By Aaron Campbell · May 23, 2005
From wombats to pythons, to elephants and polar bears, zoos are where most people flock to gaze at a wide variety of animals. As Judy in Taiwan points out, the zoo serves a useful purpose by giving
us a chance to observe animals we would not otherwise see and educating us about them. Since the first zoo was created in Vienna in 1752, the number of zoos has steadily grown so that zoos can now be found in most major cities throughout the world. While animal lovers might rightly take objection to how animals are treated in some zoos, other zoos, like the one in San Diego, are well known for their quality of care.
I agree with Dolores when she says that animal rights is an “emotive area for the general public.” Here in Japan, both the zoo in Osaka and the one in Kyoto have left me with a sad feeling after visiting them. Animals that should be roaming on the open plains, swimming in the great ocean, or climbing freely through the treetops, are instead caged up in small, dirty areas with little to stimulate them. Many of them looked sick, both physically and mentally. While it is educational for small children to see a lion or gorilla in the flesh, is it really worth the suffering that the animals endure? Perhaps it is better, like Sebrita on her trip to find fireflies, to feel the happiness of seeing animals for the first time in the wild.
• • •
• • •
gigi
wrote on May 25, 2005:
yes… it’s pretty sad people don’t think animal care is important. In my opinion, zoos that don’t take care of their animals should be closed.
∇
Aaron
wrote on May 30, 2005:
Yes, perhaps there should be some kind of national standard set for each country to which zoos would have to adhere and inspectors would come around each year to evaluate whether or not each zoo was up to standard, just as is done with restaurants and their cleanliness. Those that didn’t meet the standards would have to be closed.
∇