What is the purpose of live animal Zoos?

[wildflower82]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

When I read the thread title, I thought you were going to be talking about the US House of Representatives.

LOL this may have gotten more attention.

[Haakon]

Originally Posted by allenk893

Zoos and other things like it are akin to animal abuse. And this is coming from someone that's not an animal lover. I don't understand why or how we confine wild beast to a cage for our own enjoyment.

Sounds like it's coming from someone who doesn't know what many zoos are like at all today. This isn't the 1950's with animals kept in a cement pen barely large enough to turn around. At many zoos the enclosures are designed to mimic their habitats and often large enough that you can't always see the animals.

Does this look like a cage? This is not a wild caribu and was shot across a lake at 300mm.

[cruxan]

Originally Posted by PullMyFinger

Another person killed by an animal that should be in the wild. What is the purpose of keeping wild animals in captivity? Can't we move past this primitive practice? Zoos became popular because most people would never get a chance to see these exotic animals. Now with all the video footage, Discovery Channel, ect....why not just close the Zoos and leave the animals in the wild where they belong?

Tiger Mauls Zookeeper: Siberian Tiger, Rasputin, Kills Keeper In Front Of Visitors At Münster Zoo

money!!!

[weltschmerz]

Originally Posted by cruxan

money!!!

Black Rhino $120,000

Nearly any animal can be legally killed in many parts of Africa, so long as the hunter pays the right amount of money. For rare and endangered species, the cost can escalate to thousands of U.S. dollars, suggests documentation issued by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management in Zimbabwe.

"National parks are obviously trying to make money," Johnny Rodrigues, Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force, told Discovery News. "The hunters have to pay the parks if they want to shoot the animals."

It can be a Catch-22, since the parks often struggle to pay their staff, which include those who work to care for and protect the animals. Permitting a hunter to shoot a black rhino yields a quick $120,000. The high price tag may serve as a deterrent, but it also reflects how much poachers can earn without even benefiting the parks.
Dollar Values of Hunted African Animals: Photos : Discovery News