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I have mixed feelings about zoos. I loved and still loves seeing the animals and seeing my two boys faces light up in the aquarium and all the outdoor exhibits. On the other hand zoos breed wild animals into captivity for other zoos. While that does lessen the "need" to take them from the wild it does foster an environment where those animals would never survive in the wild and are likely halfway domesticated and so are then only the physical appearance of a wild animal. They also are a haven for exotic animal owners to dump the pets they can't control anymore. Which I see as both good and bad. Good in that there is somewhere for these animals to go. Bad in that it give someone an "out" for buying an exotic animal they shouldn't own in the first place if they decide that animal isn't for them.
Having said all that I do love the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. If anyone has a chance to visit there it is an awesome zoo. The animals so lucky to be in an exterior exhibit have an abundance of space. Not as much as in the wild but much more than other zoos I've been too. Within the last year they opened a part called the Heart of Africa, which has a 20 acre or so open space for the Giraffes, and a dozen other animals to run around on. The lion's enclosure is designed to look like it is part of that area, but they are, regretfully, not going to be able to take down a gazelle or zebra. That's a zoo I want to go to.
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Thanks for the photos and all the replies. Brought back some fond memories.
Long ago in a city far away a lady friend and I were at a zoo. For some reason the American Mountain Lions came up to the wire cable enclosure and made cooing sounds. I like cats! Well, the administration didn't think it was a petting zoo but the Pumas did. What a wonderful experience. The admin didn't bother us until we left the no fly zone by the fence and they suggested that we never do that again! The cats probably were raised during their early months in a private home.
Merry Christmas!
~Richard
