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> I do not get the concept of a zoo. I have been to a real jungle safari recently and it struck me how obviously different animals are in their own vast natural

> I do not get the concept of a zoo. I have been to a real jungle safari recently and it struck me how obviously different animals are in their own vast natural habitat than in a zoo. A Zoo may serve some educational purposes maybe but it is cruel to just artificially cage animals cause you are too lazy to make a massive effort to go see wild animals in their natural habitat. One is not supposed to encounter wild animals according to convenience. Everytime I have been to a zoo I have seen the saddest animals around. One can argue about the merits of commercial safari but if it's part of a national park system with carefully controlled traffic, it's actually far enlightening than a visit to a zoo. A jungle safari is not something the majority of people can afford, while most can afford a trip the zoo. I don't disagree with some of your points, but lines like "you are too lazy to make a massive effort to go see wild animals in their natural habitat" will probably fall on deaf ears. If you plan on ever convincing anyone, I'd recommending sticking to your line that "one is not supposed to encounter wild animals according to convenience".

ginko 9y ago
Not only this. If the amount of people visiting zoos would go on a safari the environmental impact would probably be significant and might endanger the animals natural population.
jghn 9y ago
One thing to consider is it’s harder for animals to be poached in a zoo than in their natural habitat. Zoos are suboptimal but do provide some benefit at least
vikascoder 9y ago
yeah you are right. I would replace the harsher "Lazy" with Time + finance + effort variables. I have been to zoos before quite a few times on school trips. There are maybe quite a few species of animals who would be survive okay, if that's the baseline, in a typical zoo. So a handful of animals everywhere have to sacrifice their lives for science so good. But what struck me in the safari was to see the animals and notice how "different" they behaved compared to animals in the zoo or even animals close to human cities (like Monkeys). The animals are not even interested in the human visitors, animals don't "shout unnecessarily" in the jungle (as humans would label their speech pattern as, screeching like a monkey) and if there is sounds in the jungle, it almost always indicates something or serves a particular purpose (mating calls for e.g). This education you would glean from a zoo? The only education I personally took from Zoo visits was, "Damn we are cruel". I totally understand some agencies use public animal sites for protecting and breeding endangered animals, there are sanctuary sites to serve as enhanced landing pads for birds but all of this is quite different than a typical Disneyland zoo setup. It is almost always for silly eertainment like watching Orcas dance in SeaWorld. Sure it teaches you about animals and increases cognitive awareness but one should take children to a nature hike, that doesn't cost much if you are so inclined for a nature experience.
Angostura 9y ago
> I have been to a real jungle safari recently and it struck me how obviously different animals are in their own vast natural habitat than in a zoo. Having worked as a naturalist-guide in the Peruvian Amazon back in the 1990s, the main way that they differ is by being for the most part - invisble. “Here that sound? That’s a large group of spider monkeys moving off, nearby... now look at these leaf cutter ants”
- mirimir 9y ago
  So many years ago, a friend convinced me to go "bird watching" with her. And I discovered that it's mostly bird listening. It takes considerable skill to actually see the birds that you hear.

ginko 9y ago

Not only this. If the amount of people visiting zoos would go on a safari the environmental impact would probably be significant and might endanger the animals natural population.

jghn 9y ago

One thing to consider is it’s harder for animals to be poached in a zoo than in their natural habitat. Zoos are suboptimal but do provide some benefit at least

vikascoder 9y ago

yeah you are right. I would replace the harsher "Lazy" with Time + finance + effort variables. I have been to zoos before quite a few times on school trips. There are maybe quite a few species of animals who would be survive okay, if that's the baseline, in a typical zoo. So a handful of animals everywhere have to sacrifice their lives for science so good. But what struck me in the safari was to see the animals and notice how "different" they behaved compared to animals in the zoo or even animals close to human cities (like Monkeys). The animals are not even interested in the human visitors, animals don't "shout unnecessarily" in the jungle (as humans would label their speech pattern as, screeching like a monkey) and if there is sounds in the jungle, it almost always indicates something or serves a particular purpose (mating calls for e.g). This education you would glean from a zoo? The only education I personally took from Zoo visits was, "Damn we are cruel". I totally understand some agencies use public animal sites for protecting and breeding endangered animals, there are sanctuary sites to serve as enhanced landing pads for birds but all of this is quite different than a typical Disneyland zoo setup. It is almost always for silly eertainment like watching Orcas dance in SeaWorld. Sure it teaches you about animals and increases cognitive awareness but one should take children to a nature hike, that doesn't cost much if you are so inclined for a nature experience.

Angostura 9y ago

> I have been to a real jungle safari recently and it struck me how obviously different animals are in their own vast natural habitat than in a zoo. Having worked as a naturalist-guide in the Peruvian Amazon back in the 1990s, the main way that they differ is by being for the most part - invisble. “Here that sound? That’s a large group of spider monkeys moving off, nearby... now look at these leaf cutter ants”

mirimir 9y ago
So many years ago, a friend convinced me to go "bird watching" with her. And I discovered that it's mostly bird listening. It takes considerable skill to actually see the birds that you hear.