What is a “zoo?”
National Geographic released an encyclopedic entry edited by Kara West and Mary Crooks explaining that the term zoo is short for “zoological park.” Here, hundreds of different varieties of animal species from around the world animals are placed on display for people to view and learn about. Although zoos have many purposes, the one main thing that they truly serve is to provide entertainment and educate the public. National Geographic clarifies that though their purpose is entertainment and education, zoos actually have a strong emphasis on scientific research and species conservation efforts through that many programs and studies that take place within them. Researchers can study these captive animals up close and learn about their behaviors while veterinarians can help treat injured and wounded animals. The article further illustrates that many zoos have captive breeding programs in hopes to be able to reintroduce them into the wild and help combat animal extinction.
This entry by Nat Geo explains that zoos and aquariums are also focused on maintaining conservation and education. In places such as SeaWorld, many zoological facilities are built on key ideologies that allow them to pursue goals to better their overall impact. Zoos and aquariums alike will have goals set into place where they want to focus on the conservation of specific endangered animals, help reduce the impact of pollution, save injured animals, or maybe even just help promote awareness and teach the public about animals and our impact on their wild habitat. Staff who work the rescue programs at aquariums like Seaworld explained that facilities who pursue to help endangered and sick animals call these ideologies “The 3 R’s,” rescue, rehabilitate, and release. Without a goal set such as these, not that many zoos would be doing much for our world other than provide a day for us to see animals behind a protective barrier. Only then can we say, zoos are money greedy.
In my point of view, without zoos and aquariums, our ecological impact to our earth will be minimized to the smallest it can be. Most, but not all zoos, help to conserve endangered animal species and clean up the harmful impacts humans have made to nature. I would agree with people saying that zoos are wrong for having a purpose to entertain us but it is what they do that eases out the wrong. They may have animals in enclosed areas but if we don’t choose to go to a zoo, where else would we go to learn about animals first hand? If zoos don’t step up and take action for the harm we have done, there is a high chance that not many else will. If no one decides to do something, then the harm will continue to prolong and get worse and worse until the effects are irreversible. Zoos and aquariums in a way advocate for nature in hopes so that we can also be inspired to take care of what is left of our Earth through action and education. That is what I believe is the true purpose of zoos and aquariums.
Citations:
Society, National. "Zoo." National Geographic Society. N. p., 2011. Web. 5 Nov. 2019. Retrieved from
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/zoo/