Can we live without them?
Did you go to zoos as a child? Could we live without zoos? Some zoological parks are educational. Modernized zoos in large cities use profits for wildlife protection and research. Smaller zoos have limited funding. It is very costly to build zoo enclosures that function like an animal’s natural habitat.
Some animal rights groups think captivity is cruel and unnecessary. They argue that animals should never be caged for public viewing. Will future zoos be limited to endangered species parks and animal refuges? Many aquariums are moving in this direction.
The new focus is on rehabilitation for animals rather than entertainment for humans. Reintroducing captive animals to a natural habitat is tricky. Hunting in forests and oceans can be less attractive than being hand fed by humans. Many rehabilitated animals are rejected by their own species.
Trainers understand that it is risky to work with wild animals. The zoo debate heats up whenever a deadly attack occurs in public. We know a lot about animal behavior from zoos. We also know a lot about dinosaurs. How did we learn so much about the T. rex without observing it in person?