Zoos Provide Education and Conservation
Zoos have to educate the public about the value of animals so that they understand the importance of conservation. After a fun experience at the zoo, people leave with a newfound knowledge and understanding. How are they going to learn these things if they don’t get to see the animals? Zoos and aquariums give people an appreciation for the animals. They need to see, listen to, and smell an elephant. Viewing an animal on TV does not give a person the same kind of love and respect for the creature as seeing it in person does.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is the major accrediting body for zoos in North America . AZA’s standards require excellence in animal care and welfare, conservation, education, and research before a zoological park is eligible to receive their stamp of approval. Accredited zoos all over the country are actively supporting conservation projects in the wild. Most zoos are actively involved in numerous projects to preserve and rescue a wide range of endangered species from elephants to amphibians. In 2007 alone, the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium raised over $716,000 for field conservation. Because of tireless conservation efforts, species like the snow leopard and the mountain gorilla have overcome near extinction and will have the opportunity to see future generations.
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you see im a 13 year old girl and i think that animals in zoos are wrong!!!!!! thats why we have videos! and if u wanna see an animal the u can pay the money to go to african or whatever to see it!! i hate zoos!
Dont let your emotions get in the way of common logic you isolated moron, you draw negative attention to your side when you give no solid reason. You were just whining and naggin you baby grow up and think of some real convinving reasons. Did you ever think of the actual pros; i mean good side your probably too young to understand that word, that keeping animals in zoos actually do for animals?
Hands on and seeing the animals is one of the best ways to teach about the animals in the wild. To clear this up I am not saying that zoos are the same as the wild and anyone that says so is ignorant. However, what I am saying is that 99 times out of 100 they are better off being in the zoos instead of the wild. With the wild being full of poachers and people encroaching upon the animals territory and taking it from them, it is safer overall for them to be kept in zoos and to be cared for. Also a big one is extinction, take the cheetah for example which are a threatened species if they were released into the wild they would be extinct in no time. With their lack of genetic diversity, poachers, and increasingly small amount of prey they are not able to fend for themselves in the wild or keep themselves from becoming too imbred to survive. Zoos are doing their best to increase the genetic diversity and give our kids and our kids kids the chance to see the beautiful animals in something other than a picture book . Seeing the animals in the zoos give someone who can't afford the trips all over the world to see the animals the chance to see them and grow attached. This is what builds support for conservation not seeing an animal in a book or on tv. Since after all what I see now is kids seeing everything on tv now as just something else on tv it is not what should be reality, but if they see the animal with their own eyes in an environment that is not their home it is easier to become attached. This is why zoos are needed and are even an asset to this world.
A child shouldn't have to "smell an elephant" to learn about respect for animals. Parents and teachers should educate their children on the rights of animals to live freely in their natural habitat. Educational shows are a wonderful learning resource. Zoos are not.
Witnessing a polar bear roaming a concrete cube by a little dipping pool, cannot possibly contribute to an understanding of this animal's nature.
What a fine recreation: sitting in a trolley with a big gulp, cruising miserable animals in cages. And for the extreme athletes who cruise the zoo on foot: wow, what a work-out!
By this formula we can consider a circus bear riding a moped cultural education. Zoos showcase imprisoned animals for profit, let's educate ourselves about that reality.
...for teaching a lesson. Parents and teachers talking about mythical, hypothetical animals like "bears" and "elephants", reading stories about these allegedly magnificent creatures, seeing pictures of them... none of these experiences can even remotely begin to touch the experience of seeing these animals, live and up close. After all, you can hear stories, see pictures, and read documentation of unicorns and yeti, too. Zoos may not always have the perfect environments, but I'd rather keep a few bears in zoos so that humans will continue to protect them in the wild. For humans, out of sight is out of mind. People find it much easier to ignore and neglect the hypothetical. If seeing a magnificent panther caged helps to encourage people to protect wild spaces and advocate for wild animals, then I'm all for it. Seeing them in the wild is even better, but not many of us are so fortunate.