Comments on: Zoos – My Internal Struggle: Conservation vs. Captivity #RambleOn

By: Debra

Debra — Sat, 06 Sep 2014 11:09:57 +0000

As ive got older ive struggled with zoos and Animals being in captivity but when I look back on my childhood I realise that without School visits to Zoos we would not learn and understand the importance of preserving endangered species. It would be great if wildlife parks could replace the zoos

By: Mary @ Green Global Travel

Mary @ Green Global Travel — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 23:47:25 +0000

So true that it is a struggle. The list of endangered and extinct animals is just getting bigger and bigger, but I agree with Mike that it’s better to see them in a wildlife park. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this!

By: Lance

Lance — Sun, 03 Aug 2014 17:48:27 +0000

Lauren, I’m with you. I really can’t do zoos. Even the “best” zoos just make sad. Yes, I’ve been to some of the “best” (San Diego, etc), but it’s just not for me.

By: Sondra @ Savers4Life

Sondra @ Savers4Life — Sat, 02 Aug 2014 15:02:18 +0000

You are so right! We struggle with this very thing anytime we travel and include a zoo, which seems to be a usual (and sometimes Free) stop for us.

Our favorite so far has been the Kansas City zoo. You can tell they really try and make nice habitats for the animals.

By: Laura @Travelocafe

Laura @Travelocafe — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 11:48:45 +0000

Walking a thin line… it is always the case when we deal with animals. Very interesting.

By: Lauren Bassart

Lauren Bassart — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 20:05:03 +0000

In reply to Vanessa. Vanessa, It's getting harder and harder for me to decipher from the places that do good and the places that are just out for profit. It saddens me deeply.

By: Lauren Bassart

Lauren Bassart — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 20:03:39 +0000

In reply to Sharon Mendelaoui. Be free Sharon! :) People were meant to roam. I can't imagine going back to my "caged" life.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 16:03:44 +0000

Thank you for putting into words the same emotions I have. I really don’t know what the right answer is. I know that there are many well respected zoos that actually rescue animals from far less well managed facilities. But I think overall our money would be better spent visiting national parks and supporting the efforts of wildlife rangers so we can see the animals in their natural habitat and help continue to support conservation efforts.

By: Sharon Mendelaoui

Sharon Mendelaoui — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 13:22:40 +0000

I so resonate with this article, the internal struggle of preserving a species but putting them in captivity to do so. Yes they are regularly fed and taken care of but that urge to roam free – I know it so well myself as a travel writer and that just hit me when I read it in your post. Sure I have a great home and food daily – but I want to be free!

By: Mary Calculated Traveller

Mary Calculated Traveller — Tue, 29 Jul 2014 11:29:50 +0000

Like Mike said, when I too was younger I loved zoos and didn’t give it a second thought that the animals were in cages. It wasn’t until I was on my first big trip at the ripe old age of 19 when I travelled to Taiwan for an exchange program did it dawn on me. I was with a boy (from South Africa no less) and we visited a zoo and the enclosures were about the size of my bath room at home. The lions could barely walk around in a circle and the bottom of the enclosures were made of the same bars as the sides of the enclosure so their feet were uncomfortable. All they did was lie there. We were disgusted and left – my date even more so, coming from a place where the animals are free to roam…