The Horse Boy
Well-Known Member
Of course. Plus I feel anti zoo sentiment is very strong in Britain and all the third world countries, although I seem to have come across more Americans like that. But I'm just talking about my experiences.
Have You Met People Who Disliked or Opposed Zoos?
- Thread starter The Horse Boy
- Start date
Lafone
Well-Known Member
The U.K. is not a third world / Global south country no matter what your current President might say. However to the point, I don’t think anti zoo sentiment is particularly strong in the U.K.
You obviously feel strongly pro zoo and this is the forum for enthusiasts which is great, but not everyone feels that way or the polar opposite. I expect most people are simply indifferent.
I consent to this observation. In German speaking countries, there has been a recent increase of negative online comments on zoo articles by a small but vocal number of activists organized by anti-zoo social influencers. Far more than in any British comment section. However, the majority of local citizens still sees zoos as good family-friendly entertainment options, especially for smaller kids (which is a topic for itself).
ZooNews2024
Well-Known Member
Yes - he didnt actually say that Britain was in the third world, but you are quite right - anti-zoo sentiment is not particularly strong at the moment and perhaps weaker since Covid. 20 years ago it was MUCH worse and fueled by the BBC on screen and in print.
Is it strong in the 3rd world too? - I dont know.
The (very?) small and often entitled, minority of opposition to most subjects receives proportionally more coverage than the 'silent majority', zoos included. Social media and the internet fuel this, and the lazy media covers negative stories rather than positive ones, because it is easier - so any minority will often appear larger than it actually is, especially to the casual observer.
ZooNews2024
Well-Known Member
You were fortunate that she was opened-minded enough to listen to you - usually they are not...
ZooApollo
Well-Known Member
Most people really don't care about zoos unless it effects them directly, they might make a one off comment if they visit a zoo like "oh that animal looks sad" but they won't care about it otherwise. But on the internet you see some article about some animal being abused and people like that drama so they engage and you see a lot more people like that.
I can be quite eloquent & convincing...some might even say intimidating.
Haliaeetus
Well-Known Member
I don't know why (or if) the inhabitants of the Global South would be especially opposed to zoos.
flatstingray
Member
Being from Mexico and echoeing what Enzo previously said, Zoos haven’t always had the best conditions on this side of the world. In his lifetime, my Grandpa has seen up to 7 lions in a cage the size of a kitchen, to vast natural spaces at a National level zoo. Some people still have the vision from decades ago, and tbh, some places still do bad stuff (In a government-owned zoo of the capital of the state of Guerrero, the director ordered to cook goats from the petting zoo for a local party and much more…. 2 years ago!).
The topic of animals under human care has a ton of nuance which requires time to research, learn, and form your own informed opinion. So the general public are just left with the ugly stories and don’t research furthger into the good side. And tbf, I have met in my country biologists and professionals who work in wildlife conservation which are anti-zoo. Some of them because of the ethical/philosophical/moral arguments given by animal rights activists, but the majority because of the bad practices that still happen in zoos (and tbf sanctuaries) alike in Mexico/ Global South.
This pretty much goes without saying but it seems that most laypeople don’t have the best idea of how to assess the quality of a zoo(s). I was recently with a group and the topic of zoos came up in our discussion. One person commented that Denmark had low standards for zoos. Her reasoning, of course, was the giraffe incident at Copenhagen back in 2014. Additionally, a couple others agreed that it was weird and possibly immoral for a zoo somewhere like Detroit to keep polar bears because of how hot it can get there in summer, even though in actuality the bears are more tolerant of hot weather than one might expect, and the zoo has ways to ensure they don’t suffer too much in the heat like air-conditioned spots and cold-water pools.
Others on this forum have expressed this sentiment before and I remain bewildered as to where it comes from. More than 200 million people visit AZA accredited zoos annually, more than every major league sporting event combined, with many zoos experiencing sharp attendance increases and making significant investments in recent years. That doesn't even account for the consistently high levels of engagement they receive on social media. Zoos are as popular as ever in the U.S. and that shows no sign of slowing down.Over the past couple of years I have started to fear that zoos are starting to become less and less popular in the future, especially in America, and they will all shut down. Call that Zoo-mageddon
Fully agree. Visitor numbers to New Zealand’s four main zoos have all increased exponentially over the past few decades or century (as applicable to two of them). Auckland Zoo’s annual visitation sits at around 750,000 (more than double the attendance levels in 1991). For perspective, the New Zealand population (3.2 million in 1991; 5.3 million in 2025) hasn’t doubled. One source states it’s Auckland’s most visited attraction for international visitors at 19%.
In contrast, I have observed the closure of a number of small privately owned zoos throughout New Zealand. For obvious reasons, they’re more vulnerable to financial pressures.
The Horse Boy
Well-Known Member
I have also been under the impression that people who have not visited large amounts of zoos or visited numerous times or are unacquainted about how they operate in this day and age are more inclined to oppose the concept of animals in captivity or find the sight depressing, particularly if it's based on taking the situation from face value. The fact that a lot of people do not know zoos do not take animals from the wild as much as in the old days and only get zoo bred indviduals is a total example. I even think anti zoo mentalities apply more to people who are not knowledgeable about wildlife in general. I feel I have met more people who have basic knowledge on animals then people who are very savvy like me my dad and zoo employees.
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Wanderer
Well-Known Member
The thing is, even though zoos today rarely take animals from the wild, animals had to be taken from the wild at one point for captive populations to exist, and people instinctively know that.
That is why I don't oppose zoos taking animals from the wild today, as I consider it a normal part of the existence of zoos and there is no need to hide it.
That is why I don't oppose zoos taking animals from the wild today, as I consider it a normal part of the existence of zoos and there is no need to hide it.
The Horse Boy
Well-Known Member
If zoos are doing that to rescue animals that are facing problems or dangerous situations in the wild, then I'm all for it.
Sphenisciologist
Well-Known Member
In my eyes taking animals directly from the wild has always been a dicey subject and, honestly, one I think about quite often. I think the main problem is that most people aren’t aware that the animals taken from the wild were extracted with good intentions (which wasn’t even the case always) or if it happens today, it’s because the animal would not survive if people didn’t interfere. That opens up a whole new can of worms and whilst conditions do need to be very specific in order to “justify” zoos taking animals from the wild in the eyes of the anti-zoo agenda, I feel that their principle is that if a place puts in an effort to rescue an animal, they shouldn’t put it in a flashy exhibit for people to see because then it just comes off as them doing it for money and not because they actually care about the well-being of the animals. Obviously I don’t agree with this being the baseline but I’m just trying to put myself in the perspective of someone who is against zoos rescuing animals in the wild.
Personally, I think it would be better for everyone if capturing wild animals just wasn’t the main topic of argument against/for zoos. Sure, zoos used to take animals from the wild, but it can’t be undone so there’s no point in dwelling on it. Discourse regarding the topic can be healthy to an extent but I don't see either sides making a lot of progress if that’s what the argument is based off of. I think if anti-zoo activists wanted to genuinely make a point, they should try to focus on what zoos could do better now/with their rescued animals (which I don’t know what valid arguments they’d make regarding rescued animals but, again, just trying to put myself in their shoes) rather than just try to ruin their image based on what they did in the past (and understandably so for the time period).
Personally, I think it would be better for everyone if capturing wild animals just wasn’t the main topic of argument against/for zoos. Sure, zoos used to take animals from the wild, but it can’t be undone so there’s no point in dwelling on it. Discourse regarding the topic can be healthy to an extent but I don't see either sides making a lot of progress if that’s what the argument is based off of. I think if anti-zoo activists wanted to genuinely make a point, they should try to focus on what zoos could do better now/with their rescued animals (which I don’t know what valid arguments they’d make regarding rescued animals but, again, just trying to put myself in their shoes) rather than just try to ruin their image based on what they did in the past (and understandably so for the time period).
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ZooApollo
Well-Known Member
This is a thing I also think about quite often and many people are like "I wish it never happened" and while I do understand that, I think it was mostly a good thing that benefited many people and animal populations. I'm not really opposed to taking animals from the wild either, and this is a hot take among many zoo fans, as long as it takes place under the right authority, with the most humane precautions and as long as it doesn't affect the wild populations or social group.
Who Is this guy by the way? I keep seeing him mentioned in German zoo forums but I never dwelled into looking his philosophy more than knowing that he thought zoos were good for showing kids nature and then stopped supporting them when he was around 25.
Someone who will do whatever it takes to ruin your career if you disagree with him. At least three times within the span of a year, Robert sent his online minions to bully and harass my fellow European zootuber counterpart. Even going as far as revealing this particular friend's personal info to his followers. All while hiding behind this false narrative that he's all about kindness.
Sums up radical zoo-haters to a tee; like all fanatics, they're able to commit the most atrocious acts under the most hypocritical of pretenses.
I tell you, the sort of people who harass accredited zoos and their advocates now are the exact same sort that hunted witches back in the day...
(And trust me, I've chosen one of the less "cancellable" examples of an angry, hateful mob...)