What type of zoo is for you?
The term “zoo” was first used in 1847 for the London Zoological Gardens; however, zoos have been around for four-thousand years. Zoos original purpose was for research, but current tradition is for people to visit a zoo to see the animals more up close and personal. The zoos go to great extent to recreate an as natural of a habitat for the animals allowing visitors to see them living as they may in the wild. More recently, zoos have been credited with protecting species from being extinct due to their being hunted in their natural habitat. Two or more of the animals are placed at a zoo where the species can potentially multiply their population and are protected.
Many times, zoos are placed within tourist areas for accessibility and to attract a greater number of visitors. Many zoos are divided geographically by regions such as North American, Outback, Asia, Safari, etc. This is done so that animals who come from similar habitats are near one another so that the visitor’s experience can be enhanced with the feeling of visiting that region. However, there are critics to zoos being located in an inner city because they don’t feel inner city zoos recreate a real enough environment for the animals and with the hustle and bustle of the city around it dampens a true experience. At the Columbus Zoo there appears to be an inadequate area for animals due to the limited space. For example, grizzly bears normally have hundreds, if not thousands of yards to live in in the wild. A small space would not allow them to have a proper habitat to replicate what would be natural for them potentially causing them discomfort and distress. This could be said about most of the animals in an intercity zoo.
There are zoos that allow animals to roam in a more open and free habitat. These zoos are called open range zoos and are usually African themed. Patrons to an open range zoo usually travel in a vehicle that is escorted by zoo personnel. The experience is like going on a safari trip without actually traveling to a real safari. The animals are in a habitat that more closely resembles their natural environment. This provides a more real experience not only for the animals but the visitors to this type of zoo.
Even though I do not thoroughly enjoy going to zoos myself, I feel I would experience more enjoyment from going to an open range zoo. The confined animals at inner city zoos are too often inactive. An animal’s main purpose is to eat and multiply. When they don’t have to hunt for themselves they are relatively inactive until feeding time. It is interesting to see the animals far away from their natural habitat and close to home, but just watching them sit or sleep is not very captivating to me.
Many times, zoos are placed within tourist areas for accessibility and to attract a greater number of visitors. Many zoos are divided geographically by regions such as North American, Outback, Asia, Safari, etc. This is done so that animals who come from similar habitats are near one another so that the visitor’s experience can be enhanced with the feeling of visiting that region. However, there are critics to zoos being located in an inner city because they don’t feel inner city zoos recreate a real enough environment for the animals and with the hustle and bustle of the city around it dampens a true experience. At the Columbus Zoo there appears to be an inadequate area for animals due to the limited space. For example, grizzly bears normally have hundreds, if not thousands of yards to live in in the wild. A small space would not allow them to have a proper habitat to replicate what would be natural for them potentially causing them discomfort and distress. This could be said about most of the animals in an intercity zoo.
There are zoos that allow animals to roam in a more open and free habitat. These zoos are called open range zoos and are usually African themed. Patrons to an open range zoo usually travel in a vehicle that is escorted by zoo personnel. The experience is like going on a safari trip without actually traveling to a real safari. The animals are in a habitat that more closely resembles their natural environment. This provides a more real experience not only for the animals but the visitors to this type of zoo.
Even though I do not thoroughly enjoy going to zoos myself, I feel I would experience more enjoyment from going to an open range zoo. The confined animals at inner city zoos are too often inactive. An animal’s main purpose is to eat and multiply. When they don’t have to hunt for themselves they are relatively inactive until feeding time. It is interesting to see the animals far away from their natural habitat and close to home, but just watching them sit or sleep is not very captivating to me.