I see your point about an animal growing up in captivity. However, I cannot help but feel sorry for an animal in captivity no matter what the reason. I realize that there is almost always an ulterior motive for protecting an animal but that is another reason to go and vote for people who will use laws for good reasons. I respect your opinion on this issue but I cannot bring myself to agree with it. Doesnt mean we still cant be friends though

Anyway: what you forget about zoos and the aspect regarding captivity, is that it is the policy of zoos (usually) not to take animals out of the wild and put them into cages. Instead, most of the animals you see in zoos were bred and raised in captivity: so how can animals miss something that that they never had in the first place?

And dying young due to your horn being slaughtered from your forehead like in the instance of rhino’s is definitely not my idea of living the high life.

In South Africa: wildlife ranches has played indeed a wonderful role in the protection of animals – but you must look at it from an economical point of view – these animals are only protected because they are valued in terms of money. Anything that has a price tag attached to it, will be protected – however, usually more to their detriment than anything else. Most wildlife farmers are extremely knowledgeable about their animals, and know which species to place together, and in which ratio the animals has to be placed so that everything can survive in terms of enough plant material. Take grazers and browers for instance: if the ratio is not correct – soon enough, one or the other will begin to starve because there is simply not enough food.

Further – most wildlife farmers keep “zoos” on their properties in terms of the variety of animals on their farms – but they forget that these animals were never originally from that specific area, so you loose animals simply due to a simple fact that they are not resistant to insects like ticks and the diseases that they carry – the eland espcially are sensitive to this.

Further – what has become of the migration patterns of animals? Fences have come in the way – and how natural becomes such a land owned environment when something simple like this centuries old survival method of animals are simply not being performed anymore due to fencing?

SO, in the end – you end up with a lot of little zoos all over the place – but they are just called “wild life ranches”.

I both agree and disagree with your comments. I will give you that zoos play a role in educating the public about wildlife. Regarding your statement about protecting animals from poachers, I dont think zoos are the answer. To me this just sounds a little like the Nazi’s telling the Jews that they were being sent to camps ‘for their protection’. I doubt that the animals would prefer to live out their life in a cage. Me, I would rather die young and free than old and imprisoned.

I acknowledge that your experience with animals is much more experienced than mine so please feel free to counter my argument if you feel so inclined.

From a South African’s perspective: we do have preserved land with game on it – actually, its just a bigger zoo with bigger fences that tourists go to see and gawk at – it is actually not natural at all. And, honestly, it becomes more and more difficult to protect exactly that which you want to preserve from poachers who really don’t care about the animals that is “protected” behind these wonderful big enclosures – they just care about where there big fat cheque is coming from.

And, once you’ve seen what a slaughtered animal looks like in this pretty wide enclosure – you won’t be so quick to judge the value of a zoo.

I’ve been against zoos in the beginning as well: but I’ve done some research at zoos as well in terms of animal welfare: and I can tell you this – zoos do more for animals than the general public ever will who just complain that zoos are prisons for animals. The question I would like to ask them: “what have you done for the wild animal lately?”.

The question you also should ask: are the five freedoms of animals adhered to and do they really actually suffer?