Zoo's - Good for all animals?

[Ryan Salo]

I am a member of the Cleveland Zoo and I enjoy going there with my family. For the most part I understand the benefit to some of the animals but with some of the recent violence from tigers I am wondering if we should have some of these wild animals in such small confined cages. Are we just asking for more problems? Is it cruel to some select animals?

Any thoughts?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318709,00.html

[Joe Ott]

with some of the recent violence from tigers I am wondering if we should have some of these wild animals in such small confined cages.

I read this question literally. My answer is No. We should not have wild animals in small cages. Zoo's should provide much much larger spaces for them. In some ways I find the zoo to be depressing because of the small enclosure/cages these animals are in. Look at some of the more intelligent animals at the zoo like gorilla's and elephants. Can you imagine how mind numbing it must be to live like that? Day after day. Year after year. In the same small enclosure? Must be worse than being an accountant in a cubicle! Mind numbing...

I feel sorry for Tatiana. She was simply doing what cats do. And she was killed. Last report I heard last night was the kids were reportedly taunting her. What a shame.

There is a place for zoos and I am glad we have them. It is the only way we/I can see some of those animals, and more importantly, it might be the only way to protect some of those beautiful animals that are endangered.

Ryan speaking of the zoo, have you been to the Columbus zoo. I like the Cleve zoo but I think the Columbus zoo is a bazillion times nicer. It's worth the ~2 hour drive.

I took this shot at the Columbus zoo this past summer.

[J Hrlec]

I would say ideally we should provide all creatures ample space to move and live a comfortable as possible existence in captivity...but I do not know how that is determined or what other restrictions would stop that from happening.

[sharon kinsella]

Personally I think it's cruel to have animals confined to zoo enclosures period. With the advances in technology, it is possible to learn of, observe and track wild animals through surveillance cameras and veterinary observations.

The animals should either be left in the wild or on land preserves. The problem is that the wild domiciles that most animals inhabit are being destroyed.

I have taken my kids to the zoo and we loved seeing the animals, but we always came away sad thinking about what it would be like to live being confined into any kind of enclosure.

IMO.

[marklingm]

A zoo can play an important role in recovery efforts for many endangered and threatened species. Ideally, it would be nice if all species could live in their natural habitat as Sharon states (good point on the technology piece) ... but that is not, unfortunately, always possible and many species face extinction as a result.

My boys enjoy the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. While it is sad to see any animal confined, I believe that my boys have a greater appreciation for wildlife after each zoo visit. My oldest son insists that he is going to be a polar bear when he grows up ... but that may be a posting for another day ...

The following is a link to a conservation site that I found to be informative:
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/EndangeredSpecies/.

[marklingm]

Ryan speaking of the zoo, have you been to the Columbus zoo. I like the Cleve zoo but I think the Columbus zoo is a bazillion times nicer. It's worth the ~2 hour drive.

I took this shot at the Columbus zoo this past summer.

By the way ... Nice shooting Joe.

I also have many good memories of The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium in Columbus, Ohio.

I believe that a Cleveland Zoological Society membership gets you into The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium at half-price.

[Danielle Masters]

While my children do love the zoo and we do go there often, I do feel for the animals. Growing up in San Diego, I loved going out to the Wild Animal Park, which was very large and the animals had quite a bit more room. It would be ideal for all zoos to be large and open like that, but it's certainly not practical in urban areas.

[Stephen Eisel]

http://www.africansafariwildlifepark.com/




Admission $7.95
Carrots $2.50
Hearing your children scream when the buffalo sticks his head inside the car $$Priceless



I also screamed

[Mike Deneen]

Matthew John is right on.
I am totally, completely and absolutely PRO-zoo. Complaining about the small living quarters in zoos is like complaining about the small size of a lifeboat....it sure as heck beats drowning. Zoos around the country have come a long way from the "prison" syle cages of yesteryear. I believe the Cleveland Zoo is getting a much-overdue upgrade to the elephant quarters.

The animals that we should be feeling sorry for are the ones being poached and driven from their land by the encroaching human race (as Doctor Zaius once said, "beware the beast man").

It really is a jungle out there. The zoo critters are the lucky ones.

I have been to dozens of zoos around the country, and Cleveland has a fine one. Cleveland, Cincy and Columbus all have strong zoos....your personal tastes would determine your favorite. As a "bear" person, I like Cleveland. Columbus is excellent for primates. Cincinnati has a lot of big cats. Toledo's Zoo is also much larger and better than you might expect for a city of that size.

[Ivor Karabatkovic]

I say keep the animals comfortable.

Wild animals will still be wild animals whether they're on a stage jumping through hoops or in a zoo bathing in ponds. They don't lose the instinct to attack.


I think a lot of people either don't remember that or completely don't get it.

A bird will attack you if it feels threatened, a house cat will eat you if it's hungry, a snake will bite you if it's in a cage, and a tiger or lion will eat you if you're running around it's intimate space.

Contrary to belief, these animals don't need human interaction. They've survived on their own and in pacts in the desert and the wild. I don't think a human will "tame" them more if he tries to pet them. Zoo keepers are better off heaving meat into the stalls and not worrying about if the big cats have gotten play time this week.

Zoo's are great and they don't hurt animals..most actually rescue and protect them.. but a lion or tiger will play on it's own and bathe on it's own, you just have to let it be and give it the resources to be independent.

[marklingm]

a house cat will eat you if it's hungry

I've lived with the same Seal Point Siamese Cat for the past 18 years. He has not eaten me ... yet ... because I keep him fat and happy. That's my hope at least.

One of my elementary school principals had two lions as "pets." I always thought that they would have been better off in a zoo.

Matt