Went to the Zoo Yesterday

[MiniChris]

and I think I shall forever be haunted by this image...do we really do animals a favor by caging them, or would we be do better to allow natural selection to run it's course?

[jeeperman]

That is a powerful image Chris.

[rob marshall]

do we really do animals a favor by caging them,

Absolutely not. I hate animals being caged in zoos. If I had my way all zoos would be closed down. (insert protest smilie here)

...would we be do better to allow natural selection to run it's course?

Probably, Chris. But the trouble is we have gone way past that option. We certainly don't allow natural selection to take it's course with our own species.

[Jim B.]

I went to 2 zoos last year to take photos for the 1st time since I was a kid.I'll never go back.Both zoos were "natural habitat".Truely a joke!

[MiniChris]

I'm going to start a campaign to either get this one up to date or close it down...everything was filthy, overgrown and the water was yellow green. I have enough photos to make a good case to the press.

[Sam Smith]

Chris I will agree with you. I went to the Dallas and was happy until we saw the apes. Below is the "silver back" they captured in the wild and bought back.

Looks depressed to me


What a ape thinks of us looking at them.


mod please delete if you think it is inappropriate.

[Sahil]

And I thought, only the zoos we have here in India are dirty. We have a tiger safari here at our local zoo. I had just got my zoom lens & I was excited to go there. The moment I had a closer look at the tiger through my viewfinder, I kept my camera down & felt pity for the Tigress. She was waiting to go back to the enclosure door to open, where they spend their night, instead of roaming around in the "Natural Habitat."

Nice click, Sam.

[rob marshall]

And I thought, only the zoos we have here in India are dirty. We have a tiger safari here at our local zoo. I had just got my zoom lens & I was excited to go there. The moment I had a closer look at the tiger through my viewfinder, I kept my camera down & felt pity for the Tigress. She was waiting to go back to the enclosure door to open, where they spend their night, instead of roaming around in the "Natural Habitat."

Nice click, Sam.

Yes, that a bit ironic isn't it, and zoo owners always seem to trot that one out. Once the criticism of zoos started some years back they all started talking about 'natural habitats' , and 'breeding programs'. perhaps it would have been better had we not destroyed many of the real natural habitats in the first place. I always feel desperately sad at the plight of Pandas in captivity - as if they are just there for entertainment.

[Sahil]

perhaps it would have been better had we not destroyed many of the real natural habitats in the first place.

I Wish, our human race was that thoughtful. We still are doing so many things which will upset Jr. Rob Marshal II
I feel Artificial Intelligence is gonna be a BIG threat in times to come.
& We still are destroying their natural habitat. It just doesn't seem to stop.