Download Zoo Write Up Kelly Harrison

Kelly Harrison
Sea-Disc
12/5/12
Zoo Opinion
According to the mission statement for the San Francisco Zoo, it states that “It is to
connect people with wildlife, inspire caring for nature and advance conservation action.” I think
that this is a similar goal that other zoos try to accomplish around the world. After visiting the
zoo when you are older, you are able to start and see the cons to zoos. When you are little you
don’t really think about how the animals are affected by living in a zoo. You only think about
how cute they are and you are still trying to get over the amazement of seeing a real live animal.
In my opinion animals are better off in the wild. The animals at the zoo looked depressed
and trapped. This is not what it would be like for them in the wild. Even though some zoos are
getting better making habitats more realistic. They still aren’t the best place for animals to live
out their lives if they can help it.
Things that I found disturbing about the zoo, is how they are fenced in by electric wire. I
know this is to make sure they don’t escape the exhibit but I feel that animals shouldn’t be
shocked every time they touch it. They also could do a better job about having information about
each animal and why they could be endangered and how as a person you could help. We were
lucky enough to have a man tell us a little about a few animals they had rescued from people
who illegally owned them. I think that this is something that is good that zoos are able to do
because it’s better to have them inside the zoo then being sold on the black market. One thing
that I found disturbing was seeing how the polar bear was turning green on its fur due to algae
growth. This is something you don’t want to see when you look at animals.
When I think of happy animals I picture them running in open spaces not enclosed in a
cage. Zoos say that they release animals back into the wild but what about all the other ones they
keep locked up. Also how many animals are able to be released into the wild after being brought
up by humans? The animals start to lose their ability to hunt and find prey. Even if the Zoo was
able to release more animals to the wild, would they be able to survive they huge change. Even if
the species is endangered, it won’t help the ecosystem in the wild if they aren’t able to survive
there.
At the San Francisco Zoo there wasn’t that many places that were obvious to give money
to help save endangered species. If the Zoo was able to place more donation boxes near the
animals that would help to raise more awareness for endangered species. Another thing that Zoos
don’t do well is having more than one animal in a cage. At the San Francisco Zoo you could find
animals that were alone in cages with no other animals to interact with. In the wild you usually
see more than one type of animal living together, without this interaction they don’t develop
social skills needed if they were to be released into the wild. These are just a few things that we
need to think about when visiting a Zoo and think about the possibility of improving the animals
living conditions and working toward their mission statement.