While most zoos in the US and Europe contain moved away from cramped cages the tension between displaying captive animals and a scientific purpose persistsIt hasn’t been a distinguished month for zoos and aquariums. Seaworld finally bowed to pressure to end its captive orca breeding program,three US zoos were criticized for secretly flying 18 elephants out of Africa and zoo keepers in Calgary accidentally killed an otter with a pair of pants, adding to a list of mistakes that includes giving a knife to a gorilla.
These unrelated events contain provoked questions about the contemporary role of zoos and what, and whether any,future they should contain. While most zoos in the US and Europe contain done away with cramped, empty, and concrete dungeons and embraced a message of conservation,the difference between the huge natural ranges of elephants, whales and polar bears and their zoo environments remains stark.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com