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62 sats \ 5 replies \ @bief57 OP 10h \ parent \ on: What is your opinion about zoos and aquariums? Animal_World
I also ask myself the same question, animals that were born in the zoo don't know anything else and releasing them into what should be their habitat would be counterproductive because they wouldn't know how to hunt and defend themselves. But what about animals that already know freedom and its consequences? When they are taken from their homes to be locked up just for our enjoyment. I get melancholic about this subject, it would be hypocritical of me to say that I haven't enjoyed going to zoos, but as an adult I have thought about these things.
I think the vast majority of animals you see in zoos were the results of captive breeding (ie. they weren't captured in wild).
That raises another question of - should we be doing that? Its really tough to answer....on one hand we now just have this entire lineage of captive animals...but on another for the animal thats already captive, shouldn't they get to become a mother also?
I think in the end as long as the animals are being treated well that is the most important thing.
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Yes, I suppose that most of the animals in zoos today were born in captivity and don't know anything else. This reminds me of the movie Madagascar. Alex the lion doesn't know how to hunt and he feels very good in the zoo because he is cared for and fed. You mentioned an important point, the treatment that animals receive in these places.
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Me too. I keep african cichlid fish in a large aquarium. These fish are from Lake Malawi in Africa. There are rare species that are kept by aquarists to prevent extinction, but mine are typically common, and always born in captivity. In fact, my fish breed and my tank stays stocked with juveniles. This has gone on for generations. Returning my fish to the wild would be an act of cruelty. The real question is whether it was right to capture and raise these fish in the first place.
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We need to investigate what their intention was in the first place. There are very good animal preservation places, where they protect them from hunters and save species from extinction and that is very good. On the other hand, there are exotic animal traffickers, it is a shame to think that everything becomes a profitable business and those who pay the consequences are them. I am anxious to see a post about your fish.
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I have my cichlids indoors. Outside we have a small pond. With those outside fish I really feel I am doing the right thing. I went through the whole koi thing, but we live in a forested area not far from the ocean, so as soon as they get big they are targets for the herons and egrets. So, what I started doing was buying feeder fish from the local pet store. I get small, ugly goldfish and minnows. Since they are condemned to death as food for other captive fish, I buy lots of them every spring and toss them in the pond. They are very inexpensive. The fittest survive for three or four years, until they are big enough to serve as a meal for one of the predatory birds in the area.
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