Refuge51

With more attention by animal rights groups, I'm sure they are and that's also a success story.

gorillamom

But that is where you are lied to. The visual looks real good to you doesn't it? Can you put yourself in that animals place? Heretic is right about sanctuaries are needed more than zoos. Human diseases can be passed and yet many zoos are still letting snotty nosed kids feed giraffe's. In captivity huma contact is nescessary between the animals and keepers. They are more apt to let you know how they feel. It's the breeding that needs to stop as well as the experiments. We humans are only meant to live so long. Natures way of controlling populations. If you saw the vidoe's I have you would change your mind about zoos quite fast. Our first sucessful mother reared gorilla birth was Cami. She is now at SD Wild Life Park. At least she's at a better place than most. And don't forget, most of these animals can never be returneed to the wild so why breed them into a life controlled by humans? Entertainment? Money? You got it. It has nothing to do with actually saving the species. Zoos have their "Education" center's but how much are you really learning? Nothing compared to what could be taught in the classroom. If zoos made their daily reports public as they did when they were city owned, you would know what I'm talking about.

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The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
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jowey

Hey, this is not twenty years ago, this is the era of low cost miniature cameras.

People should start planting these cameras in places where a level of care is demanded to observe the activities after hours and ensure that care is provided. Prove that San Diego Zoo is or is not complying, I suspect that there are some abuses. If the Zoo is performing then it should not have any worries.

In the zoo's...
In the nursing homes....

Protect our elderly and captive animals.....

__________________

gorillamom

Unfortunatly that is an "invasion" of their privacy. Who we need to go after is the USDA for not enforcing the laws to the fullest. When I took care of Ivan the Gorilla there were so many violations and the USDA just turned the other cheek.

__________________

The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.

OldManOnFire

Yes...this is the balance! You have the animal rights groups monitoring them, government agencies, and the citizens all paying close attention to zoo conditions. GoMom is right to be concerned about less than desirable situations, but I believe in the grand scheme of things, zoos have contributed much more to the health and survival of animals than they have taken away...

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OldManOnFire

Alright...you win...all zoos are despicable corporations solely in it for the profits using animal entertainment as a facade to fool the general public into believing they are doing some good for animal life. Using your logic, the birds and cats and dogs we 'keep' in our homes, whom we train, and we inbreed, and who sometimes live in less than desirable conditions, is also a despicable practice...

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gorillamom

Yes when dog and other animals are not treated right, that is despicable. I think Heretic said it best, these animals belong in sanctuaries and the public needs to stay away. I've seen to many animals suffer at zoos, one recently at the zoo here. One of the giraffe's broke it's leg, but the zoo made the keepers have the giraffe do the "Walk" for the public before putting it down. If that is not an animals suffering for human entertainment I don't know what is.

__________________

The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.

mentor

I would love see zoos that were huge natural habitat parks, and access for people is all built underground with observation stations throuout, invisible to the animals.

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gorillamom

Yes. I agree. We might freak out a few worms and insects, but hey, there's million of them! That would be "Educational" to the bugs!
Am I in a mood today or what? It's that monkey being boiled story. I want to rescue them sooooooooooo bad!!!!!

__________________

The Clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power,
To tell just when the hands will stop
On what day or what hour.
Now is the only time we have,
So live it with a will,
Don't wait until tomorrow,
The hands may then be still.

OldManOnFire

These types of zoos exist today where people are kept great distances from the animals.

But I still say people are wrong to find such negatives in zoos since many zoos have done lots of good over the years. And it is hypocrisy for those who believe it's okay to 'keep' dogs and cats and birds, no matter that they are more domesticated, in captivity yet it's not okay for zoos to do the same. If all the animals in zoos were sickly and lethargic and dying then I would agree it's time to make a change. But most zoos take great precautions to do the best they can do. It's not a perfect system, but it is a reasonable system.

People like Jim Fowler, and the Crocodile man, and others have had very reputable careers dealing directly with zoos...

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Did you know both our problems and the solutions can be found simply by looking in our mirrors...and...Never confuse the extraordinary stuff I think and write with that of a well-balanced person...