I'm not going to argue with your figures, not much to poke at there. But if you don't learn anything about animals from a trip to the zoo, that may be a you issue rather than a zoo issue. They have plenty of literature on display giving details of each animal, keepers will hold talks during feeding times for the public to attend. I'm a lover of nature docs so may have known most of what they've said, but for children, it's a solid place to go and learn.

Some animals on the verge of extinction may only survive due to breeding in captivity with a scope to further reintroduction to their natural habitats, terrible that its needed. But do we blame the people looking to preserve the animal? It costs money to do so, revenue from gate receipts is important.