Views to Zoos

R

redpanda

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone,

I have to do a presentation to my class on a chosen subject, and i have decided to do it on how views to zoos have changed since victorian times. Part of it was that i had to do a questionnaire and ask people what they thought and what better people than the ones on this forum, so can you please give your opinion to these questions:

1. Age? (Although i understand some feel uncomfortable disclosing this information;))

2. Number of zoos visited?

3. What do you think is the purpose of zoos?

4. How do you think zoos have changed since the victorian times?

5. Do you agree with zoos (:) or :()?

Please can you reply asap as i have to write it soon.

Thanks. :)
 
Age: 17

Number of Zoos visited: 25

Purpose: Education, Conservation and recreation

Change since the Victorian era:
-The focus on zoos has shifted from entertainment to education.
-Exhibit standards have drastically improved.
-Animals live in more natural groups.
-Veterinary advances mean animals are kept alive longer.
-Breeding programmes mean the catching of wild animals has decreased

Do you agree with zoos? I agree mostly with zoos. Conditions in some could be improved, but most seem to have the right philosophy for the modern era.
 
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1. 57 (reasonably comfortable with that, thank you)
2. approximately 50, not counting public aquaria, but counting a least dozen zoos that have closed since my visit
3. education, conservation & public enjoyment (I don't like the word entertainment in this context)
4. there is now much greater emphasis on the health, welfare and breeding of the animals: in the Victorian era, animals were easily replaced and little was known about their requirements. We do not have these excuses now.
5. I agree with the policies of most zoos most of the time. If I cannot say that about a particular zoo I will not visit it.

Alan
 
1. Age? 30

2. Number of zoos visited? 2 Zoos, 2 Aquariums

3. What do you think is the purpose of zoos? To educate people about animals and their habitats and to act as leaders when it comes to habitat and species conservation.

4. How do you think zoos have changed since the victorian times? They've changed from being solely entertainment venues to focusing more on education & conservation.

5. Do you agree with zoos? Of course.
 
1. 22
2. 71 zoos and aquariums
3. Education, Conservation, Research, and Recreation
4. Zoos have changed in a variety of ways since Victorian times. Most notibly the focus from exhibition of taxonomy to the conservation of wildlife. But other various factors have changed...
*zoos now cooperate more than they compete
*keepers have evolved from basic janitors to ecologists
*zoos no longer take collecting expeditions but work with captive breeding programs to obtain animals
*surplus is now considered a problem when it used to be a revenue maker
*enrichment and sanitation of animals and exhibits are now important
*most major zoos now have nutritions, rather than allowing the public to feed all of the animals
*husbandry has become more specialized to fit the needs of species
*Im sure I could go on with this, but to parapharse zoos have come along ways since the early days, all for the betterment of animal welfare and ex-situ conservation/research.
5. :)
 
okapikpr said:
*Im sure I could go on with this, but to parapharse zoos have come along ways since the early days, all for the betterment of animal welfare and ex-situ conservation/research.
5. :)
Click to expand...

Dont let us stop you. Your views and experiance make for great reading on this subject.
 
Great topic Redpanda,

Age, 42

Number of zoos visited? App 100

What do you think is the purpose of zoos? Firstly a zoo board would probably have to admit that primarily if there first goal is not to entertain the masses. Nothing else will follow.

How do you think zoos have changed since the victorian times?
interresting question here is a quote from the Royal Charter granted by George IV in 1829.
" The Zoological Society of London... for the advancement of zoology and Animal Physiology, and the introduction of new and curious subjects of the Animal Kingdom..."
So l am saying in some areas nothing has changed.
Could not add more than okapikpr has written on this question.

Do you agree with zoos? Zoos have made my life a richer experiance.
 
1. 22

2. 5 Zoos, 4 aquariums (assuming AZA/CAZA accredited only)

3. To paraphrase what everyone else has already said, to foster a greater appreciation for nature in its visitors, conservation of what's left of wild habitats/individual animals, research to increase our understanding of their biology and behaviour, and for those species of which it is allowable, the ultimate purpose of re-establishing a wild population.

4. Animals are treated with more respect/as to their nature, you won't see anyone dressing up a monkey and pushing him in a stroller anymore. The goal of some zoos is now to take the animals they breed and release them into the wild, complete opposite of what it used to be. Zoos are bigger (no surprise), but with a more diverse collection as well, not only focusing on what the public wants to see. Offering other forms of entertainment within the zoo (ex., playgrounds, art exhibits, marathons, etc.) Basically overlaps with everything already listed- among others :)

5. Overall yes- though there will always be exceptions.
 
Hi, there,

1. Age: Just turned 14

2.Number of zoos visited: 6

3. What do you think is the purpose of zoos: for education of wildlife so common people can learn about the natural world, also breeding purposes and rescue/ rehabilitation.

4. How do you think zoos have changed since the victorian times:

Exhibits have now been made to benefit the animals as well as human enjoyment being that they can be view in their natural habitat.
Breeding has become more successfull.
A lot more education is being given

5. Do you agree with zoos? yes overall, agreeing to about 95% of their views.
 
Hi , interesting topic for your presentation . Here's my replies -

1. Age 57 .

2. Zoos visited - at least 100 in UK and Europe .

3. Purpose of zoos - recreation , education , conservation including research .

4. Changes since Victorian times - with improvements in husbandry , zoos are now generally producers not consumers of animals .

5. Agree with zoos - yes for good zoos , unfortunately there are still a lot of less than good zoos in developed and developing countries .
 
Thank you for your opinions everyone, its interesting to see how people seem to agree on most things. I'll start writing the presentation in a couple of days so can anyone else who wants to take part please do so before then (the more detailed the better).

Thanks.
 
redpanda said:
Thank you for your opinions everyone, its interesting to see how people seem to agree on most things. I'll start writing the presentation in a couple of days so can anyone else who wants to take part please do so before then (the more detailed the better).

Thanks.
Click to expand...


Hi redpanda, how about you post your presentation here. To share with all of us.
 
zooman said:
Hi redpanda, how about you post your presentation here. To share with all of us.
Click to expand...

OK, it will probably be finished by the end of the week depending on how much homework i get, so i will try and post it at the weekend. It shouldn't be too long as we are not supposed to go over three minutes although i fear this may be impossible!
 
wow, all the best for you, in Toastmasters we got 5 minutes in practice and only 3 minutes in presentation! Also in debating we only got 4 minutes each,

I'm sure you'll do awesome, you tend skip a few things in the actual presentation though, ;)
 
1 - Age: 19
2 - Number of zoos visited: approx. 25-30
3 - I think that zoos play a vital role in educating the public, wildlife conservation, augmenting scientific knowledge of animal behaviour and to provide an enjoyable day out.
4 - Again, rather than just 'displaying' exotic animals as curios from exotic locations, a more educational approach is generally being taken; displaying animals in more natural conditions and making the visitor feel immersed in the animal's environment are often now seen as more important - conservation is also a lot more important.
5 - Overall, I agree with zoos. Members of the public see animals they had never known about, learn about these creatures and their condition in the wild, and the animals can be monitored for us to find out more about their lives. I also just enjoy seeing animals which look healthy and comfortable. However, I don't like it when animals are kept in unreasonable conditions. I'm also not a big fan of when zoos jeopardise their educational value by overdoing the rarity of certain animals (e.g. calling white tigers 'extinct in the wild')
 
Age: 62

Number of zoos visited: Over 60

Purpose of zoos: Education, entertainment, research, alternative to electronic media

Changes: Greater responsibility placed on health of the animals; more natural social groupings and less 2x2 mentality; exhibits designed to be a bit more naturalistic; greater co-operation between institutions to solve problems; much more captive breeding.

Agree with zoos?: Yes, generally.

Disclaimer: I've worked in the zoo field for 22+ years, been actively involved for 29+ years. Can't imagine doing anything else.
 
Here it is

Well, i've finished writing my talk and i want to say a HUGE thanks to everyone who replied to my plea and filled out the questionnaire. I have used some of your opinions in the presentation to illustrate my points and, along with others that i asked, 25 people have now taken part.

please bear in mind that this is a speech rather than essay and that it is aimed at people who are less knowledgable than yourselves on this subject. If you feel that something needs altering or improving, no matter how small, then please let me know and i will make the necessary adjustments. I hope you enjoy it and i think it is just inside the 3 minute requirement.



VIEWS TO ZOOS​
“A place which keeps wild animals for study, conservation or display to the public,” that’s what a recent version of the Oxford English Dictionary provided as a definition for the word Zoo.

Conversely, a 1932 edition illustrates how views have changed by giving a different one: “A Zoological garden or a collection of living wild animals.” In 1932 Zoos were considered either museums with live exhibits, hence the term “Zoological garden”, or establishments dedicated to public entertainment. There was little interest in education, besides allowing people to actually see animals in the flesh. Nor was there the emphasis on conservation through captive breeding that we have today.

In fact, conservation is so important, nowadays, that out of twenty-five people whom I asked, fifteen thought that this was the purpose of Zoos. Education is also a favourite with most who said conservation stating this as a reason, also. On the other hand, entertainment didn’t do particularly well as only five people thought that it was the justification for Zoos although it is, undisputedly, a factor. After all, a zoo director needs to get visitors streaming through the turn-styles; if those visitors learn about the animal kingdom during their visit and the money they spend goes to conservation projects, all the better.

Since the spread of Zoos across Europe in the Victorian era, they have undoubtedly changed greatly and with these physical changes have come changes in attitude toward them. Pits were replaced by bars which were themselves replaced by large, stimulating enclosures. Almost all Zoos now aim to immerse their visitors into a carefully replicated habitat, populated by the animals that naturally live there. The transformation from Menagerie to Zoo has certainly changed peoples perceptions of captivity and most now believe that Zoos have an acceptable role to play in modern society.

But, not everyone agrees. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA, for example, is the world’s largest animal rights organisation with over two million members in the US alone. It rigorously campaigns for the abolition of Zoos, regularly organising protests and seeking media coverage to get its point across.

Of those that I asked, views ranged from someone stating that Zoos are “ubergood” to another who thinks that they’re places where animals are tortured. Out of the twenty five interviewed in the survey, however, only one person strongly disagreed with zoos. Most were of the opinion that they’re acceptable as long as the animals are kept in good conditions.

But, what’s my view. Having visited 26 Zoos and Aquaria, I’ve certainly seen some bad ones and some that are very good. I definitely agree with the concept of maintaining animals in captivity as it can have untold benefits. Several species, such as the Arabian Oryx, Black-Footed Ferret and Przewalski’s Horse, would not be around today if it weren’t for captive breeding. Zoos can educate, inspire and foster an understanding for the natural world upon which we all depend. Having said this, unless they continue to create larger, more naturalistic habitats for their charges, Zoos will have no long-term future.

So what do I think Zoos are for, conservation, education, recreation, rehabilitation, research or simply entertainment? In my opinion they don’t exist for any of these reasons. Zoos are places where people can get close to animals and they always will be.


Now i've got to start learning it for tuesday!
 
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well done redpanda, well written and put together, if you don'nt mind me saying i would change one thing, the mention of the Barbary lion as being saved, the lions that claim to be Barbary are not pure specimens, i would change it for say Arabian oryx or Puerto Rican crested toad perhaps.
 
Cheers Kiang, i've now edited that bit to include the arabian oryx - i figured puerto-rican crested toad was a bit of a mouthful!
 
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