Zoos

[CynBeth]

We love zoos and aquariums. We go to the ones near us at lease once if not 2-3 times a year and when on vacation always see if that city has and make time to visit.

 

[mom2rtk]

I hear a lot of talk about rescue and conservation efforts. Apparently that wasn't enough to save Sea World.

 

[gtpoohbear]

My feeling is that the captivity that happens in zoos is sort of like a "necessary evil." As many have already stated, most zoos' primary focus is on conservation and education. Unfortunately, people will only work to save that which they care about, and they will only care about that which they know. By keeping a few members of a species captive, humans get to know them, appreciate them, and become much more likely to make choices that will help save them.

If we had no zoos, I suspect most people would forget about how much diverse life is out there, and how special it is. So, as long as the animals are being well cared for, and the zoo is serving its purpose to educate and increase awareness of conservation, I think that the freedom of a few individuals is a worthy sacrifice for the greater good.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I love zoos, we visit the Pittsburgh zoo frequently. They always have conservation and research projects going on, I feel like zoos do much more good than harm. I'm not obsessed with the zoo like I am crazy for Disney, but I would miss it if our zoo closed, I spent a lot of time there with my babies. But we go there far less than we did when the kids were young, now we mostly just visit for special events like Zoo Boo and Zoofari. For me a trip to the zoo amounts to a pleasant walk outside, with upgraded scenery.

 

[a1tinkfans]

If anyone is in the vicinity of Southwest Florida, the Naples Zoo is an Accredited Zoo.
It’s an Amazing, smaller scale Zoo, opened in 1969, 43 acres. They are conservationists and as a yearly repeat Zoo, member I highly recommend it.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Zoo Miami, Cincinnati Zoo, and the Denver Zoo are also really good ones.

Even at good ones, I share the concern about keeping animals captive like that.

However I agree that zoos are becoming a valuable part of conservation of endangered species. We are partial to rhinos, and they are really doing very good work with their breeding programs to try and keep the numbers up. For instance, the Sumatran rhino population is estimated at less than 80 members total. The Cincinnati Zoo was the first facility in 112 years to successfully breed these rhinos in captivity. They've transferred their Sumatran population back to Indonesia and the expertise they gained with breeding this species has helped the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary with their breeding program as well.

http://www.asianrhinos.org.au/participate/adopt_a_rhino/andatu/
I think more and more, that zoos are at the forefront of the fight to save critically endangered species like the Sumatran Rhino, and for that reason I am fine with the good ones. The bad ones on the other hand should be shut down.

 

[Jen414]

I teach 5th grade and this is one of our main writing prompts during our opinion unit. The actual prompt is, "Are zoos helpful or harmful to animals?" Truthfully, there can be arguments made for both sides and we do give the students multiple sources and allow them to choose which side they would like to write about. Most students end up on the harmful side of the debate. While it is true that zoos have greatly improved over the past 25+ years, all zoos can do is their best to replicate a natural habitat. At the end of the day, that's all it is--a replica. Did you know that elephants in the wild walk between 9 and 50 miles a day? Where can this be replicated? Dolphins in the wild swim up to 40 miles a day. Clearly, this is not possible in captivity. When animals are in the wild, the majority of their time is either spent looking for food or trying not to be food. This is obviously not an issue in captivity, so then what do they do with their time. Boredom leads to zoochosis. Zoochosis is a mental health disease that animals in captivity develop. There is a whole list of behaviors that go with zoochosis, but the one I have seen the most is pacing. When you see an animal walking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth---that's zoochosis. I do agree that there are many good things that zoos are doing and that's why it's a tricky issue, and as someone above stated, perhaps it's a necessary evil. I don't know. I did take my girls to a local zoo this summer for a sloth encounter and while that was super fun and the zoo was clean and is certainly into conservation, we all felt bad for the animals that were there.

 

[wombat_5606]

I teach 5th grade and this is one of our main writing prompts during our opinion unit. The actual prompt is, "Are zoos helpful or harmful to animals?" Truthfully, there can be arguments made for both sides and we do give the students multiple sources and allow them to choose which side they would like to write about. Most students end up on the harmful side of the debate. While it is true that zoos have greatly improved over the past 25+ years, all zoos can do is their best to replicate a natural habitat. At the end of the day, that's all it is--a replica. Did you know that elephants in the wild walk between 9 and 50 miles a day? Where can this be replicated? Dolphins in the wild swim up to 40 miles a day. Clearly, this is not possible in captivity. When animals are in the wild, the majority of their time is either spent looking for food or trying not to be food. This is obviously not an issue in captivity, so then what do they do with their time. Boredom leads to zoochosis. Zoochosis is a mental health disease that animals in captivity develop. There is a whole list of behaviors that go with zoochosis, but the one I have seen the most is pacing. When you see an animal walking back and forth, back and forth, back and forth---that's zoochosis. I do agree that there are many good things that zoos are doing and that's why it's a tricky issue, and as someone above stated, perhaps it's a necessary evil. I don't know. I did take my girls to a local zoo this summer for a sloth encounter and while that was super fun and the zoo was clean and is certainly into conservation, we all felt bad for the animals that were there.

Well, if you feel bad about animals in captivity or in human care, how do you feel about animals that are becoming extinct in their natural habitat due to humans?

 

[Jen414]

Well, if you feel bad about animals in captivity or in human care, how do you feel about animals that are becoming extinct in their natural habitat due to humans?

Awful. As I said, there are arguments for both sides. Zoos have prevented many animals from being extinct. They are able to do wonderful things but it doesn’t mean that captivity is what’s best for every animal that is in a zoo. A complicated issue for sure and no right answer in my opinion.

 

[wombat_5606]

Awful. As I said, there are arguments for both sides. Zoos have prevented many animals from being extinct. They are able to do wonderful things but it doesn’t mean that captivity is what’s best for every animal that is in a zoo. A complicated issue for sure and no right answer in my opinion.

Well, virtually no animal that resides in human care has ever seen the "wild". No animal is captured in the "wild" and made to live in a zoo. The current zoo population has been either rescued or born there, so there is no possibility to release any of these animals. They are living in a place where they are loved and cared for to the best of human possibility and I think that's the best thing for them.

All accredited zoos are now supporting conservation efforts in the areas of the world where animals are threatened. The American Zoological Association spends $160 million annually on 2500 projects helping to protect animals in their natural habitat. Who else is doing that?

Perhaps you can let me know what the people that are against captivity are doing to protect the animals in the wild. I haven't heard of anything.

This is an area that is near and dear to my heart and I can provide you with a lot of facts that you can share with your students, so they can understand the impact the modern and accredited zoo is having on the animals in their care. Once they understand the huge picture, maybe they will come to a different conclusion.

 

[Dan Murphy]

But never have I been around such a tempermental creature as this indoor cat. I keep letting her out and she loves it! Comes back in after 30 minutes, but she absolutely craves being outside.

Someday she may become like so many others, looking like a roofing shingle on the side of the road.

 

[Jen414]

This is an area that is near and dear to my heart and I can provide you with a lot of facts that you can share with your students, so they can understand the impact the modern and accredited zoo is having on the animals in their care. Once they understand the huge picture, maybe they will come to a different conclusion.

Links to articles with pro zoo facts would be great. Thank you so much. We are always looking for excellent sources that give both sides of an argument so that the students can form their own opinion and then are able to write a well-written paper supported by facts. Thank you again.

 

[Pooh2]

I have not been to a zoo in decades but went to Disney's Animal Kingdom last week and enjoyed learning about the animals.
Disney seems to treat their animals with great care.

 

[MrsDuck]

I think zoos that aim to conserve and protect are doing a good thing. I've never met a zookeeper who didn't adore and take wonderful care of their animals.

I have no problem with GOOD zoos.

 

[AppleDumpling]

Surprised no one has mentioned the Bronx Zoo. Among the largest in the US and world-class. Grew up going there, and have visited often as an adult and parent. We enjoy “The Zoo” on Animal Planet, which is filmed there.

Agree with PPs that there are pros and cons to keeping animals in captivity. Something people may not think about is that animals usually live much longer lives in captivity than they would in the wild. Like humans, this results in health issues associated with aging and increased expenses for their care.

Good zoos that operate as non-profit organizations and promote conservation and education treat their animals well. IMO, it is different than circuses and places like Sea World where animals are trained to perform.

 

[JaxDad]

I previously worked on several conservation and ecosystem restoration projects in Florida, often working directly with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission. Whenever we encountered sick or injured animals, particularly marine mammals and turtles, but also other mammals, birds, reptiles, etc., Sea World was often who we called. They do Herculean work in animal rescue and rehabilitation. They also have great roller coasters!

 

[PollyannaMom]

I love zoos - and, in fact, just spent a lovely day at one yesterday!

I think they're important both for rescue/breeding programs and for human education - people make decisions in support of animals they understand and care about.

I also think zoos today know a lot more about how to provide pleasant habitats and enrichment for their animals.

They also provide important "green space" for humans in areas that might not otherwise have it.

 

[Jennasis]

All zoos are not created equal. There are some fabulous ones and some sketchy ones. I support the good onea that are doing great rescue/rehab or conservation work.

 

[wombat_5606]

Links to articles with pro zoo facts would be great. Thank you so much. We are always looking for excellent sources that give both sides of an argument so that the students can form their own opinion and then are able to write a well-written paper supported by facts. Thank you again.

No, thank you, for being open to teaching about how zoos are important and are doing a great job.

First, I do want to say not all zoos or places where animals are in human care, are created equal. There are some very bad places and someone may call those places zoos, but they aren't the kind of facilities I'm promoting and I wish people didn't lump them together.

A few ways to tell a good zoo from a bad one: Non-profit, conservation oriented, and contact with animals are limited to displaying behaviors that are necessary for the care and treatment of the animal. Someone mentioned performing animals, but they aren't performing in a quality accredited zoo. The zoo is allowing you to see behaviors that animals do naturally or that is needed to allow humans to provide observation and medical treatment. Just think about it. If a lion is limping, the staff needs to see what is wrong. Which is more humane...knocking them down with a sedative or teaching them to stand on all fours to allow the staff to see if anything is wrong?

There are many, many misconceptions about zoos and therefore it is a little difficult to not become very confused and that is why I wanted to mention the above, when looking for information or reading articles. Just like I wouldn't take advice on how to do surgery from a guy that owns a carwash, please don't give credence to articles that pretend to have facts if they are not in the business of animal science. That's where people can be led to believe films like blackfish. Animal activists have an agenda and they will list facts for you, but if you can't find those facts in a scientific forum, I caution skepticism.

I also want to bring up the often-mentioned idea that people know what an animal is feeling and then using that feeling to justify why animals should not be in human care. It is called anthropomorphism. It is our way of thinking that animals feel like we do, especially when it comes to their facial expressions or behaviors. Here again, unless you are an expert on animal behavior, you really don't know what an animal is feeling.

The first place to start is with the organization that evaluates zoos for best practices, https://www.aza.org/. There you will find a lot of information. The next is https://www.waza.org/. They talk about zoo's around the world.

National Geographic is a good resource and I believe, will have lesson plans for children.

This article talks about 10 animals that have been saved from extinction by zoos. https://medium.com/search?q=10 Endangered Animals. The modern, quality, zoo is awesome!

I hope that's some information and maybe some perception to help you evaluate what you read and present to your students.

 

[KPeterso]

Surprised no one has mentioned the Bronx Zoo. Among the largest in the US and world-class. Grew up going there, and have visited often as an adult and parent. We enjoy “The Zoo” on Animal Planet, which is filmed there.

Agree with PPs that there are pros and cons to keeping animals in captivity. Something people may not think about is that animals usually live much longer lives in captivity than they would in the wild. Like humans, this results in health issues associated with aging and increased expenses for their care.

Good zoos that operate as non-profit organizations and promote conservation and education treat their animals well. IMO, it is different than circuses and places like Sea World where animals are trained to perform.

I also love zoos. AK is my absolute favorite park as I love seeing the animals. I also love seeing all of the Conservation efforts.

I was also going to mention Bronx Zoo and the Animal Planet show "The Zoo". I found this show several months ago and absolutely love it and have learned a lot. They just started a spin off of the show at San Diego Zoo and I am enjoying that too. And then on Nat Geo Wild, there is a show "Secrets of the Zoo" which is at the Columbus Zoo. All of these shows (oh and the Aquarium one at Georgia Aquarium) are so interesting and I look forward to watching them! The keepers are so engaging with the animals and you can tell how much they love and care for the animals!