Children's Zoos

In Europe, children zoos focus on domestic animals plus few inoffensive animals like prarie dogs or parakeets, plus children play area. The focus is to get close to animals although most of them cannot be touched or fed.

It would be very surprising in Europe to put into a children area a dangerous animal like a great anteater or a tasmanian devil or a shy, panicky species like a pudu. Even monkeys and otters are normally in a general zoo area, because they freely bite visitors.
 
Jurek7 said:
In Europe, children zoos focus on domestic animals plus few inoffensive animals like prarie dogs or parakeets, plus children play area. The focus is to get close to animals although most of them cannot be touched or fed.

It would be very surprising in Europe to put into a children area a dangerous animal like a great anteater or a tasmanian devil or a shy, panicky species like a pudu. Even monkeys and otters are normally in a general zoo area, because they freely bite visitors.
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I believe there are giant anteaters in childrens zoos in Europe as there is a picture of one at a childrens zoo section of Longleat.
 
Most children zoos are just pretty much farm animals in a Zoo. Pointless really, but the kids really like it, and its good for parents to have an area in the Zoo where they can relax and know their child is not bored. I'd love to see more exotic animals in Children's Zoos though.
 
In my opinion, I enjoy children's zoos. Domesticated or wild, I love being around animals so it doesn't really matter to me. However, whenever I go to a zoo, unless they have exotic or rare animals, usually I prefer to look at other parts of the zoo first.
 
Breckenridge said:
What would you say is the least orthodox species you've ever seen in a children's zoo?
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The Roger Williams Park Zoo has a "big backyard" themed children's zoo that originally did not exhibit any animals. A few years ago they FINALLY added animals to the exhibit- one decently-sized aviary for a Common Raven, and more recently a greenhouse Exhibit for aldabra tortoises. While a raven and some tortoises are perfectly fine species for a children's zoo, it would have been nice to have a more orthodox children's zoo with some more animals, as opposed to just play structures with minimal educational value. Originally, river otters, lynx, turkey, great-horned owl, and north american porcupines were to be included, making this a missed opportunity for a pretty respectable children's zoo.
 
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Jambo said:
Most children zoos are just pretty much farm animals in a Zoo. Pointless really, but the kids really like it, and its good for parents to have an area in the Zoo where they can relax and know their child is not bored. I'd love to see more exotic animals in Children's Zoos though.
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However, many children’s zoos keep rare heritage breeds of cattle, swine, and goats. It’s conservation of artificial biodiversity, but it’s nevertheless important to keep genetic diversity in livestock.
 
RatioTile said:
However, many children’s zoos keep rare heritage breeds of cattle, swine, and goats. It’s conservation of artificial biodiversity, but it’s nevertheless important to keep genetic diversity in livestock.
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I dont know, I wouldn't call it biodiversity at all.

However, I do think there is an argument to be made for preserving rare domesticated breeds due to their importance for cultural heritage and that kind of thing.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I dont know, I wouldn't call it biodiversity at all.

However, I do think there is an argument to be made for preserving rare domesticated breeds due to their importance for cultural heritage and that kind of thing.
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I don't think its as important as preserving wild animals but think keeping a rare domestic breed is better than keeping a common you can see by driving through the countryside. Its something new to me and it preserves a different kind of diversity - cultural in addition to biological.

I would personally like to see some zoos keep Vikinghens. This is one of the oldest chicken breeds alive today, it was kept by Vikings during long journeys at sea. Their eggs are supposedly very good. Today they are one of the rarest surviving breeds, I would love to see them in a zoo, with proper signage about their cultural and biological significance.
 
birdsandbats said:
I don't think its as important as preserving wild animals but think keeping a rare domestic breed is better than keeping a common you can see by driving through the countryside. Its something new to me and it preserves a different kind of diversity - cultural in addition to biological.

I would personally like to see some zoos keep Vikinghens. This is one of the oldest chicken breeds alive today, it was kept by Vikings during long journeys at sea. Their eggs are supposedly very good. Today they are one of the rarest surviving breeds, I would love to see them in a zoo, with proper signage about their cultural and biological significance.
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Yes, I don't think it is as important as conserving biodiversity of wild plants and animals either.

But I do think you are right that preserving domesticated breeds helps conserve cultural diversity as many of these domestic breeds do have a cultural and historical significance.
 
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Jambo said:
Most children zoos are just pretty much farm animals in a Zoo. Pointless really,
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Not so pointless, because already 40 years ago adults realized that most city children never seen a farm or farm animals and thought e.g. that milk is produced in a factory like coca-cola. I am not sure how it is now.

I agree that children zoos are horribly underused opportunity for education. This is where children and adults spend much of the time, so should be a major place of education, too. It should be possible to link it to the conservation message, e.g. put conservation education in the children playground.

Copenhagen zoo once had a great children zoo which put into a running track, a maze, a climbing structure etc. animal pictures and information about wild animals. For example, children maze was themed as a labyrinth of rabbit burrows*, where children saw a picture of a fox in a dead end etc.

*Real rabbit burrows don't form a labyrinth, but one cannot have everything. ;)
 
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