Do you think we should have zoos?

Question

I'm all for animal sanctuaries, but have them closed to the public.

Thoughts?

I have very mixed thoughts too. I'm al lfor protecting the animals and for educating the public, but then again I've been to zoos and the animals have very little space. It's sad.

As for the circus and Siegfried and Roy..Yes, I don't think animals should be exploited like that.

288 ya I know ..one incident does not constitute no zoos imo either
but I'm thinking more in terms of how the animals are housed and such.not just w/e or not some idiot taunts them

I did get the satisfaction of seeing some idiot get monkey **** thrown on him after he teased the monkeys..lol

Answer 1

Some road-side crap hole, ya shut the thing down. But the majority of the zoos in the day and age are far from the concrete and steel they used to be.

The plus side of zoos greatly out shadows the negative.

Yes the animals might be stuck in captivity but through them they serve as ambadassors for their wild brothers and sisters. It gives the public a chance to connect and learn about things they would have never had the chance to before.

Zoos have also transformed greatly over the years. They are changing from the old concrete and steel pits/cages of the past to wide lush open habitats with live plants, waterfalls, etc. On top of changing the way they house animals they have also changed how they run things. Though zoos are still out to make money (to keep doors open since most are non-profit) they have and still are moving to more of a conservation and education outlook rather than strictly entertainment.

On top of all that, zoos work a great deal in rescue projects with injured wildlife as well as breed and release programs with endangered species. For example sea world and other facilities in FL were being over-run with injured manatees to the point that they had no more room to house them. To help a handful of other zoos built exhibits where the injured/sick manatees could recover before they were released. With breeding there are many zoos who work together with the US govt as well as programs around the world to breed endangered species and release those that are born back out into the wild to help with new healthy blood lines. The California Condor would be extinct today if it was not for such programs.

Zoos also use the animals in their collection to help learn how to better care for those that are in the wild. Back to the manatee example. There is currently a virus floating through the wild manatee popluation that the science world has yet to figure out how it happened and how to stop it from spreading. Zoos are using their captive manatees with the virus to try and find a treatment or cure so that they can help the wild populations and re-release those that were sick.

So do I think animals should be kept in zoos? In this day and age it is a 100% yes. Because of what man has done to this world it is something that is needed. However, it should only be done for the right reasons and under the right conditions.

Answer 2

Yes, but I just don't see how we'll get the people in there without them ferociously mauling their handlers...

If the tiger was taunted, honestly, the people taunting it would have belonged in a zoo with the words "Common (but certainly endangered) Idiot" on a metal plaque outside the exhibit.

Don't get me wrong; I feel for the family that is grieving regardless of whether or not the animal was taunted.

If all zoos were strictly inspected and moderated frequently, making sure that all safety precautions as far as the way animals are caged and the zoo's plan should an emergency occur, than I'm all for them being opened to the public. Zoo's do provide educational, economical, and societal benefits. People should be realistic though, and realize just how it is (like I worded it): these are NOT domestic animals, these animals are NOT in their natural habitat, and anything can happen anywhere. Even if this particular incident could have been avoided, freak accidents happen without reason all the time.

Alas, I'd like to share a quote from the great Bill Watterson that I think, if approached humorously, subtly conveys that wild animals will be wild animals (even if they're of the stuffed variety!):

Calvin talking to Hobbes, "When a kid grows up, he has to be something. He can't just stay the way he is. But a tiger grows up and stays a tiger. Why is that?" Hobbes replies, "No room for improvement." Calvin, "Of all the luck, my parents had to be humans." Hobbes, "Don't take it too hard. Humans provide some very important protein."

Answer 3

I have mixed feelings. Given the destruction that humans have inflicted on many species, they almost seem to be a necessity. Zoos do a considerable amount of good such a rehabilitation, research and breeding programs for endangered species. They also provide humans with educational opportunities and raise awareness of the situations that certain animals are in. There really is quite a bit of good to come out of them.

The problem with closing zoos to the public becomes financial. Even with the entry fees that are charged, many zoos still struggle to make ends meet resulting in corporate sponsorships and commercials all over the place. If there is zero profit and zero visitors, it becomes even harder to finance the operation. It wouldn't be impossibile to pull off, but it would be far more difficult.

I assume you would also ban exotic or aggressive animals from shows like Ringling Brothers and Sigfried and Roy?

I visited the Aukland zoo when I was in New Zealand. What did I learn? That zoos typically try to bring animals from the other side of the world in order to make them a somewhat local attraction. I was sort of bored.

Jenny: I agree and didn't mention the negatives. A lion or elephant was not designed to be kept in an enclosure. Even most sanctuaries wouldn't be large enough for the amount of space that most animals need and deserve.

Erica: In the words of Chris Rock: "The tiger didn't go crazy, the tiger went tiger."

Answer 4

Zoos are important to educate people about wildlife because "If we can teach people about wildlife, then they'll want to save it."( a quote from a really cool person I never met.)

Also, zoos aren't just for entertainment, they are little captive and healthy populations of animals all over the world. Or let me put it this way, they are backup populations just in case a species becomes endangered in the wild.

Plus zoos wouldn't have been opened in the first place if they weren't open to the public, they wouldn't be zoos anymore just sanctuaries, and cities wouldn't give public land to animal sanctuaries that were closed to the public because there is no benefit for the city. ZOOS and cities though are a great way to sort of trick (for lack of a better word) cities into having animals smack in the middle of it without any problems or fuss ; )

Hope this helps.

P.S. wow a lot of people posted while I was writing this it seems they have really said it all!

Answer 5

Zoos are very important, if only for one reason: so that people can connect with animals.

While many might not like the idea of locking animals up. Zoos offer people a chance to see, observe and learn about animals that most of us would never otherwise see. This is very important and cannot be underestimated. Once people have a chance to connect with animals it raises their awareness, not only of these animals, the environment and the Earth itself. This leads to people caring more for the envirnment and it's ecology. Which in turn can lead to people donating more money to protect both animals and the environment.

So I see zoos as a very helpful, very positive thing. Just don't get me started on Pet Stores...

Answer 6

I know that zoos are controversial (particularly today) but I think they are worthwhile. So many people would never see the huge variety of animals if they didn't I have zoos.

I think it's important to make sure that animals in zoos are treated humanely and that they are safe.

I heard today that more people in the US visit zoos each year than attend all the professional sporting events in total.

Answer 7

personally i love going to the zoo. i think it's great for regular people to be able to see wild animals. However, i do not think that we should have zoos. Animals were not meant to live in cages or facilities and be hand fed by human beings. They were meant to be free and wild and travel as they please. And to put down the argument stating that by putting them in zoos you're saving them because they are losing habitat, they arent' to blame for that. So if humans didn't take up so much dang space, they might have a place to live. Other than a zoo in a cage where people are gawking at them all the time and they get no privacy what-so- ever

Answer 8

I think zoos are good for several reasons.
First of all, they help us provide shelter and food for endangered animals. They also help us understand the animal better, and may even help us discover methods of saving it from extinction.

Zoos also show wildlife for one of the most important group of people that can save them- the next generation. By setting up zoos, children can see the animals and get a greater knowlegde and undetstanding of them. This might even be able to save our wildlife.

In conclusion, people think that zoos are inhumane and bad for animals, however I think they can help save the wildlife.

Answer 9

Yeah, they're very educational to grade-schoolers. I'd rather go to a zoo to learn about animals than reading about it in a book. One (possibly human-caused) incident isn't enough to derail the no-zoo idea.

Answer 10

Zoos are very educational. What better way to get kids interested in animals than to actually see them in person.