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Do you believe zoos cruel and exploitative, or a way to educate the public about wildlife?

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rckt148 · 61-69, M
I hate seeing a lion pace because he is bored out of his mind
or see people give Baboons cigarettes ,Elephants (especially little ones split up from their Moms ,
Its been proven they are very family oriented and taking little ones away from their Mom to soon make them aggressive ,
But if we do not protect some species ,they won't be around much longer .
I have worked with a lot of exotic animals and I have also seen the damage in the wild from an over populated herd .
Starvation and disease ,thats why states manage how many can be harvested and only in the part of the season where they are not nursing young ,the little ones can fend for themselves .

Because of zoo's .and finding ways to bread them in captivity we have brought many endangered spices back that were almost hunted out or had died out from the over population of humans who take their habitat to build their own homes .
So it has its pro's and cons
When in the wild people are allowed to shoot them just for the sake of having said they shot one ,,I would like to hunt them.
(not really my heart is not like theirs )
My Family recently went to the zoo and seeing the lion pace in the video did make me sad ,
But he was old ,I know in the wild ,a younger lion would have already killed him ,,thats the nature of things
Maybe he would prefer to be dead as in captivity ,but he was healthy ,well taken care of
He is still the king of the zoo
NativeOregonian · 51-55
@rckt148 they are "over polulated" because we are encroaching on their space, we are the problems and only make things worse when we intervene.
@rckt148 Well said.
rckt148 · 61-69, M
@NativeOregonian Well sad but true ,we are the problem
Population explosion has made building more and more homes take more and more of theirs ,
But statistics show the birth rate in humans is down .
But the only answer is population control and thats not worked out so well in countries like China ,but it is being adopted by other countries now .
Are you aware the largest cattle ranch in the USA is not in Texas ,but in Orlando Florida and is owned by the Mormons

The Mormon church is the largest landholder in Florida and runs Deseret Ranches, the largest cattle ranch in the U.S. While the church doesn’t disclose the ranch’s revenue, a 2001 estimate (PDF) places it at roughly $16 million.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-21/7-massively-sprawling-ranches-from-around-the-world

With more people comes less land for wildlife
I am blessed to come from an area where they try to balance both
We don't have lions running around ,but the National Sea shore reserve is trying to save endangered species in the ocean and the wild life refuges that surround the area try to give sanctuary to wildlife you wont see anywhere else .
Actually my Grandpa and his Brother played a big part in that before they passed away ,,

My Daughters rescues abandoned cats (other animals too but its mainly cats )its a lot of money and work keeping up 40 cats ,and no one wants them ,they want kittens ,and my kids won't let anyone put them down ,,so my youngest has 40 added members to her family to feed ,but someone who said those animals were part of their family abandoned them in a home to let the fleas kill them or let them starve to death ,
But its a lot harder then most people know
Getting that many cats fixed ,all their shots and providing them shelter ,but they try to do their part
I am glad they are not lions that need to be fed a cow every few days ,then it might change their mind about putting them down .