Don't the people who moan about zoos have anything better to do?

[Al Gorefiend]

Zoos, conservations, wildlife parks are all hugely different things.

I find Zoos to be typically for-profit, like an amusement park. Animals are taken care of, enrichment -NOT- always a primary concern (only given toys and breeding programs when people are watching, because cute sells). I consider SeaWorld and most City Zoos to be of this type.

Conservations are all about the animals. Some hardly ever allow people in without paying a lot or donating. The California Condor Conservation is a good example of this one.

Willdlife Parks usually feature animals in an environment as close as possible to their natural habitat and promote social structures like herding, free breeding and full access to food and enrichment. Ive seen multiple wildlife parks for North North American species like caribou, and it really is breathtaking as opposed to zoos.

If people want to moan about zoos, I encourage to do so as although many are very good and fall more in line with conservation (National Zoo) some are only there for the cash (SeaWorld).

[Xilurm]

I love Zoos and will always love Zoos. I will also Take my children and grandchildren to Zoos. The way I see it, If they weren't in the Zoo, they wouldn't be alive in the Wild anyway.

Do you even know what you're talking about? Animals live in the wild. It's their nature ever since they existed. Humans are the reason for animal's exctinction not other animals. The nature takes care of itself.

[Al Gorefiend]

Zoo's play a vital role in making the community give a shit about what's beyond the confines of their city.



Without Zoo's this species of wild Horse would no longer exist.

Przewalksi's horse.

[Cerus]

we dont owe them anything. we arent the first animals to drive other animals out/to extinction. natural selection is real and we won.

Source? Cuz humans have caused the extinction and near extinction of countless species of plants and animals. I know of no animal who has done this - at least not intentionally knowing the result. Natural selection isn't what you think it is. Hunting an animal to extinction for sport is NOT natural selection.

On the topic: Zoos are a necessary "evil" that must exist. Without them and the money they bring in and put towards conservation and preservation many more species would now be extinct. Without them, most people would know nothing of their plight and there would be more species gone forever because people can't love what they never see or know about.

Sad fact is - we need zoos created by man because man is the reason they needed to be created in the first place.

[Al Gorefiend]

we dont owe them anything. we arent the first animals to drive other animals out/to extinction. natural selection is real and we won.

Its the best interest of our planet to preserve as many species as we can.

- - - Updated - - -

Source? Cuz humans have caused the extinction and near extinction of countless species of plants and animals. I know of no animal who has done this - at least not intentionally knowing the result. Natural selection isn't what you think it is. Hunting an animal to extinction for sport is NOT natural selection.

On the topic: Zoos are a necessary "evil" that must exist. Without them and the money they bring in and put towards conservation and preservation many more species would now be extinct. Without them, most people would know nothing of their plight and there would be more species gone forever because people can't love what they never see or know about.

Sad fact is - we need zoos created by man because man is the reason they needed to be created in the first place.

I feel like this whole thread will be arguing semantics until we get a clear cut definition of Zoo, Wildlife Park, and Sanctuary/Conservation.

[Jester Joe]

"Moaning" about zoos is a lot more justifiable than half the things there is more moaning about.

That being said, I do enjoy zoos, but I also feel horrible about the animals being stuck there at the same time. It makes me wonder though, like I went to this one zoo in Tennessee once where the monkeys had a completely open area, no cage or anything, yet they stayed in their trees. I mean, they did mention the monkeys were extremely territorial, but on the same note, there's always that "What if"...do they have like some sort of electric collar system set up or something? I dunno, just a passing thought I had when I saw this thread.

[Kaykay]

implying we owe wild animals anything

this so much.

Humans won the war for dominance, other animals will just have to find their place in our world. They are pets, pretty things to look at, and completely in our power.

same goes for nature, global warming is like the apocalypse, unavoidable and pointless to worry about.

We do what we want, untill we die. The only people we have to be respectfull towards is other humans. and we do that by making laws, like the ones we have for protecting property (read pets, livestock, wildlife reservations)

[Kruncholyo]

I think people protesting zoos are a step above these folks at least:

http://youtu.be/LmfRMeU6pQ8

[Venziir]

I fucking hate zoos from a personal standpoint, even though many do considerable research and extra conservation.

When you see someone petting a fully grown male lion, it's kind of heartbreaking.

... What the hell kind of a zoo is that? Sounds more like a petting zoo or a circus, and not an ACTUAL zoo!

- - - Updated - - -

Oh none sense. Dolphins love the water shows and tricks they're very intelligent animals so they need lots of stimulating. They have plenty of room to leap around in.

The dolphins I remember were extremely happy.

One word; Blackfish.

[xylophone]

Instead of zoos, the money should be spent on rebuilding their natural habitats. We destroyed them, and endanger them, which is why zoos are a thing "see them before they are gone!"

That's easy for us to say over here in the developed world. It's not so easy to just tell developing nations (where a lot of this is happening) to rope off large portions of their territory that contain natural resources.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

People who complain about zoos are noobs who have never encountered a handlock.

[xylophone]

The San Diego Wild Animal park has several acres of open land dedicated to "savanna" animals. Within those confines they have free-roaming giraffes, zebra, rhinos... all that fun stuff.

IIRC it's more like several hundred acres, if not more. The got rid of the old tram though, it used to be awesome, now it's this lame shuttle thing that drives around.

[Venziir]

this so much.

Humans won the war for dominance, other animals will just have to find their place in our world. They are pets, pretty things to look at, and completely in our power.

same goes for nature, global warming is like the apocalypse, unavoidable and pointless to worry about.

We do what we want, untill we die. The only people we have to be respectfull towards is other humans. and we do that by making laws, like the ones we have for protecting property (read pets, livestock, wildlife reservations)

... Are you insane? There was no war, there was no nothing. Only a bunch of humans, acting like there's no tomorrow with no regards to anything but their wallet!

[Jester Joe]

... Are you insane? There was no war, there was no nothing. Only a bunch of humans, acting like there's no tomorrow with no regards to anything but their wallet!

Yeah, it's more of a slaughter than anything.

Also I'm wondering how many people seriously thought this was about Hearthstone, or are just joking about it.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

Yeah, it's more of a slaughter than anything.

Also I'm wondering how many people seriously thought this was about Hearthstone, or are just joking about it.

We find the topic to be stupid so we created a more fun conversation in our heads.

[Jester Joe]

We find the topic to be stupid so we created a more fun conversation in our heads.

Well ok, fair enough.

[SlappyMcGibbs]

Natural selection isn't what you think it is. Hunting an animal to extinction for sport is NOT natural selection.

I beg to differ. I think you are forgetting that humans are animals as well, and anything we do is considered part of the natural course of things.

A lot of people want to put us in some separate category and say that what we do is artificial, but it isn't. Our buildings, transportation, energy generation, education, music, and social interactions, all of these things came from the planet, and all of these things are inherently natural. We are part of nature, and thus, so our are actions and creations.

[v2prwsmb45yhuq3wj23vpjk]

I beg to differ. I think you are forgetting that humans are animals as well, and anything we do is considered part of the natural course of things.

A lot of people want to put us in some separate category and say that what we do is artificial, but it isn't. Our buildings, transportation, energy generation, education, music, and social interactions, all of these things came from the planet, and all of these things are inherently natural. We are part of nature, and thus, so our are actions and creations.

By that logic, humans breeding animals for specific traits is also natural selection, which it isn't.

[Tankendog]

Zoo's provide rehab, research, breading, and so much more.

But sadly you cant tell people this, because everyone has their own opinions.

Zoos are fine. They are not set up to enslave animals or feed them sedatives or make their lives living hell. Many animals born in captivity are equivalent to domesticated pets.

[SlappyMcGibbs]

Humans are animals that do not rely on instinct anymore. We educate our young, and try to use reason instead of emotions. Removing things in the food chain, and messing with the web of life as we do, is dumb, and short sighted. It's like playing Jenga, you never know which piece will make the whole thing fall apart.

What? Yes, we do rely on instinct. You're acting out of instinct when you order a pizza, or when you lay down for a nap, or when you jump during a horror movie. Just because we are intelligent, doesn't mean we don't still have basal instincts.

By that logic, humans breeding animals for specific traits is also natural selection, which it isn't.

We are animals. What we do falls within the realm of natural selection. How we interact with our environment is part of natural selection. You are separating us from the rest of the animal kingdom, that is the fallacy. Are we not natural? Are we not an agent of the natural world putting pressure on another species?