Why do we still have zoos? They must make make some visitors feel really uncomfortable. From reports of a zoo visit that I heard today, the big cats have nothing like enough room to move. As big draws for the paying public, lions and tigers have to be easily visible, from the zoo’s perspective, I suppose, so they need to be in enclosures where they can be seen. And I guess that few people would ever have other chances to see the amazing variety of wild creatures that live on Earth. And it’s better to live in a zoo than a lab, from the point of view of the animal. And zoos have breeding programmes that may keep the genes of some threatened species alive, and so on ……….

Still, zoos may be OK homes for lizards and prairie dogs, when these can be provided with reasonably convincing habitats. Otherwise, it’s very hard to see why we are still keeping animals in living conditions that must be hell for them. (D’oh, I forgot about factory farms.) Do we still feel that Man should have dominion over the animals, so it doesn’t matter what we do to them?

Most of the zoo’s positive objectives (education and scientific work) can be met by safari parks, in any case. Obviously, these are not ideal for wild creatures, when compared to a natural life in their own place of origin. However, sometimes, this is no longer an option for creatures who have lost their habitats and/or been captured. Safari and wildlife parks let visitors see exotic creatures in circumstances that are very much less stressful for the animals.

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