To Zoo or not to Zoo
I am a big fan of podcasts and was listening to one the other day that all about zoos and I got to thinking about the role that zoos have played in my career as an environmental educator. I grew up in the Denver metro area and visited the Denver Zoological Gardens regularly with my family. My family was a member of the zoo for about 20 years and we went quite often every year. Those visits are very fond memories of mine.
It was a great way to be outside with the family any time of the year without driving too far or spending too much money. We would pack a picnic lunch, go to the zoo and have lunch in the nearby park. I got to know the layout of that zoo like the back of my hand. I have fond memories of my dad quizzing me at different exhibits: "how do you tell the difference between a bachtrian camel and a dromedary camel; an asian elephant and an african elephant, a seal and a seal lion" and on and on. I loved learning about all the animals. My parents would tell me all about each animal when i was younger. then when i was old enough to read, I would read the signs to them.
So now, as an adult, I rarely visit zoos. Some of that is due to my current location - there are no zoos nearby. But I have also discovered that watching the animals living out their lives in captivity has become troublesome. I want them all to experience their natural habitat rather than a cage regardless of how 'natural' looking it is. Make no mistake about it, zoos have come a long way and i watched the design of exhibits at the Denver Zoo improve drastically over the years.But the animals are still in captivity, without freedom.
So this brings me to my conundrum. Zoos were pivotal in my early life and helped fuel my love of animals
and drew me to a career in environmental education and conservation. And now, philosophically I struggle with them. So do i denounce the whole idea of zoos and refuse to visit them? Or do I suggest that people bring their kids to zoos and even visit them myself on occasion (just to see how they are doing).
I do believe that zoos are important for people of all ages to visit - especially if they don't have access to natural spaces or wild animals. Visitors are guarenteed to see animals up close and personal. They get to learn about the world, geography, culture, and conservation. But I also recognize that zoos are businesses and the work they do for on-the-ground conservation is limited. Animals born in zoos do not get released into their natural ecosystems. They live their lives entertaining and educating people - people who could be deeply affected by the experience and eventually pursue careers that promote or further environmental conservation.
I'll probably visit a zoo again in my lifetime. When I do, I'll think of my parents and the career the visits spawned. And I will wish we didn't need zoos so the animals could live a life free and wild.
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FYI - the podcast was RadioLab and the episode about zoos was from June 2007. They cover lots
of subjects. Many do have a science focus and you might find them entertaining. Check them out.
It was a great way to be outside with the family any time of the year without driving too far or spending too much money. We would pack a picnic lunch, go to the zoo and have lunch in the nearby park. I got to know the layout of that zoo like the back of my hand. I have fond memories of my dad quizzing me at different exhibits: "how do you tell the difference between a bachtrian camel and a dromedary camel; an asian elephant and an african elephant, a seal and a seal lion" and on and on. I loved learning about all the animals. My parents would tell me all about each animal when i was younger. then when i was old enough to read, I would read the signs to them.
So now, as an adult, I rarely visit zoos. Some of that is due to my current location - there are no zoos nearby. But I have also discovered that watching the animals living out their lives in captivity has become troublesome. I want them all to experience their natural habitat rather than a cage regardless of how 'natural' looking it is. Make no mistake about it, zoos have come a long way and i watched the design of exhibits at the Denver Zoo improve drastically over the years.But the animals are still in captivity, without freedom.
So this brings me to my conundrum. Zoos were pivotal in my early life and helped fuel my love of animals
and drew me to a career in environmental education and conservation. And now, philosophically I struggle with them. So do i denounce the whole idea of zoos and refuse to visit them? Or do I suggest that people bring their kids to zoos and even visit them myself on occasion (just to see how they are doing).
I do believe that zoos are important for people of all ages to visit - especially if they don't have access to natural spaces or wild animals. Visitors are guarenteed to see animals up close and personal. They get to learn about the world, geography, culture, and conservation. But I also recognize that zoos are businesses and the work they do for on-the-ground conservation is limited. Animals born in zoos do not get released into their natural ecosystems. They live their lives entertaining and educating people - people who could be deeply affected by the experience and eventually pursue careers that promote or further environmental conservation.
I'll probably visit a zoo again in my lifetime. When I do, I'll think of my parents and the career the visits spawned. And I will wish we didn't need zoos so the animals could live a life free and wild.
****
FYI - the podcast was RadioLab and the episode about zoos was from June 2007. They cover lots
of subjects. Many do have a science focus and you might find them entertaining. Check them out.
It took me a little time to write something on this post. Like you I am back and forth on the value of zoos and wanted to get my thoughts together about my feelings. Animals being kept in captivity is in a way a sad thing. But do we owe to future generations the chance to see and learn about amazing and beautiful creatures. Do we owe the preservation to them, seeing that we are one of the main reasons for their disappearance. Should we strive to get as varied a genetic pool from those left in the wild so that our zoos will be able to have a strong healthy population, even though in captivity, for the education and for the enjoyment of future generations. Yes I did put enjoyment as one of the reasons for zoos. I remember you and Mike, when you were little ones, the enjoyment in your faces as you watched a tiger stalking around its compound or an ostrich strutting around or the elephant tossing hay and dirt over its back, and asking why they were doing that. We all learned from those zoo trips, and we are still learning. True we don't visit zoos much any more, and that is I believe because we are over the wonder watching gorillas, lions, bears, and gnus walking in their little spot of ground. We now do our own research reading books, going online to learn more about what animals pique our interest. So yes I do see a value in our zoos, I want today’s children and their children to have this enjoyable introduction to a love for animals, and that some will carry that love into a career that will look for ways to keep a wild population or ways to make zoos a better place to keep animals. Just the ramblings of an old man.
ReplyDeleteI have the same dilemma for all the same reasons.
ReplyDeleteI didn't go to the zoo as often as you, but San Diego Zoo was the one most frequented in my earlier years, mostly related to some Girl Scout activity. I've even had the pleasure of getting a behind the scenes tour that included the feeding and cleaning of the animals and their enclosures. Between that and the San Diego Wild Animal Park - where captivity is a bit less dramatic, but captivity nonetheless - they've introduced, inspired, educated and entertained a lot of kids and adults with their behaviors and just being able to see them.
I've never visited the San Francisco Zoo and just can't bring myself to go there. I haven't enjoyed Sea World for a long time either - which I know shifts to a whole different conversation regarding animal capture and performance - but shares a lot of the same frustration regarding animals in captivity.
So, part of the conversation must include the fact that many animals in zoos are born and raised in the zoo...so that IS their known habitat. Does that make it easier to accept? Not really. Does that mean they were cared for and nurtured in a way they wouldn't have been in their natural habitat and therefore have survived? Well, yes and no...many don't survive well in captivity, period.
You're a great example of the benefits of zoos, and there's something to be said for that. But I, too, would rather natural habitat be preserved and the animals protected there and render zoos superfluous.