# Zoos? Yea or Nay? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 8, 2012, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206 "2012-02-08T16:48:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/21 "2012-02-08T20:22:33Z")
**araminty** : My apologies for the unintentional slight. The few smaller zoos that I’ve been to have not been so well-planned in terms of their animal housing and choices, and were depressing experiences. I’m glad to hear of small zoos that are truly havens for their animals and successful at their mission of educating the public. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/22 "2012-02-08T21:49:09Z")
I love going to the zoo. Besides providing educational and entertaining exhibits, they also play a huge role in conservation and supporting endangered species. Around here, the Columbus Zoo is also affiliated with The Wilds, which is a huge conservation area with several species of animals not native to the area. It’s much more natural than a traditional zoo, lacking actual exhibits, but it is open to tourists. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/23 "2012-02-08T21:54:57Z")
There’s nothing sadder than a badly run zoo but most modern zoos these days have very high standards. A good zoo is important for education, conservation and preservation. I worked at a little zoo for three years when I was teen. It was small, but it was doing it’s best with what it had. It’s becoming a real little gem and I think it makes the whole city a more attractive place. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/24 "2012-02-08T21:55:04Z")
Some years ago, I took some out-of-town friends to the San Diego Zoo, which is pretty widely regarded as one of the better zoos in the world. My friends started getting huffy about zoos in general. “We don’t approve of keeping animals prisoner.” About that time, we saw a wild rabbit, rustling through the hedge. Not a zoo animal, but a native California cottontail, that had gotten in through a gap in the fence somewhere. It’s eyes were completely ringed with fleas. I didn’t have to say a word. My friends said it for me. “Well, yes, that sort of thing doesn’t happen to zoo animals.” ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/25 "2012-02-08T21:56:39Z")
They generally depress me, especially if there are bars on the window–it’s like jail! I still eat meat, but I tend not to visit zoos. I like the super-big enclosures that resemble natural habitats, though. I’d probably go to a zoo if all the animals were kept in a large natural habitat. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/26 "2012-02-08T22:06:01Z")
I voted maybe. I don’t think that it’s any great acheivement having the last whatever in the world stuck in a zoo for public entertainment or enlightenment. But well-run zoos, that also focus on possible re-integration of endangered animals into their wild habitat, AND make a sincere effort to provide animals with an enriched, healthy and stimulating environment (even if that means the animals are frequently out of sight doing stimulating and enriched wild-animal things) are OK by me. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/27 "2012-02-08T22:33:14Z")
I was kind if on the fence until I read Life of Pi, which had a fairly compelling argument in favor of zoos. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/28 "2012-02-08T22:47:56Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I guess they’re learning as they go with the Great Apes; maybe it’s just staring them in the eyes that the big fellas don’t like. I used to have no problem with zoos until one day I was standing by a gorilla exhibit. There was a mother gorilla sitting there with her kid and she gave me the most exasperated look. It was so close to human that it still freaks me out. Now I feel slightly guilty about zoos. ---
**Author:** ![Jasper\_Kent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a9a28c/32.png) [@Jasper\_Kent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasper_Kent)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/29 "2012-02-09T00:32:11Z")
I voted _maybe._ As others have pointed out, the good zoos are wonderful places for both people and animals. The bad ones are horrible for both! Fortunately, the general trend is that the good zoos are getting better and the bad ones are fading out. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/30 "2012-02-09T01:34:03Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > 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. I feel sad when I see one of them doing a repetitive behavior (a cat in our local zoo was facing the rear corner of its cage and just kept rocking back and forth), tho I recognize the conservation which is going on (I just hope there is a viable ecosystem (hell, world) to put them back into eventually). ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/31 "2012-02-09T01:56:05Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I feel sad when I see one of them doing a repetitive behavior (a cat in our local zoo was facing the rear corner of its cage and just kept rocking back and forth), tho I recognize the conservation which is going on (I just hope there is a viable ecosystem (hell, world) to put them back into eventually). This… It’s one of the sad stories from the San Diego Zoo. The Polar Bear enclosure was just too damn small, and the bear in it went insane. Two paces left. Two paces right. Lift head, utter little “squeak.” Repeat. Hours and hours and hours. Then they built a much bigger, better enclosure. Lots of “richness.” Lots of little things to touch, to climb on, to swim in. Much, much, much better. They moved the bear there… She couldn’t cope, and died… She was basically just too far gone to be rehabilitated. (“Re-habitat-ed?”) But they got some new bears, and they seem to be doing okay in the new enclosure. Zoos are never going to be perfect, but they certainly are getting better… ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/32 "2012-02-09T02:03:03Z")
I really love zoos, I’ve been to dozens and dozens of them and have rarely seen a bad one. The Bronx Zoo is probably the best in the nation. I really like the New Orleans Zoo too. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/33 "2012-02-09T02:19:37Z")
Like you I have mixed feelings about zoos… on the one hand they are wild animals confined in pens and cages when they should roam free. On the other hand they get three squares a day and don’t have to search for water (big plus). However, this intrigues me more: > [@AndyLee](#): > > After all it’s harder to eat a chicken I’ve known personally. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![YWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/6f9a4e/32.png) [@YWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YWalker)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/34 "2012-02-09T02:29:15Z")
Yes — both conceptually and in practice. I’ve been a member of the NC Zoological Society for around 25 years or so. As many have stated, I support good zoos, like the NC Zoo, that show respect to the animals, and strive to keep them in as close a natural habitat as is possible, rather than boxing them in to barred cages. They can do a lot for species preservation, and making the animals accessible to people help people realize what value there is in protecting wildlife from extinction. I heartily dislike facilities that box the animals up in small cages or force them to perform, which is why I can’t bear to go to the circus. ---
**Author:** ![FlyByNight512](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/35 "2012-02-09T04:25:19Z")
We can never quite give animals an ideal life in confinement - if nothing else, they can’t migrate - but we can do pretty well, overall. The educational benefits of zoos are well worth the tradeoff IMHO. > [@YWalker](#): > > I heartily dislike facilities that box the animals up in small cages or force them to perform, which is why I can’t bear to go to the circus. I’ve got to slightly disagree here. To the best of my knowledge, exotic animals can benefit from training and performance. Performing may not be natural per se, but it is enrichment in the sense that it’s something to provide challenges and expose them to new situations. Better to be a tiger who goes to visit film sets and interacts with trainers than to be a tiger who spends its entire life in one pen. This is all assuming that the animal is well cared for and has plenty of down time to be a [species] in a semi-natural environment, of course, and I’m aware that many circuses fall far short of that standard. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/36 "2012-02-09T06:28:04Z")
Love a good zoo. One where the animals are well cared for and have things that keep their brains occupied. Zoos are going to be the last stronghold for many of our animals, unfortunately. So many magnificent creatures are likely going to be extinct in our lifetime in the wild. Without zoos, they would be gone completely. ---
**Author:** ![Consensus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3be4f8/32.png) [@Consensus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Consensus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/37 "2012-02-09T12:25:27Z")
If we want animals to have the best ‘care’ possible we should leave them be in their natural environment. But I guess that’s a no-go with us calling the shots on this planet. Breeding programs, riiight. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/38 "2012-02-09T22:46:16Z")
> [@Consensus](#): > > If we want animals to have the best ‘care’ possible we should leave them be in their natural environment. But I guess that’s a no-go with us calling the shots on this planet. > Breeding programs, riiight. Read David Quammen’s “Song of the Dodo.” (Most depressing doggone book I’ve ever read.) There isn’t any natural environment. There are a few tiny pockets of weed-patch wilderness, with superhighways and oil pipelines running right through the center. There is no spot on the face of the earth that is free from the sound of engines. (Global warming, carbon dioxide, pollutants, etc… Sigh…) Breeding programs have had a few successes…the Arabian Oryx, etc. Enough to justify their continued funding. ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/39 "2012-02-09T23:27:06Z")
> [@YWalker](#): > > I heartily dislike facilities that box the animals up in small cages or force them to perform, which is why I can’t bear to go to the circus. I know it’s not quite the same thing, but a lot of zoos actually do a limited amount of training, because it can benefit the animals- for example, training animals to come to the bars in their ‘off display’ area on demand, so they can get checked over easily- open mouths on demand so they don’t need to be sedated to have their teeth checked… It normally doesn’t take very long, and just takes a few extra treats. At least in this country, we have very few performing animals in circuses- I think only really a few horses, which is a good job for me, 'cos I love the circus, but I don’t like watching utterly unnatural animal behaviour, even if it wasn’t trained through cruelty. I am fully in favour of non-crap zoos, and would very much like the crap ones to stop existing and ruining it for the rest of them. ---
**Author:** ![MaddyStrut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dbc845/32.png) [@MaddyStrut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaddyStrut)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206/40 "2012-02-10T00:54:27Z")
I love zoos. Mostly because I just love seeing animals. If the zoo is well maintained and the animals are in a rich environment that suits them, I don’t know if captivity bothers them that much. They don’t think like we do, and I wonder if they realize they’re captive or if they think nothing more than “Oh, there’s a wall there. Can’t go through it.” If they look healthy and well adjusted, I assume they are. Perhaps it’s different with domestics, but I’ve seen stressed, poorly adjusted dogs, cats, horses, cows, and pigs, and it shows. But even if the animals would prefer to be wild, I think zoos do a lot of good educating people about wildlife. It’s one thing to understand intellectually how habitat destruction is a bad thing. It’s another to actually see all the wonderful, really cool animals we’d lose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoos-yea-or-nay/612206.md?page=3)