For many people, the zoo is a source of childhood amazement and fond memories: swinging monkeys, laughing hyenas and growling tigers. Conservationists say zoos advance their educational and preservationist efforts, but others see zoos as prisons where innocent creatures are unjustly held captive. The next time your child asks you to take them to the zoo, what will your answer be?
Director Emeritus, Columbus Zoo
The boundaries of the “wild” are becoming smaller each day. I have traveled all over the world, and the only places I consider truly wild are Antarctica, parts of the Amazon, and some places in Africa. But even in Africa, the “wild” places tend to be in national parks. Our world’s national parks have boundaries, but we need to ask ourselves what happens when animals stray from those boundaries. When animals wander beyond these areas into human territory, their chances of survival greatly diminish. For instance, right now in the western United States the wolf population is growing and wolves are approaching local livestock for their next meal. Since these animals are threatening the ranchers’ livestock, ranchers are faced with a major problem – shoot the wolves to protect the livestock or let the wolves attack their livestock.
Outside of the boundaries of protected wildlife areas, animals face many challenges – traffic/development, hunting, habitat loss, poaching, and so forth. The “wild” is not necessarily such a wonderful place. And anyone who says otherwise is being naïve.
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