Jen says:

Growing up I went to the zoo all the time. I loved it. Now as an adult in my 30’s, I recently went again in the last couple weeks, and my opinion has drastically changed. I felt sad and guilty for being there, I was angry at all the parents who were allowing their kids to scream at the animals, bang on the glass enclosures, and even climb over railings into caged areas… My mother would have NEVER stood for that; I would have been taken home instantly. I agree 100% that wild animals need to be kept in the wild and not in zoos. Perfe t example: Los Angeles zoo has a Jaguar in a small, glass enclosure who looks depressed and angry, the giraffes are standing on concrete with one tall tree to eat off of and arctic foxes are living outside in 100+ degree scorching weather. I will not go back.

jme says:

im torn on this.. animals should be allowed to roam free,, problem with that is, poaching, habitat destruction, war etc… if keeping an animal in captivity and in a breeding program helps the species survive with the hope to one day reintroduce the animal in its wild habitat,, im for it.. if zoos and parks keep animals healthy and happy with enrichment programs, educate people on the enviroment and the animals in that enviroment.. knowledge is power and if you can impress a young mind on whats going on in theanimal world.. the less likely they will be apathetic, i have friends that are veterinarians who work in the zoo systems.. so i have an inside look at benefits of breeding programs etc

jme says:

amazingly we have a pair of rhinos where my friends work.. the male wants to breed LOL all the time.. but hes too short ,,, so the zoo is trying to figure out how to adjust the habitat to give him a leg up.. so to speak, right now the female spends a lot of time in the water.. to escape him.. there other option is artificial insemination….
they have had success with endangered bird species.. breeding in captivity,then releasing into the wild, and those chicks are producing successful clutches. (mainland usa).. where i live in hawaii, we have some of the most critically endangered wildlife in the world.. alot of those species are only endemic to hawaii… and we have captive breeding programs that are reintroducing our native fauna back into the wild.. its pretty sad to say that in the wild there are only 2 alala (hawaiian crow) left.. habitat destruction and introduction of invasive animals like mongoose, pigs and the household cat to these island have decimated what once was a rich diversity or animal life,
australia had a program where they are taking rock wallaby embryos and transplanting those embryos into another species of wallaby who ae more plentiful, to try and give the species a chance at survival, its pretty amazing stuff that wildlife biologists, scientists, conservationists and veterinarians are doing to try and get ahead of the threat of extinction