how do you feel about zoos and wildlife parks?

Question

i'm undecided on this
my arguement is that in a contained environment like a zoo or wildlife park the animals are given substantial amounts of food, clean water, decent weather conditions, medical assistance and are no longer under threat by predators. this will give them a more comfortable, probably longer life.

on the other hand it's obviously not fair to pluck animals out of the wild for visitors to gawk at, and to enclose them in a small environment is very unfair. animals should be allowed to run free through endless land, not feel trapped.

i guess perhaps it depends on the individual zoo and the workers attitudes towards the animals which will reflect how they treat them.

i'd just like to know what you all think about this.
thanks

Answer 1

I adore animals so much. Whenever I go to the zoo, the animals seem happy to me. Living in Sydney, Australia, I always go to Taronga Zoo which is quite nice with a wide range of charming animals and a lovely scenery. The keepers at the zoo take pride in what they do and keep the animals in good habitats.

Answer 2

I think about the two ways you mentioned above that animals in zoo have all the essentials in need to survive there, but at the same time they should be in the wild before they arrived to the zoo. But then, I think it's good that we have wild animals in zoo because then schools can make field trips and learn about different species in different categories versus not having to have access to any of the wild animals because they all live in the wild and costs $$$ to visit Aussie (Australia) or the Amazon or Africa just to see and look at various animals. With the zoo, the money you pay to get in or you pay on beverages and concession stands are all going towards the zoo so that they can improve much more than it is.

Answer 3

Most of the animals don't come from the wild, they are born in other zoos, or the animals come from zoos that are closing down cause of money or regulation. There is in fact, a severe shortage of spaces available for animals that can't be put in the wild cause they have no survival skills. I was watching this on TV, there are several people that are 'putting up' animals like elephants on their properties because they've called every zoo and nobody has space or money to take any more.

Answer 4

I think they're great. The animals get the medical treatment they may need and they will never run out of food. The people that gawk at them probably don't bother the animals... as long as they're not in a small cage(like a bird) im cool with em

Answer 5

I think as long as they are humane,clean and well run that thereis nothing wrong with zoos.
I do not however think that we should NOT open more zoos, and I definitely think we should not remove animals from their natural habitats just for a zoos benefit.
We have plenty of animals in zoos now...if the breeding process is handled appropriately there are more than enough animals for the zoos we have currently.:)

Answer 6

I agree with you that I am undecided as well. I went to the zoo with the kids on new years day. Perth zoo WA. I felt a bit sorry for the snakes as they just sat there curled up doing nothing, come to think of it most of the animals just sat there. The tiger was pacing up and down the fence line. He must of been bored out of his mind.

Answer 7

necessary as a reservoir of genetic material because ma nature is not doing a good job of keeping some wildlife going but its like a life sentence for a criminal. I'm guessing that some of these animals dont'know ant better since they've lived their entire life in a pen or cage but they have to be tthinking that there is something better. Agood example is Colo the gorilla here in Columbus. Born in captivity here 50 years ago - never seen her natural habitat but parent of 4 generations of gorilla - if you saw her in her cage you'd have to believe she thinks there is something better.
http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/search?p=Colo&c=
theres a link to a video clip over on the right side of the above search page.

Answer 8

I think for the most part you're right. But life isn't fair, zoos and parks provide us an opportunity to see animals we wouldn't ordinarily see in our own environment. As for the care takers of the animals, I believe they are very conscientious in their daily tending to the animals....

Answer 9

i dont like them. i think that wild animal park is good. but not the zoo.
on the contrary, i help at the zoo. i try and make the animals more comfortable

Answer 10

i see your point, however many species are so endangered that unless a few are kept in captivity in hopes of breeding we may lose them to extinction due to poaching, pollution and the other charming side effects humans have on nature. i prefer parks--i think zoos are just cruel. an animal doesn't belong in a cage.