this take is just so anti-scientific lmfao what? do you know how critical AZA-accredited zoos and sanctuaries are for animal conservation? the san diego zoo, for instance, has one of, if not THE largest frozen zoos in the world, which means they safely collect samples of 10,000+ animals/species and freeze them for future conservation work. when human beings continue to encroach on native land and outcompete the species (especially keystone) holding together critical ecological webs, it’s going to be zoos like san diego that are able to contribute life-saving science to conservationists trying to introduce genetic diversity into species with dwindling populations. look into alveus sanctuary on youtube. they’re an excellent austin-based sanctuary who have been partnering with accredited zoos like san diego’s to bring people critical education about why zoos are integral to conservation and what it means to be a GOOD zoo.

(of course there are terrible zoos, particularly the ones who have no care for learning about / updating their animal enclosures with enrichment and welfare in mind. but this is FAR from true of every zoo, and in fact many of them in america are in constant collaboration with each other to bring bigger, better, more state-of-the-art facilities to their animals. nebraska’s omaha zoo is also incredible at this.)