Zealous Zoos

As of 2015 there are 41,415 endangered species in the world, and though this includes both animals and plants the majority of these are animals. Species that once thrived and were the center of wildlife are now decadent; invasive species have taken their place.There is, however, a way that populations are being saved. Zoos are beneficial for both animals and humans; they provide a natural habitat for wildlife and educational purposes for youth.

 

A recent article from the Saint Louis Zoo revealed that “about 21% of the world's mammal species, about 12% of the bird species and about 33% of all amphibian species are threatened with extinction.... Zoos are in a unique position to make a difference.” This evidence suggests that zoos can help those endangered animals, and according to Scientific America, they are. Zoos are “doing their part to bolster dwindling populations of animals still living free in the wild.” In addition, and also according to Scientific America, “dozens of zoos across North America participate in the Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s (AZA’s) Species Survival Plan (SSP) Program, which aims to manage the breeding of specific endangered species in order to help maintain healthy and self-sustaining populations that are both genetically diverse and demographically stable.” As you can see from this informative statement, zoos have good intentions for  breeding animals in captivity; they are trying to save animals at high risk of extinction, and once bred species are ubiquitous again they can release them back into the wild. The animals are in good care; they are not being harmed, they are being nurtured and cared for, and thus we can say that this is a healthy environment for the creatures.  

For animals, a healthy environment is just as important as it is for us, and for me, a healthy learning environment is just as important as a healthy personal environment. For our youth, education, a process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, is critical, and zoos contribute to environmental educational purposes. Learning about our environment is a crucial component when it comes to learning, in first grade we learn about leaves and the wilderness and that is the building block for our mundane education. According to WAZA, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, “formal zoo education comprises education that is conducted in the framework of the educational curriculum of schools, colleges, etc. within or in relationship with the zoo or aquarium.” This claim suggests that zoos are not only beneficial for animals, but are also very beneficial for humans and knowledgeable for scholars, or students in general. Without zoos, our environmental education would be jeopardized, our cosmology would be compromised, and we as humans would not be able to study these creatures for their well being. Paradoxes wouldn’t be able to be proven specious, and non sequiturs about wildlife would be ubiquitous, as our knowledge of other mammals, amphibians, birds, fish, etc., would be greatly reduced.

Educationally and environmentally, zoos are extremely beneficial for animals, anthropoids, and ourselves. By maintaining these monstrosities we are not only succoring strangling species, but are gregariously greeting germane groups. So, the next time you’re at a zoo don’t think about it as a show, think about it as an opportunity. An opportunity for growth, an opportunity for redemption, an opportunity for greatness, an opportunity for making our environment what it once was once again.