Animal sanctuaries / road side zoos

[jaguar78]

Would like to get people's thoughts on the various animal sanctuaries and road side zoos in the US or elsewhere.

It is amazing to read about the sale of exotic animals throughout the US that end up in sanctuaries. Thankfully these places exist as zoos refuse to take exotic pets. There has to be tougher legislation put in place to restrict the trade of these animals.

Noah's Lost Ark is a haven for such animals and thankfully they take care of the animals and do the best they can. There are other places around the country that are very good as well.

Road side zoos should be banned. I have been to a couple of these places and it is obvious that the only motive of these places is money and not the care of the animals. I am sure some of these places do the best they can and have limited resources but I am not sure about the quality of life for the animals.

What are reader's thoughts about the road side zoo off the exit near SEven Springs PA? I cant remember the name. They have a nice collection of animals but the exibits are less than desirable. The same can be said about a road side zoo in Maryland as you travel north from DC to Philly. Can't remember the name but some of exhibits are embarrassing

 

[Meaghan Edwards]

I definately agree; roadside zoos need to be shut down. They are not only bad for the animals themselves, but they also give good zoos a bad name. There's a large number of such establishments in my province, I am ashamed to say I support good sanctuaries as I do zoos all the way.

 

[kc7gr]

I cannot agree entirely. I've seen two cases of "roadside" zoos where the facility was pretty decent, and the animals apparently healthy/happy.

First case: Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo. Yes, they've had a ton of publicity and fluffing up. However, my wife and I have been there. We've talked to senior staff. We've seen the condition of their animals. And we couldn't be more pleased. This is at least one case where there actually is some truth to what was put forth on the Discovery Channel.

Second case: West Coast Game Park, Bandon, Oregon. Outstanding staff, well-kept facility (with ONE exception -- the chimp enclosure needs to be burned in effigy of all horrendous chimp enclosures everywhere), and very healthy critters.

Now, with that said -- I have heard horror stories of other places. And I don't doubt for a millisecond that many of the "roadside" attractions are every bit as deserving of being shut down as has been stated. However, I think it wise to actually take a detailed look at any zoo or animal facility before passing judgment on it.

In short: Please don't lump them all together. Just like the larger zoos, some do a better job than others.

Happy travels.

 

[redpanda]

Road side zoos should be banned. I have been to a couple of these places and it is obvious that the only motive of these places is money and not the care of the animals. I am sure some of these places do the best they can and have limited resources but I am not sure about the quality of life for the animals.

What are reader's thoughts about the road side zoo off the exit near SEven Springs PA? I cant remember the name. They have a nice collection of animals but the exibits are less than desirable. The same can be said about a road side zoo in Maryland as you travel north from DC to Philly. Can't remember the name but some of exhibits are embarrassing

That all road-side zoos should be banned is a pretty strong statement, especially as you've only visited "a couple" of them! By that logic all zoos should be banned as I've visited a couple that are bad, in fact all films, songs and paintings should be banned as there are bad examples of each. And whilst I'm exaggerating your (nonetheless ridiculous) post, all people should be killed because of Hitler's actions. Sorry, but it is this sort of unsubstantiated and unreasoned statement that puts our community into disrepute.