Everybody Loves The Zoo

I have been listening to a book called "Small Wonders", by Barbara Kingsolver for the past week, as I enjoy the last days of summer, driving around San Diego.  She is one of my favorite authors, her Poisonwood Bible being one of my all time favorites.  Small Wonders is a series of essays, read by the author.  I love her philosophy of life, her simple way of explaining complicated thoughts, and her passion.  One of her essays had to do with zoos, or more specifically capturing wild animals and selling them (birds, specifically) for domestic enjoyment or sending them to zoos.  What is this doing to the gene pool in the wild?  She argues that although the animal is alive and well in captivity, he is for all intents and purposes dead, in terms of his being able to procreate in the wild.  I had never thought of it quite like that.

Although I loved the zoo as a child and young adult, I soured on zoos as I got older, much the same way I did with circuses.  I thought zoos were cruel, and that animals should be kept in the wild.  I have evolved to the point where I now see the benefits of zoos, and there are many.  Zoos serve three main purposes:  conservation, environmental education and entertainment. 

Zoos have become the last refuge for many species.  Their captive breeding programs, such as the Species Survival Plans, are for many species, their last hope.  Cheetahs, tigers, rhinos, pandsas, gorillas, jaguars and Masai giraffes are among the 161 individual species that are involved in breeding programs. 

AZA(American Zoolological Association) accredited zoos also meet the conservation test, providing support to more than 1,700 wildlife conservation programs across the globe.  These zoos work together to conserve, protect and study endangered and threatened species, along with the wild places they inhabit.

Zoos and aquariums also play a vital role in environmental education.  For many children, a zoo is the only place they may ever see a lion, monkey, or coyote.  As stewards of conservation it is our responsibility to reach out to the next generation that will become the conservators of the wild.  Did you know that the attendance at zoos throughout the country far exceeds all the football, baseball and basketball attendance?  I guess people like the zoo!

Some zoos are better than others.  Our San Diego Zoo is perhaps the finest zoo in the world.  It is constantly changing, improving the living conditions for its residents, and making it easier for visitors to see the animals close up.  The problem with breeding programs in zoos is that the animals cannot be returned to the wild, thus the gene pool in the wild is not as rich as it once was.  Kingsolver was talking specifically about a Minah bird from India, that she saw for sale in a pet shop.  She asked the shopkeeper where it came from, and when he told her India, she was shocked.  The shopkeeper tried to convince Kingsolver that the bird was better off in captivity than he was in the wild.  He would be in a loving home, etc, etc.  Yes, but as far as the gene pool in the wild, that bird was dead.  It would never breed.  This is the big problem.  As the number of animals of a specific breed gets smaller, they have to breed amongst each other, which reduces the strength of the breed. 

Let's teach our children and grandchildren that protection of animals is important for our planet. Visiting the zoo should be both educational and entertaining.  The San Diego Zoo is certainly both.

  There are many issues that contribute to reduction of a species in the wild.  Poaching is part of the problem.  Another huge problem is that many cultures still cling to ancient superstitions that think various body parts or horns of particular animals have medicinal value.  Many rhinos are killed for their horns.  These practices have to stop, but that's a subject for another time.  Let's support our zoos and the good work they are doing to both entertain and inform.