Do you support zoos in general? Let’s assume the animals are as well cared for as possible.
On one hand it does seem cruel to lock them up. But then again, the animals get free health care and free food and usually live longer.
But then what’s the use of being alive long if all you do is look at people that look back at you. The “born free” argument. Then again, from the nature films I’ve seen all animals seem to do, is look for food and rest, with the ocassional search for a mate.
Some will argue an animal is born free and any attempt at confinement is cruel. And other point out even an animal that is deformed should be allowed to remain free as his death brings life (in the form of food) for othes.
But then again, zoos help the general population see animals. You may think twice about animals and killing them once you actually see them. After all it’s harder to eat a chicken I’ve known personally.
Yes. I like zoos. The animals are well taken care of.
I must admit though, I have felt sorry on occasion for some of the wild beasts pacing back and forth as the clothed, hairless apes take pictures and point.
Yes, I support zoos because of the educational mission. (I volunteer at ours locally with gorillas and small mammals - the gorillas live in a gorilla Hilton, the small mammal enclosures could… use an update.) Seeing tigers in zoos is a very effective way to teach kids about why it’s so important to conserve the tiger’s natural habitat.
I do feel less happy about the big cats, specifically, in small enclosures, though.
Zoos are an important part of the breeding programmes to keep endangered species around. I support them based on that alone. I wish they didn’t have to display all the animals (especially the gorillas who don’t like being looked at), but you have to have visitors to the zoo to pay for the breeding programmes.
Zoos are important sites of conservation. There are a lot of animals who are or were extinct in the wild, beautiful, fascinating creatures like the Scimitar Oryx and the Panamanian Golden Frog that have only survived because of captive populations.
I said “maybe” - I only like the really big zoos with good, well-designed animal enclosures that provide a lot of stimulating activities for the animals. They can be instrumental in reintroducing endangered animals through breeding programs, and are a good educational resource.
(And to establish my criticism cred per a couple posts up, I’m a vegetarian. )
I was at the Toronto Zoo a few years back and they were running an experiment with some of the great apes whereby the view was deliberately blocked off with canvas; you could still peek though, but the apes’ view was obscured.
We talked to one of the researchers there and she said the apes hated it. It visibly bothered them that they couldn’t see the people.
They might find us as amusing as we do them. “Holy shit, Jim, that’s the fattest one yet. He’s even fatter than Ice Cream Shirt Man, remember, the guy from Monday? Christ, what a blimp. And look how ugly his kids are! Ha ha ha ha!”
Ours don’t really seem to give a shit if you look at them. They can’t hear you, though, through the main viewing area - there’s glass, and it’s very thick (I can’t even hear people pounding on it with their fists when I’m cleaning.) They spend a lot of the day chilling on their patio sitting against the glass.
The smaller one does like to fuck with new volunteers, though. Scares you to get a reaction out of you. Fucker.
I don’t understand this thread at all. The title says “Yea or Nay” and the poll options say “Yes” and “No.” I had no idea how to deal with these confusing instructions.
Seriously- I’m guardedly in favor of zoos. I realize they are not the most natural environment for the animals and that some zoos just plain suck. But I do think they serve an important and irreplaceable purpose in terms of getting people (particularly children) interested in wildlife and in nature. There’s nothing like seeing them up close.
I’m in favor of ones that treat the animals right. North Carolina has a world-class zoo in Asheboro, and it’s my benchmark against which I judge all others.
The “born free” argument doesn’t hold much water with me. Holding freedom as the highest ideal is hardly a universal human trait, let alone something universal to all animals; I see very little evidence that most animals hold it as the highest virtue. Indeed, the deal we offer animals is something like this: “Either you can live your own life in the wild, risking predation, parasites, hunger, death by rivals, etc., or you can live here in the zoo, with protection from predators, the best health care available, a regular diet, and no rivals around. Which would you like?” It’s hard to imagine that many animals would go for the first option if they could choose.
I recommend going as early in the day as possible, preferably right when they open. Most of the really interesting animals are only active in the morning, there are no huge crowds, and often you’ll get to see something special (like when the National Zoo had tiger cubs a few years ago, they only let them out into the exhibit area for a short time early in the morning).
I don’t like zoos at zoos at all, I think they are cruel and creepy. I don’t want them banned and I don’t think less of people who enjoy zoos, I can even see some of the positive aspects, but they aren’t my cup of tea.
My position isn’t logically defensible though. I find some factory farming practices equally if not more creepy and distasteful but I’m willing to accept those conditions for cheaper, widely available food.
Given your “Let’s assume the animals are as well cared for as possible,” sure.
For instance, Busch Gardens Tampa has a decent several acre savannah setup with small herds of various African grazers. To view them you ride on an elevated train.
And some zoos are the best current hope against extinction for species whose habitats are shrinking to nothing.
I’m going to take exception to this, as an employee of a small zoo! I am a zoo educator at a small zoo with good, well-designed animal enclosures and an award-winning enrichment program. Our zoo is AZA accredited - less than 10% of US zoos have gone to the trouble of having the Association of Zoos and Aquariums inspect and review every aspect of operations and ensuring they meet the standards set.
Obviously, our little zoo has a collection to match our size. We have around sixty animals, which were chosen for our collection because we can care for them at a level beyond adequate. The largest animal we have is a cow, acually a miniature zebu, in our barnyard. Our largest exotic is a jaguar. Many of our animals participate in SSPs, Species Survival Plans, the breeding programs administered by the AZA.
Studies have shown that children, when exposed to live animals during education programs, have a much higher information retention rate than those shown “biofacts” (preserved and/or taxidermied animal artifacts).
Our zoo’s main audience is families with young children. Here in the education department, we have broken down our educational messaging into three stages, depending on the age of our visitors. For very young kids, under 5, all we want them to get from their visit to the zoo is… animals are great, and it’s fun to learn about them. We compare animal and human lives, their similarities and differences, we look at physicalities like size, color, texture, shape. Older kids, 6-8, start to learn to respect animals - that human actions influence wild places, and we should behave humanely toward them. 12 years and up, we start asking our visitors to consider their actions, even if it’s as simple as reduce, reuse, recycle, and try and avoid palm oil products. We take ecophobia seriously, and avoid talking about the “bad news” of environmental education until after 12 years of age.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to run on like this! But I assure you, the learning messages you get when you visit a good zoo have been finely crafted. Sadly, sometimes the people who could really benefit from these messages are those that choose not to visit zoos, which, of course, is a valid opinion and choice to make.
A good zoo has spacious, clean enclosures, employees who care about the animals, proper certifications, a breeding program or three, and a strong educational mission.
Fer example-
Flamingo Gardens- It’s mostly a preserve but has a small zoo as well. The animals on display are either there temporarily while being rehabilitated prior to be being released into the wild, or for some reason (usually crippling injury) would die if released. The employees clearly love the animals and nature in general. Strong efforts are made to educate the public about Florida’s wilds and wildlife and basic environmental responsibility.
Contrast that with-
Billy’s Bayou Safari- My family dragged me there once. Billy’s teaches that nature is best when sanitized and packaged for our convenience. One of the employees was feeding a local gator so that it would be trained to stay in the area and amuse tourists. A cement enclosure large enough for one gator held six alligators and a crocodile. Any educational value is purely coincidental.
I consider Flamingo Gardens a sacred place and the work that they do there holy.
Billy’s is a weeping sore abomination that needs to be wiped from the face of the earth.
You wanna be depressed, visit the Serpentarium in Wilmington. Huge lizards in tanks barely large enough to turn around. I wish they could be put out of business. (The full-wall display about evil government chemtrail conspiracy doesn’t help).
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