](http://www.elephants.com/) donors, contributors, philanthropist, and educating the children to really appreciate animals and nature ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/67 "2014-01-31T18:01:13Z")
> [@texasmiss](#): > > Well in my world This isn’t. It’s a message board. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/68 "2014-01-31T18:04:17Z")
> [@texasmiss](#): > > Well in my world people are a little more respectful in the way they address other folks My regards to good King Friday and Lady Elaine! ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/69 "2014-01-31T18:10:09Z")
> [@Hermitian](#): > > I’ve visited the San Diego zoo a few months ago and had some similar thoughts. > > One hundred or even 50 years ago, going to a zoo must have been a magical experience. People could see real live animals up close that most of them had only read about or seen in pictures. However, in my opinion, the idea that zoos are a place that people can go to see animals has eroded. Not erased, but definitely reduced due to two reasons: > > 1. Availability of other sources of watching animals. > > Today people can see exotic animals for 24 hours a day on Animal planet. Not just see them, but see them up close and interacting in their natural habitat. Or just type “elephant” into YouTube. You could probably watch elephants up close, in hi-def for 24 hours a day until you die. You’d need a hella big monitor to get anything approaching the visceral impact of how massive an elephant is in person. Sorry. It’s an overwhelmingly and unfortunately common misconception that video is an adequate proxy for **actually being there.** > [@](#): > > 1. Type of zoo enclosures. > > Zoos of yesteryear had enclosures that maximized viewing pleasure for its visitors. Animals were closer, and there was less to obstruct their views. The only problem is that this is not necessarily what is best for the animals. Many enclosures in modern zoos today have tried to be more kind to the animals and let them be in more natural enclosures that help their physical and social needs. Do not get me wrong, THIS IS GOOD for the animals. The only problem is that this is not necessarily good for zoo patrons and animal watchers. > > Example to bring my points home: When I visited the SD zoo, it had been the first time I had been to a zoo in a long time. I had high expectations. As I walked, walked, and walked, I have to admit that I was kind of disappointed. I go to the lion exhibit. They are 40 feet a way, up on a ledge, sleeping. All I can see a bit of mane sticking out and flicking in the wind. > > I go to the tigers. Are there tigers in here? Oh wait, someone says they spotted one. Where? Oh… way over there, I think i see a tail sticking out from some bushes. > > For at least half of the exhibits, I really struggled to even find the animals I was supposedly viewing. Once found, the view is quite disappointing. I thought to myself, “Dang, I feel like going home and watching some REAL animals on YouTube!” > > I can only imagine what it would have been like to manhandle several young children hyped up to see animals and to have encountered these scenarios. I love manhandling my children up to see them. Because modern enclosure design means that the animals get to do what the animals actually do. Which, in the case of cats, is sleep. My two-year-old loves the fact that the big tiger she’s looking at from my shoulders sleeps all the time just like her own Andy-kitty. > [@](#): > > Conclusion: Are there good reasons for zoos? Absolutely! Many of the other posters have listed benefits of zoos. But their ability to display animals to the excited public (what many people consider to be their primary mission) is decreasing. Not decreasing, but the definition of “display” is definitely different from the old days. And that’s all for the good. Reality is not televised, or staged, or stuffed and put on display. Zoos are apparently starting to recognize this. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/70 "2014-01-31T18:17:08Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > You’d need a hella big monitor to get anything approaching the visceral impact of how massive an elephant is in person. > > Sorry. It’s an overwhelmingly and unfortunately common misconception that video is an adequate proxy for **actually being there.**. Fact, especially for children. When my son, who was just almost two at the time, first saw an elephant he didn’ t even _recognize_ it. We were standing 20 feet away when I pointed it out to him, and he looked right through it. Scanned around, trying to find what I was pointing at. He simply had no concept how LARGE an elephant actutally is. After what seemed like forever, his eyes finally locked on it and he realized what he waas looking at. One of my favorite memories is the look of awe when it struck him, and how he whispered "…elephant…: I was amazed at how tall giraffes are. Lion heads are gigantic. Monkeys and apes (especially apes) emote. Bird feathers iridesce. No, there is nothing like seeing a live animal. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/71 "2014-01-31T19:18:52Z")
> [@texasmiss](#): > > Please everyone read this: or just google > > Elephant Whisperer, Lawrence Anthony > > [http://delightmakers.com/news/wild-elephants-gather-inexplicably-mourn-death-of-elephant-whisperer/](http://delightmakers.com/news/wild-elephants-gather-inexplicably-mourn-death-of-elephant-whisperer/) Hi. My name is **Siam Sam** , and I have not endorsed this message. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/72 "2014-01-31T19:57:36Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > The old fashioned zoos that were just cages set on concrete were and are terrible places. Modern zoos that give the animals much more room to roam and a more natural setting are much better. That’s exactly what I always thought. But when I said this to a zookeeper in San Antonio, he shrugged and said, “I hear that a lot. But to tell the truth, that means a lot more to YOU than it does to the animals.” His point was, in the wild, a lion sleeps about 20 hours a day. So, while an observer may be disappointed to see a zoo lion snoring on a concrete floor in a cage, the lion really couldn’t care less. He’s asleep! What does he care what his surroundings look like? Along the same lines, the San Antonio Zoo gave their cheetahs a big grassy enclosure to run around in. Know how often they run? Never! A cheetah in the Serengeti doesn’t run 70 mph because it’s fun- he runs because, if he doesn’t catch a gazelle, he may starve. In a zoo, a well-fed cheetah will generally lie around doing nothing. He can lie around doing nothing in a small pen as easily as in a large, naturalistic-looking enclosure. A pretty enclosure makes human spectators feel good, but the animals frequently couldn’t care less. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/73 "2014-01-31T20:42:19Z")
I find that a little hard to believe or, perhaps, just overstated. A lion may spend much of its time sleeping but it may cope better if it has places to sleep with varying levels of privacy or shelter. A more natural environment can give more mental stimulation (nooks and niches to poke its nose into, soil to scratch at, etc). Do you think a house cat does just as well in a 6’x6’ bare room with a litter box as it would in a 20’x20’ room with cat trees, tunnels, plants and other stuff to roam around in and jump up on? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/74 "2014-01-31T20:45:32Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Along the same lines, the San Antonio Zoo gave their cheetahs a big grassy enclosure to run around in. Know how often they run? Never! A cheetah in the Serengeti doesn’t run 70 mph because it’s fun- he runs because, if he doesn’t catch a gazelle, he may starve. In a zoo, a well-fed cheetah will generally lie around doing nothing. He can lie around doing nothing in a small pen as easily as in a large, naturalistic-looking enclosure At least in some zoos, they make an attempt to create an environment that is _behaviorally_ similar to the animal’s natural environment – that is, where animals will have behavioral opportunities and incentives similar to their natural environment. The late Professor Hal Markowitz of San Fransisco State U. spent much of his career developing things like this. One example I remember reading about: For medium-size cats (servals or civits or whatever), one thing they did was construct a meat-ball shooter. Instead of just throwing a steak to the cats, they made meat-balls and shot them into the air over the cat’s enclosure. The cat had to lunge for it and catch it. I think it was arranged so if the cat didn’t catch it, the meat-ball would fall someplace where the cat couldn’t get it – so it really had to leap for it. (ETA: This was all meant to simulate chasing and catching birds.) At the old Cal Academy of Sciences Aquarium (and maybe the new one for all I know; haven’t been there) they had those two Pacific White-Sided Dolphins living in that fish-tank for umpty-ump years. Markowitz and some of his students did some work with them too, trying to cobble up some kind of a decent behavioral environment for them. Some books he wrote: [Behavioral Enrichment in the Zoo](http://www.amazon.com/Behavioral-Enrichment-Zoo-Hal-Markowitz/dp/0442251254) (1981). [Enriching Animal Lives](http://www.amazon.com/Enriching-Animal-Lives-Hal-Markowitz/dp/0983357919) (2011). Excerpt from overview at Amazon: > [@](#): > > Hal Markowitz has been an internationally popular lecturer and consultant on environmental enrichment for four decades. Enriching Animal Lives is chock full of recipes for enriching lives of a wide range of animals along with a generous sprinkling of personal experiences. This book will be of interest to those working in zoos, aquariums, wild animal parks, and animal rehabilitation facilities. It will also be of interest to all animal lovers, especially those with companion animals and scientists conducting research with captive animals. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/75 "2014-01-31T20:45:33Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I find that a little hard to believe or, perhaps, just overstated. A lion may spend much of its time sleeping but it may cope better if it has places to sleep with varying levels of privacy or shelter. A more natural environment can give more mental stimulation (nooks and niches to poke its nose into, soil to scratch at, etc). Do you think a house cat does just as well in a 6’x6’ bare room with a litter box as it would in a 20’x20’ room with cat trees, tunnels, plants and other stuff to roam around in and jump up on? The bigger question is, what does a wild lion or cheetah do all day in the Serengeti? Does it crave intellectual stimulation? Does it seek out new adventures? Does it go off exploring regularly Or does it hunt/eat when it needs to and seek out a shady spot to snooze in the rest of the time?t ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/76 "2014-01-31T21:20:47Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > . . . I was amazed at how tall giraffes are. . . . The Los Angeles Zoo has a nifty ramp where you can walk up and be at eye-level with the giraffes. At that point, it becomes amazing how big their heads (and eyes!) are. (In long-ago days, the L.A. Zoo had a rhino enclosure with an entirely inadequate protective fence. The rhinos were in a sunken paddock…but the fence was only knee-high to the humans outside it. An idiotic – or merely clumsy – person could easily have stepped right over the low wall and right onto a rhino’s back. That could have been…dramatic.) ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2014, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/77 "2014-01-31T23:18:46Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Along the same lines, the San Antonio Zoo gave their cheetahs a big grassy enclosure to run around in. Know how often they run? Never! A cheetah in the Serengeti doesn’t run 70 mph because it’s fun- he runs because, if he doesn’t catch a gazelle, he may starve. In a zoo, a well-fed cheetah will generally lie around doing nothing. He can lie around doing nothing in a small pen as easily as in a large, naturalistic-looking enclosure. > > A pretty enclosure makes human spectators feel good, but the animals frequently couldn’t care less. The Kansas City Zoo has a neat thing for the cheetahs, it’s basically a toy/target on a motorized pulley system. They fire it up and the bait zips around the perimeter of the habitat. Amazing to see how fast a cheetah can get up to speed…it’s almost instantaneous. > [@Trinopus](#): > > The Los Angeles Zoo has a nifty ramp where you can walk up and be at eye-level with the giraffes. At that point, it becomes amazing how big their heads (and eyes!) are. > > (In long-ago days, the L.A. Zoo had a rhino enclosure with an entirely inadequate protective fence. The rhinos were in a sunken paddock…but the fence was only knee-high to the humans outside it. An idiotic – or merely clumsy – person could easily have stepped right over the low wall and right onto a rhino’s back. That could have been…dramatic.) Jacksonville (FL) Zoo had something like that…you cold buy bunches of leaves to feed them. I had forgotten how big their eyes were though; yes, they’re huge as well! KC is going to have a giraffe exhibit like Jacksonville’s in the next few years. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/78 "2014-02-01T00:11:24Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > The bigger question is, what does a wild lion or cheetah do all day in the Serengeti? Does it crave intellectual stimulation? Does it seek out new adventures? Does it go off exploring regularly Or does it hunt/eat when it needs to and seek out a shady spot to snooze in the rest of the time?t While I doubt it goes on incredible journeys and performs cinema worthy stunts, I would assume that it sniffs around and explores its immediate environment. If for no other reason than because it’s currently living there and probably wants to be aware of what’s around it. “Hunting” is a large part of its stimulation. Locating prey, tracking it, being aware of other animals, the actual kill, defending its kill from scavengers, etc. In the absence of that, other things should substitute to the best of their ability. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2014, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/79 "2014-02-01T04:49:57Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > The bigger question is, what does a wild lion or cheetah do all day in the Serengeti? Does it crave intellectual stimulation? Does it seek out new adventures? Does it go off exploring regularly Or does it hunt/eat when it needs to and seek out a shady spot to snooze in the rest of the time?t I would guess they spend time studying pathways they can use when being chased by other animals to escape. Also paths where they could drive a prey animal and then chase them down and kill them. I once saw a documentary where some prey animal like a gopher spent a lot of time running an escape path until she seemed to know it very well. Then one day she was chased by some hunter animal and used that path to save her life. I was impressed by that. Seemed like a very clever thing to do with her downtime. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124/80 "2014-02-02T08:15:39Z")
Wild bottlenosed dolphins study Euclidean geometry, trigonometry, and calculus. Did you see that article a few days ago, that somebody has figured out how “fairy rings” are created? (Something like crop circles, except they appear underwater in the sand.) It isn’t aliens after all. It’s the dolphins doing their geometry in the sand, like Archimedes. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/imo-zoos-may-have-been-a-good-thing-at-one-time-but-today-they-are-just-ridiculous/680124.md?page=5)