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Should we close all zoos?

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DaOld Man:
With the recent attacks by the tiger that killed and mauled people, I was wondering if it is time we did away with zoos.
Dont get me wrong, I am not into an animal lovers group or anything like that, but dont you think we have advanced far enough as humans to not need zoos?
We can look at animals on the net, or on TV, we can even get up close and see how they really live in the wild, through our technologies.
I think we should quit replacing zoo animals when they die. It would really be cruel to release them in the wild after being in captivity for most or all of their lives, so i am not suggesting that.
Eventually the zoos could close, as animal populations are shuffled between different zoos.
If you have ever been to a zoo, you probably see how sad most of the animals look.
They were meant to be wild.
Why do we keep them from nature just for our own satisfactions?
It aint right I tell ya!

polaris:

--- Quote from: DaOld Man on December 29, 2007, 01:21:39 am ---, but dont you think we have advanced far enough as humans to not need zoos?


--- End quote ---

not having a go old man but that made me laugh.
for one, theres lotsa people who think shooting an animal is sport.

TOK:
I went to the Philadelphia Zoo as a kid numerous times and loved it... Later on when I went back, I noticed what you said about the sad looking animals, notably in the gorilla's and big cats. The standard old caged animal zoo's really don't appeal to me, but I'm OK with some of the new stuff. The Cape May Zoo in NJ has an area for the giraffes, zebra and other docile animals that is absolutely huge. Big enough that they have those pay-to-use binocular things to see the far off critters.

DaOld Man:

--- Quote from: polaris on December 29, 2007, 06:07:26 am ---not having a go old man but that made me laugh.
for one, theres lotsa people who think shooting an animal is sport.

--- End quote ---

Well, Im not a hunter, although I used to hunt squirrells and rabbits in my early years, but  I dont really see the need in killing something unless you have to eat it, or if it is a danger or a pest, but I am not against hunting for sport. And I dont hold a grudge against anyone who does it. Its just not for me. But I do appreciate the guys and gals that eliminate (some of) the deer around here each year. The deer population is so large that they have become dangerous about jumping in front of cars. Of course that problem probably originated from us killing out the wolves and bears.
A side note for humor: I work with a bunch of guys that love to hunt. One day a couple were looking at a hunting catalog talking about needing this and needing that. The stuff in there cost a lot of money. I looked at a picture of a man dressed in camouflage sitting against a tree, holding a very expensive rifle. He really did blend in with the surroundings. These guys were thinking about ordering the suit. I said "What is the sport in that? You are smarter than the animal by nature, and you have high powered guns, capable of killing the animal from hundreds of feet, and you have to dress up like a tree and ambush him. If you really want it to be a sport, go naked, sneak up on the deer, grab him by the horns and break his neck."  I lit a fuse there. The guys got mad and starting telling me how the deer were really smart and how strong they were. They realized I was pulling their chains when I couldnt keep a straight face. I still havent decided which animal is smarter though. Oh well, I guess they think the same of my "sport" of building arcades. (This is a true story).

With that being said, I still dont see where hunting is the same as taking an animal from its natural habitat and locking it up in a zoo for the rest of its life. I think it would be more humane to kill it.

SavannahLion:
I'm not going to argue the merits of Zoos here. However, let it be known I strongly disagree with the OPs evaluation of such a complex problem and his overly simplistic solution.

About the tiger attack, I strongly suspect that the recent attack is caused by someone harassing the cat in question. Since many of these animals are often harassed by bratty little kids, retarded (not the special kind) adults, and moronic foreigners*, it comes as no surprise that such an animal would eventually get pissed off and go on a rampage.

I was recently at the San Francisco zoo (yes same zoo) and some stupid ---fudgesicle--- was throwing crap into the gorilla enclosure to try and entice the gorillas to come out. At the bear enclosure, dumbuck kids were hitting the acrylic viewing pane as hard as they could to try and get a sleeping bear to move. Come to think of it, if I know which cat it is, I think I saw this particular cat in the cat house (a medical holding building?) and it was definately distresssed. It kept walking in circles and hopping off the doors. The same exact behavior my cat does when it gets cabin fever and wants to go outside. When I was there, two idiot foreigners had ducked under the safety rail and were standing within paws length of the cage. Fortunately, a Zoo attendant rushed up and kicked them out.


*Not saying all people from other countries are morons.

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