More than a Pet’s Corner. (Zoos)

Name: daseaford

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Product:	Zoos
Date:	09/10/01 (160 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Help conservation.

Disadvantages: Compromises for visitors.

When we visit a zoo it is normally during a holiday or as a day out during the summer. We pack up a picnic, plan our route and off we go.

As we wander around the zoo we will marvel at the variety of animals and laugh at their antics, or be amazed by their abilities. We tend to be very superficial and I must admit that we don’t very often think deeply about how the animals got to the zoo, or why are they being kept there. It is very easy to think that a zoo is just a collection of animals in cages for our amusement, like a giant pets corner.

However, most zoos are now much more than just a collection of caged animals. A lot of major research is undertaken by zoos into the life styles of animals that helps us to understand them better and the environments in which they live. A lot of major conservation work has been undertaken as a result of research from zoos and the wealth of knowledge about wild animals is always expanding, thanks the continuing work being done there.

Unfortunately keeping animals is expensive and so paying visitors to a zoo are a necessary evil in order to keep the money rolling in. This of course means that there has to be a compromise between what is best for the animals and what is best for the visitors. I am sure that animals such as the lions and tigers would prefer to be in very large enclosures with plenty of places where they can hide and relax. But paying visitors would not be very happy if they could not see the animals, so the majority of enclosures at zoos tend to be sparse and not very large.

For safety reasons a number of the animals do need to be kept in very secure enclosures and sometimes this does look very depressing. Some zoos, such as Whipsnade in Bedfordshire, have the luxury of having vast amounts of land and the resources to make some very big enclosures where the animals have much more freedom to roam and to be seen in a slightly more natural environment. Even so you will still hea
r some visitors complaining because the animals are not close enough.

When I go to a zoo I try to remember that this is the animals home and that I am just a visitor. I find it really annoying when people taunt or tease the animals. If they really don’t like animals then why have they gone to a zoo?

I think it is important that a zoo provides the visitor with a wealth of information about each animal in order to help educate people about the origins of the species, why it is in the zoo and any other relevant information. The staff at a zoo are usually a great source of information, but it is often very difficult to find the keepers in order to ask any questions you may have.

Visits to zoos can be great fun, but I think they should also be a source of information and visitors should come away knowing more about the animals than they did on their arrival.

So enjoy a visit to a zoo, but please remember to respect the animals and appreciate the work of the staff in looking after some the treasures of our planet.

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