It makes one wonder what the real purpose of a “zoo” is.
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Many are like prisons for animals.
I would prefer that their be a more limited number of regional zoos. Maybe 6 - 10 total in the nation. And make each of these zoos great exhibits.
And try to keep mostly animals that are healthy but aren’t suitable to go back into the wild. In the USA, there are over 2,000 “animal exhibitors.” Probably 200+ zoos. Worldwide, there are over 10,000.
There are just too many zoos. With that many, you know you would have a lot of clowns keeping animals that shouldn’t be.
The purpose of zoos are to maintain a large dispersed gene pool of rare and unusual species so that there’s a genetic “cushion” or reserve in the event of war or disaster in their natural range; as in “don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
Gorillas are a prime example of this as a single war nearly wiped the entire wild population out along with 10 million human beings.
Since zoos come in all sizes and are usually locally supported, rather than centrally controlled, they are able to independently pursue diverse and innovative efforts at breeding, training, treating and handling animals and share the knowledge gained, rather than operated on a one size fits all basis. They also compete with one another for status and recognition which leads to better animal care.
Zoos also serve to expose the public to all these natural wonders they otherwise could never hear, smell or see in person, encouraging an appreciation of God’s creation as well as stewardship, secular science, conservation, and so on, inspiring people to learn more.
Zoos offer opportunities to learn first hand about animal behavior and safe handling and animal health that can in turn be applied to animals we study in the wild, aiding in long term conservation.