Interesting article from ZooNation.org, a site I just discovered. It argues against the increasing fear of people and companies to be seen as supporting zoos (with a strong use of Sea World as an example).
Zoophobia: An Alternate Reality
I read the article and spent a little time looking over the ZooNation.org site, and I must say that I found its pro-zoo slant so over-the-top at times as to be rather silly. I am troubled by the lack of transparency on a site that seeks donations to further its mission contains little to no information about who serves on its volunteer board.
Take the following: in answering the question, "who are we?" the site proclaims:
"ZooNation is comprised of passionate and dedicated zoological professionals, and committed conservationists from different backgrounds. Our compassion unites us as we endeavor to heal the planet. We seek to empower a global community of proactive animal welfarists and environmentalists within and outside of the zoo and aquarium industry."
All well and good, but who are the people who run this organization, or at the very least the website? In response, someone asked, "You do not really say “who” is directing Zoo Nation. ED? Staff? Thanks." The response, from the original post author: "Good question and an easy answer. ZooNation is currently being run entirely by our volunteer board. Hope that answers your question." Well, no. Who is on this volunteer board? Are they zoo professionals, conservationists, interested laypeople? Any names and credentials would be helpful.
There is no direct link to leadership on the site. After digging around a bit and making a couple of google website, I found more information at dev.zoonation.org/about-us. Not sure who the current leadership is (this appears to be old information, and this link is not active from the main site), but some of the people involved do have some bona fides, though others have unspecified backgrounds (no information on the website about who they are). It is clear that some (current or former) board members of Zoo Nation (including the person who seems to have founded the organiation) used to run the unofficial Sea World podcast, that then morphed into the ZooNation podcast: "The Unofficial SeaWorld Podcast will always have a special place in the hearts of Mike Madsen and Eric Davis, both board members of ZooNation, because it was that project that helped inspire them to advocate for zoological facilities around the world."
The Unofficial SeaWorld Podcast seems to have changed into the ZooNation podcast (which features a single episode, from my search) right when Sea World announced cessation of its breeding program for orcas. It does look like a number of people involved in the website were big advocates of Sea World's orca breeding and many of the articles on the website are very much against Sea World's decision (often explicitly).
In any case, it's not clear what this organization does; it does appear to accept donations, but there is no information about any concrete projects or programs it funds. The only information I found was so lacking as to be comical:
Financials
I have no problem with a website with a definite point-of-view, but I am troubled by the extreme lack of transparency with respect to the nonprofit organization represented by this website, and would encourage anyone visiting to treat all of its contents with some healthy skepticism. While I do not doubt that the people behind it mean well and (in at least some cases) have some knowledge of what they speak, I am not convinced that any information here is much better than the biased stuff you might read from PETA. And while I am a firm believer that zoos have much to offer in conservation, I have to question the bias of a website where the most recently posted article begins with the following sentence: "Zoos are often the best hope or even last hope for the survival of a species, especially if they are threatened or endangered."
