Im againts zoos

[Thomas Hickey]

the zoo where i live only takes injured animals that wont live in the wild on their own and they have good size cages

[scrungy]

There are good zoos and bad zoos. Some are helping animals. Some only want money.

[slothly]

I assume if you are against zoos, you're also against keeping pets, yeah?
Keeping animals like rabbits and hamsters in cages is just as bad as keeping larger animals in cages.

I don't know what zoo you went to, but Dublin zoo, London zoo and even other smaller zoos I've visited don't even have "cage"s, in that it's just a room with bars. There are enclosures for them, which are based on their natural habitat.
Zoos do a great job of conservation and every zoo I've visited has had great facilities for the animals. Zoos don't take animals from the wild, they take animals that were bred in other zoos. Even then, most large zoos have rehoming projects to release endangered animals back into the wild.

And I highly doubt they kept a lynx in a rabbit cages. They're too big, for one!

[Onew~]

You know of zoos. They claim they protect animals, but in reality they don't. They just take endangered animals and put them in small cages. You think thye like it there? Alright. Set them free from the cage. They'd be trying to find a way out rather than stay there. They have no future in zoos. I went to the zoo last weekend. They put a LYNX in a rabbit hutch! The only way he can run is by running in small circles! And there was a zoo that had huskies instead of actual wolves. Last month or so, people broke into the zoo and killed two baby giraffes. Protection, eh? I call it prision.

I don't know what crap zoo you go to, but there are some zoos that are different. Over here, the giraffes have a big 1 1/2 acre and then inside they have a big building with hay for warmth and they even have black measures on the wall so you can measure how tall they are, but I guess that doesn't benefit them. Plus there's only two giraffes there, usually. Maybe three.

The penguins have a very big glass enclosure with rocks and cold running water. They're fed fish and get to swim around in the creek that surrounds the river and a big pool.

They have one polar bear in a very big enclosure who has a small den-cave thing, a bunch of rocks, and a giant pond. He's tossed in fish into the pond so he can eat from there.

The monkeys have a big indoor enclosure with branches to swing on and a natural outdoor one. The elephants have the biggest one of all.

They have a two acre elk enclosure with a few elk there, and a slightly smaller one with an old wolf there, but that was a couple years ago... unfortunately, he is most likely gone by now.

[kay.]

Zoos are good for animals. They get fed and cared for, and if they get ill they can be cured. Could they be cured just like that in the wild? No. They could die. In the wild there are farmers, hunters and poochers, and other people who can kill or harm the animal. In the zoo they stand a better chance.

[gemini_girl]

O_O gee what zoo have you been to all the ones here including our aquarium are awesome! Lots of conservation and breeding programs and educating the public!!! In fact the aquarium here just got penguins, they would not survive in the wild as they where ophaned and ill now they are helping to educate the public.

[Ruruskadoo]

Sounds like the "zoo" you went to was a horrible place that had no business keeping animals. Most zoos aren't like that though. The zoo closest to me is the North Carolina zoo, and it's 1,371 acres. No cramped cages there. As others have said, zoos provide the vital functions of housing and breeding many species, particularly endangered or threatened ones, and informing the public about them. They also often collect donations to help endangered animals.

You can tell people over and over about how a species is endangered and needs help, but there's something different about seeing one right in front of you in person and being told the difficulties its species is going through. Zoos do a lot to inform people about the roles different species play in their ecosystems and what kind of help they need.

I don't even need to emphasize the importance of the breeding programs, as others have done a great job doing that already. Really, zoos are VERY important for conservation purposes, and properly maintained zoos that take good care of their animals should not be anything like you described.

You've already given the cop-out "Oh, well I meant bad zoos." If that's the case, change the title. And once you do, have the thread closed, because everyone is against bad zoos. You don't see people running around screaming "I LOVE ANIMAL ABUSE AND NEGLECT!" Yes, there are some bad zoos, but that doesn't justify slandering all the GOOD zoos and all the wonderful things they do for animals with one generalized statement.

[WinterDrift]

I love zoos and I support them as long as they care for their animals properly. I've been to four zoos (my parents aren't animal people, so we don't go to zoos often) and they've all been great. The zoo I live closest too (it's an hour away) has HUGE areas for the animals to live in. Heck, the red wolves' area is so large, you barely ever see them! So, I DO support zoos and see nothing wrong with them, especially if they're trying to re-populate an endangered species (such as the red panda).

[minigoogle]

well it depends,
if the amimal is endangered and they bread some than let them go it's ok as long as the animal in question was haveing a lot of trouble in it's natural enviroment(that we have changed through pollution, deforestation, mineing or some other form of adgusting otherwise this would not be the case). however if these animals are in any way being harmed than this zoo needs to be shut dowen!

[The Cat]

You know of zoos. They claim they protect animals, but in reality they don't. They just take endangered animals and put them in small cages. You think thye like it there? Alright. Set them free from the cage. They'd be trying to find a way out rather than stay there. They have no future in zoos. I went to the zoo last weekend. They put a LYNX in a rabbit hutch! The only way he can run is by running in small circles! And there was a zoo that had huskies instead of actual wolves. Last month or so, people broke into the zoo and killed two baby giraffes. Protection, eh? I call it prision.

Some zoos are crooked, though take the Popcorn Park for example, they SAVE animals. I think the place I went to might have had huskies too, because their facial looks and tails. But when I grow up I'd love to have a zoo with proper cages. Zoos help us study animal behavior, also some breed and return ones to the wild.