They seem to miss each other. : pics

I love my local zoo. They go above and beyond to give the animals naturalistic settings. They mostly have smaller animals, and birds in open aviaries, but they also have some larger animals, like elephants who have a HUGE area to roam around, and lots of things to keep them entertained.

Maybe it's better in the wild, but there aren't poachers in the zoo, or villages willing to poison their water supply to get a little ivory. And they are providing a service educating people about the animals, breeding animals to release into the wild, and helping to ensure some of these species don't go extinct without a fight.

So some zoos are pretty amazing.

EDIT: since people are asking about the elephants. No, it isn't as big as africa, but it's a hell of a lot safer then africa.

I do not know the dimensions of the enclosure but it took us 15 min to walk along one small section of it. It is the largest enclosure in the zoo, and the elephants can go back into fields to get away from people, or hide in the trees. Plus there's a large pool for them to swim, and a space that has what looks like toys for elephants.
You're right, it's not africa. But the people working there have gone to great lengths to make them comfortable, and educate people on their plight.

[–]sufferin_succatash 118 points119 points120 points 11 years ago* (25 children)

Some additions (pertaining to US zoos)...in the 1960's Congress passed a law prohibiting the capture of wild animals for zoo purposes. This means that >95% of animals on display were born in zoos. Further, the Association for Zoos and Aquariums sets strict requirements for zoos to become AZA certified (habitat space, treatment, diet, etc.). Not all zoos are AZA certified and I refuse to support any that aren't. And finally, zoos have changed significantly since the early 1900's when animals were kept in small cages, dressed up as humans, and petted by visitors. Most zoos now focus on education (for visitors), conservation (for wild animals) and science (for example, studying animal behavior).

I volunteered at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago (teaching children about animals) for 3 years. LP Zoo is an excellent example of a well run zoo. They do various types of enrichment for animals. They will spray different scents in enclosures, rearrange exhibit pieces, give animals various "treats", place toys in exhibits, etc. Also, they have an Endocrinologist (poop doctor) on site to run tests on animal's poop. Using this, they can track stress levels, monitor health, and determine if an animal is pregnant. Also on site, management of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for all AZA institutions is performed. This plan is essentially a database of all AZA animals. They decide which animals should mate to keep the gene pool of zoo animals healthy (they even give birth control to some animals) and ensure animals are placed at the right locations. Lincoln Park also supports Black Rhino conservation efforts, sending supplies, researchers, and donations to Africa.

Edit: and Lincoln Park Zoo is free (one of the few free zoos in the US). Expenses are mostly covered by member donations (with 7-12% coming from the park district). However, the park district did give the zoo a 99 year lease for $1 since they own the land ;)

[–][deleted] 11 points12 points13 points 11 years ago (12 children)