They are one of the few mammals not to be able to synthesise their own vitamin C, for one (alongside primates and fruit bats).
They could learn how to look after them properly as pets, and how they came to be domesticated as food animals in South America.
And they can engage with them as children to provide a route into a deeper empathy for animals in general, and to enjoy their day at the zoo and keep them coming back to bring in income for the zoo and give them further chances to be educated and entertained.
Incidentally, would you call Miami a 'backwards zoo'? Cavia porcellus were on display there in October 2013. And in (literally) hundreds of other zoos.
In the few days since you registered, you have posted once in the discussion forums, but in the past two hours have posted over 40 times (deleted comments included) in the gallery - both on new photo threads and on old ones you have revived - more or less with the sole purpose of disparaging what you see with little to no understanding of the context or realities of the enclosures in question.
We get it - this is a new and exciting forum and you are desperate to seem like you know what you are talking about. We were all young once.
But the more you keep commenting blindly, the worse an impression you will give - and I am sure this is not what you desire if you wish to contribute fruitfully to this site so calm down, read through old discussions to get a feel for the place, and don't feel like you have to have a comment for every image you stumble across!
I'm on my phone and I hate texting so this will be short. Your opinions are based on one look at a photo, even photos that show a small corner of an exhibit, and automatically judge them. Your comment on the wolf exhibit made absolutely no sense to me. If that habitat was too small to you then that means every exhibit made for wolves would be considered small as well. If you see a bad enclosure then you assume the zoo is low on money and is in need of welfare. Then you compare it to other areas in the US (unfortunate area I might add). And what's wrong with a zoo having guinea pigs, having a cheetah outside in the snow, and having animals in their indoor exhibits?
