Do you think all zoos should be closed?

[Hemi300c]

When a municipality doesn't feed the animals and the animals are dying of starvation and thirst I say definitely and as soon as a municipality is in debt (almost all municipalities) I start fearing for the lives of the animals.

Also animals that should be in trees get bred and sold off to subsidize their income.

I am very involved in a primate rescue centre and just recently they were given about 12 scarce monkeys by the SPCA to take care of after about 20 had died and were left to die. This was Bloemfontein zoo.

People are disgusting and expecially corrupt people in power whom have no qualms in letting animals suffer in order to inflate their own pockets.

 

[Prawnapple]

Free range. They do taste better.

Have you seen what it takes in America for free-range to be a thing? Watch Supersize Me 2

Just a 2m x 1m fenced off area which allows the chickens to be able to walk outside anytime. Do they though? Nope, but they certainly can. Free-range is such a misnomer.

 

[Cray]

A game reserve is the answer for assisted breeding and education of kids, zoos aren't natural enough.

Habitat destruction and predation are problems with saving certain species, game reserves ideally yes, but zoos have done great work saving some species.

https://medium.com/taronga-conserva...es-saved-from-extinction-by-zoos-682c454d0125

10 endangered species saved from extinction by zoos

Zoos across the world are keeping endangered species safe from extinction. Meet 10 amazing species saved from the brink by zoo conservation

 

[Brian_G]

Habitat destruction and predation are problems with saving certain species, game reserves ideally yes, but zoos have done great work saving some species.

True, so I'll re-word it - fine as an exception but not as a rule IMO.

 

[Pineapple Smurf]

Yes
Zoos are colonial
We must all do our share to decolonize this apartheid country immediately !!!

 

[grok]

There are no cages here


Be interesting to see how it's changed.

Only for the worse I'm afraid..

TikTok - Make Your Day

Zoo's in ZA shouldn't be closed, they should just be given to people who can run stuff properly.

 

[Nerfherder]

Definitely depends on the zoo, and a lot of zoos have captive breeding programs that have saved species from extinction.

I think in general they should be shifting from zoo type setups to rescue type setups.
The focus of these places should be a place of safety for injured or vulnerable animals and not just for the viewing pleasure of people. The viewing and interacting aspect is purely to generate income and sustain the place.

There has to be a change from animals in a cage who were caught just so they could be viewed in a zoo to animals who were in a bad situation who are now in open enclosures with enough space and could potentially be released into the wild again at some point.

 

[thestaggy]

Large animals do not belong in zoos.

If you have a problem with an orca in an aquarium then why is it okay to have elephants in concrete paddocks?

Some zoos are also horrific no matter the animal. Increasingly our zoos have become horror shows.

 

[SmartShack]

A game reserve is the answer for assisted breeding and education of kids, zoos aren't natural enough.

Agreed , pump more money into education in a game reserve environment , I will never forget the bears pacing up and down at the Zoo... it was horrible !

 

[Geoff.D]

Do you think all zoos should be closed? Do they provide a valuable service or are they cruel and inhumane?

The properly run ones are providing a valuable conservation and research function. The smaller ones are not. There might became few specialist zoos which are smaller that are also doing a proper job.

 

[Cray]

I think in general they should be shifting from zoo type setups to rescue type setups.
The focus of these places should be a place of safety for injured or vulnerable animals and not just for the viewing pleasure of people. The viewing and interacting aspect is purely to generate income and sustain the place.

There has to be a change from animals in a cage who were caught just so they could be viewed in a zoo to animals who were in a bad situation who are now in open enclosures with enough space and could potentially be released into the wild again at some point.

Very true.

 

[Geoff.D]

What about the zoo you have at home?
Birds in cages etc? And dogs and cats? The animal cruelty that goes on all over the place is absolutely horrific.

 

[ShaunSA]

Yes

If a species cannot survive humans breeding like flies it deserves to go extinct

 

[Cray]

What about the zoo you have at home?
Birds in cages etc? And dogs and cats? The animal cruelty that goes on all over the place is absolutely horrific.

That's the one thing I don't get, people who keep Parakeets or other birds in cages....

 

[Geoff.D]

So should they put down animals that can't be rehabilitated?

No in general not. It is a quality of life judgement call by an expert.
For dogs and cats it is another matter all together.

 

[porchrat]

Depends on what we mean by zoo. There are rehabilitation centres that get funding through allowing visitors to see animals that can no longer be released into the wild due to their injuries or being born in captivity. I see no reason to close these sorts of places.

 

[pinball wizard]

For dogs and cats it is another matter all together.

What's the solution? Cage them? Eat them (free range only, I insist)? Rehabilitate them and set them free in the wild?

 

[SAguy]

We shouldn't have zoos in South Africa. We have enough game reserves where you can see all our local animals. Close the zoos and spend the money on subsidising access to game reserves for children.

Put the animals from the zoo in sanctuaries, and those that can't be placed are better off being euthanised.

 

[SAguy]

What about the zoo you have at home?
Birds in cages etc? And dogs and cats? The animal cruelty that goes on all over the place is absolutely horrific.

I don't like birds being kept in cages as pets... and I also am not convinced cats are properly domesticated animals.

They are invasive and damaging to local ecosystems, causing the extinction of birds and other small animals globally. Just look at the Cape Chameleon, they used to be common in urban areas - now hardly seen anymore.

I don't hate cats obviously... but their numbers should be strictly controlled.

 

[The Voice]

Really sad to see the state of some of the animals at Camden zoo. The funding has all but completely dried up because of zero foot traffic during the pandemic - so almost a year already.

I think they're really important for education purposes, and while conditions aren't ideal (no, you can't ever replace the plains of Africa with an enclosure), the animals are (usually) well looked after. It's not like they're being trained to do tricks to entertain people.