I came upon a zoo the other day in the Balkans and stopped for a few minutes to take a couple of photos. I intentionally put the photos at the end of this post because after looking at them it was something in the eyes that made me want to write this.
I have been to several zoos around the world. As a kid I found the animals to be fascinating. The zoos I have seen growing up were large fenced in areas with man-made pools of water for Alligators and Crocodiles to swim. The site of the zoo keepers throwing raw chicken into the pits and seeing these prehistoric throwbacks go from perfectly still into a feeding frenzy made a young boys eyes go wide.
The large bird area, full of trees, where birds from around the world flew around and mingled together. I remember the primate areas with Mountain Gorillas, Chimpanzees and different kinds of monkeys. Of course the Lions and Tigers along with other animals I had only seen in photos of National Geographic.
Later on I went to a few zoos here and there and always saw dedicated keepers and staff that looked out after the animals as if it were more of a passion than a job. With the exception of a few high profile people I doubt that working in a zoo will get you rich anytime soon.
Without zoos most people in the world will never have the opportunity to see some of the world’s animals up close. A zoo can promote a better understanding of animals and in some cases gives animals close to extinction a habitat where they are safe from poachers or other forces that would hasten their demise.
I am sure you can find a lot of arguments for not having animals kept in captivity but that’s not what this is about. Most countries have zoos but in some of the lesser developed countries these tend to be private zoos or loosely regulated and ill funded. As a result the animals are kept in small confined places, some mistreated and undoubtedly they have less access to medical care and treatments for various ailments.
So what do you do when you happen upon such a place? Do you refuse to patronize the zoo? That could mean less revenue which leads to even less care. Do you try to intervene on behalf of the animals? Good luck in that. Do you think a country where a majority of people are unemployed and having a hard time feeding their families really have zoo animals high on the priority list? In some cases the private zoo is doing the best it can to rescue the animal from an even worse existence and possible death at the hands of a poacher.
What are your thoughts? Have you come across these zoos in your travels? What do you do?
Now take a look at the photos.
This is so sad, it actually brought tears to my eyes. I’m a big animal lover, and I think some of the cages in the Chicago zoo are far too small, but my heart breaks for those poor bears 🙁 They’d be much better off in the wild where they can experience freedom. It doesn’t look like that zoo is at all concerned with animal welfare and I wouldn’t be going near a zoo that treats animals like that. Although you do make a good point-if no one goes then what happens to the animals?
The cages were pretty small and it was hot with no way for them to really cool off. I am not sure they would last that long in the wild though. They did appear to be well fed and being stuck in a confined place might be better than some of the other alternatives.
I can’t go to zoos anymore, they make me too upset. I think it’s weird, the idea that we have some sort of right to see the world’s animals, on our own terms. I agree that zoos can be valuable educaitonal tools, but isn’t it better to find a guide that can take you on a nature walk, so we can go see animals on THEIR terms?
Well, just like the rest of the country this bear resides in, the funding is obviously not there. There would be no way they would survive in the wild because their pelt would be hanging on someones wall or in front of a fireplace by now. Sad thing too is it doesn’t appear many people go there. Tough situation for the bears in my opinion. They have no good options inside or out of the zoo. Great article though.
Agreed. It’s easy to get upset at the conditions but sometimes the alternatives are worse.
Thanks for posting something like this, I have really strong feelings about this and believe no animal belongs in a zoo. For example, elephants don’t live as long in a zoo because of the stress of living in an unsuitable and unnatural environment. I will only ever visit sanctuaries because they are truly helping the animals.
I have conflicted views on zoos. I, like you, think they can be an educational tool and provide opportunities to see and learn about animals that most people would never have. However, I don’t like seeing them in captivity. I have been to a few zoos that are more along the lines of sanctuaries where giraffe and zebra are free to roam many acres, of course not in their natural habitat. I feel better about this than animals kept in small confined cages,though.
I agree I think some zoos do a fantastic job.