the zoo Options

[capsule]

Those who know where I got this topic from...hush

So...what is your opinion on the zoo? Now...think about it for a sec. Is it right for animals to be penned up in a cage so people can oogle at them and throw them feed for that 25 cents? Everyone says its educational..but who doesn't know what a monkey looks like? Isn't an encyclopedia a better alternative source to knowing what certain animals look like and their background information? By having them shoved into cages, we are ruining their lifestyle...we feed them food and have them just stand around doing nothing...if that animal were to be sent out to the wild...it wouldn't survive. And let's not forget about the offspring...undergoing an artificial lifestyle, it would impact them heavily also. Is it worth ruining the lifestyles of various animals for the pure sake of "wanting to know what [so-and-so] looks like in real life?"...I don't think that really balances out.

[mai_z]

If the zoo is well maintained, and the animals have adequate space, etc...then it's a good thing. If anyone's read life of pi, there's a part where he talks about how zoos are great for the animals, and it protects them, and gives them food, etc. He makes a very compelling argument. Also, while it also gives us a chance to study them, it gives endagered animals a place to live, because we were the ones that ruined their habitats in the first place.

Of course, like everything, zoos work in theory if all the idealized rules are followed, unfortunately, like all theoretical ideals (communism...etc) there are many reasons why it often just doesn't work. It's all in the execution. If it's done right, it's amazing....if the animals are going to be in 2x4 bird cages.........zoos suck.