Im with you on that, and I think the rest of the world is slowly coming around to that realization, those animals deserve to live in the wild where there were intended to live, not just sit in a jail cell for the pure amusement of humans.
I don’t think zoos are going away any time soon. They are a centennial part of urban culture.
If people honestly think that animals are only kept in zoos “for the pure amusement of humans”, then I’d like to know what they think of the newfangled wireless that Mr. Marconi just invented.
Yes, I do agree with you about that aspect of modern zoos, however it irks me when I visit the zoo and see a large cat pacing back and forth in the same path over and over again in a relatively small enclosure, that animal would LOVE to be out in the open, free to run and live as it was intended, but I guess if that one animal being caged helps the species overall in their native lands, thats not a bad thing either.If people honestly think that animals are only kept in zoos “for the pure amusement of humans”, then I’d like to know what they think of the newfangled wireless that Mr. Marconi just invented.
Zoos today aren’t in the entertainment business as an end in itself anymore. Their primary purpose is education of the populace and preservation of endangered species. For example, if not for the Los Angeles and San Diego Zoos, the California condor would be long extinct. Instead - thanks to the fact that the remaining small population was in an environment where they could be truly protected and cared for - they are now back in the wild and signs indicate that they are taking the first steps on the road to recovery in areas where they haven’t been seen for nearly 100 years. That would not have been possible without people having seen these animals in person and being moved to give money as a result.
Realistically, if Harambe had been born in the wild, he would most likely have been shot by a poacher long before now and served up as bushmeat somewhere. In a modern zoo, the animals aren’t captives - they’re ambassadors.
I think there are two sides to the issue of wild animals in captivity in zoos. However, as I mentioned previously, that issue may be related but is tangential to the main one in this thread, namely the moral value of a human compared to that of an animal.
When do they ever do that??? God Bless, Memaw
If all the animals in all the zoos were released back into their natural habitat, most would not survive. I think the zoo keepers did exactly what they needed to do. Save that little boy! God Bless, Memaw
If they turned ever animal in every Zoo back to it’s natural habitat, it wouldn’t survive. So then what??? I’m thankful the little boy was saved, even if the gorilla had to die. God Bless, Memaw
I’m glad the little boy was rescued.
I remember the case of the chimp attacking the friend and saw her on a news program. Well stated post.Or go on a safari and shoot them.
No just observe…Or go on a safari and shoot them.
And few would ever be able to see them. Only those rich enough to go there. I doubt that will ever happen. God Bless, Memaw
I can’t afford to go see them in the wild, yet I wouldn’t pay less to go see them locked up, because there is no other way of putting it, they are locked up, freedom taken for their entire life.
What about the animals we have for pets. They were once free and wild. Horses love to run free, I doubt they want to be in a coral or barn for life. I don’t think they are miserable, they do adjust. What about rodeo animals and circus animals, we could go on and on. God Bless, Memaw
Sadly, if zoos were eliminated, the only people who would see or care about these critters would be biologists and yes, hunters.
Yes we could go on and on, some animals have become domesticated and have been used to help us with daily tasks, and some are for companionship.