What do you think of Miami METROZOO??

[Migsly]

Zoos are prisons for innocent animals.

Zoos are for human entertainment and profit.

Only a selected few zoos are for research.

When I was at the Metrozoo, the elephants were in a small area. One elephant walked over to a little pond and turned around and backed into the pond and started swaying back and forth. It was odd looking. I asked the zookeeper why and he said "because it's in captivity."

Elephants were made to travel long distances everyday on a large continent. Not stand around forever in a zoo.

[Boer]

o boy, you sound like an extremist....

I figure you would close zoos and send the animals back to the wild where they could roam free?

Would you want anyone to try to propagate endangered species? Do you know that some animals are extinct in the wild and only exist in captivity?

hog farms and circuses are for human profit and entertainment, zoos are for education and science.

[Migsly]

Look, many animals are driven insane in zoos. They are meant to be wild, not incarcerated and totally dependent on humans for survival. That's sick.

o boy, you sound like an extremist....

If the truth makes me an extremist, then I guess I am.

Originally Posted by Boer

I figure you would close zoos and send the animals back to the wild where they could roam free?

That's the ticket.

Would you want anyone to try to propagate endangered
species?

If it weren't for human interference in the first place, they wouldn't have to.

Do you know that some animals are extinct in the wild and only exist in captivity?

Gee, I wonder why.

zoos are for education and science.

Yep, so they can come up with new ways to breed and maintain animals in captivity. It has very little to do with conservation.

Do you know what zoos do when they have a surplus of animals? They sell them to circuses and unaccredited zoos and individuals. Thousands of them are sold to hunting ranches. Hunters say they prefer killing zoo animals because they make better-looking trophies. They are cleaner than the wild ones.

One zoo owner bought animals just to slaughter and sell their skins, heads, and pelts as trophies.

[Boer]

wow, thats quite a view.

You are certainly not alone in your beliefs, there are many people who think zoos are simply exploiting animals by cruelly locking them in cages to reap the profits.

you must have a low opinion of zookeepers, veterinarians and animal breeders.

there were zoos in this country that did sell animals to game parks for trophy hunting less than 50 years ago.

animals go extinct for many reasons and human pressure is most likely the biggest factor, without scientific institutions to help we would have lost much more in terms of extinction.

people have attempted to release animals born in captivity and the result is very well documented.

some animals adapt better to captivity than others and zoos are still learning how to best care for the creatures they keep. Some zoos do a much better job than others, thats what I love about Miami metrozoo, they give their animals way more room than most and has some of the best weather on earth as well.

If you hate zoos I suggest you do some work with wildlife conservation and volunteer at your local zoo to really see what gos on in the industry, I for one am highly offended by your comments since I am an animal breeder and zookeeper by trade and I can tell you that if I had a choice to be in a zoo or the wild I would pick the zoo and so would you after your first day in the bloodthirsty wild. Most people would curl up in a ball and cry if they witnessed what kind of suffering animals endure in the wild, human interference of not.

Its really a shame that television standards require such tight editing of nature shows due to the violence, blood and gore....its sad that most people will never truly understand just how cruel nature can be.

[Migsly]

Oh, gee, I'm sorry if you are offended. I think the zoo animals are more offended.

I bet that elephant I saw at Metrozoo would rather spend one day in the wild than a lifetime in a zoo.

Read this:
Wrongly Imprisoned

If being a zookeeper is your livelihood, no wonder you are defending it.

[Boer]

I grew up in the rural tropics where I witnessed what life in the wild was really like, I wouldent rely on television or the internet for my information. I know for a fact that metrozoo takes amazing care of their elephants since I met them personally and have years of elephant care experience. Mertozoo's elephants are some of the best cared for animals in the world. Being an animal lover and conservationist I have chosen zookeeping because it is a way I can make a living and help people all over the world learn about the plight of our natural world as it is in a critical state. The mhor gazelle, sulcata tortoise and white throated ground dove are a small but telling representation of what zoos and private industry can do, without the efforts of animals care institutions and private breeders there species would all be 100% extinct in their natural habitat.

while extremists are a dangerous lot in general they have has some positive effects on the zookeeping industry, a small minority of zoos are guilty of unethical practices and the pressure put upon them in recent years has resulted in some improvements. The trouble is they have gone too far suggesting that the keeping of pets is unethical, how would you like it if some body took your family pet and euthanized it because they believed it would be happier dead than in captivity....happins every day in America by our local government, say fighting dogs in Miami.....the state takes them from their abusers and puts them to death because they are too dangerous for captivity, however the same thing gos down when somebody has 20 dogs and thet state seizes them, if they dont get adopted out because they are old or sickly they get the gas or the needle.

I would once again suggest people must be professionals in the industry befor they should speak up on issues they have no real experience in, furthermore animal extreemeists should concentrate their efforts on circuses and meat farming before going after the relatively easy target of zoos who dont have the money or connections to defend themsleves they way the meat producers can.

Miami metro is one of the best zoos in the world, they give their animals world class care and hudge open paddocks to exercise in, they secure delicate or dangerous animals overnight for their safety and the safety of the people living in the vicinity, they are setting a first class example and it is unfair and unethical to generalize across the industry....I am curious Migsly, what do you do for a living?

[Migsly]

Originally Posted by Boer

animal extreemeists should concentrate their efforts on circuses and meat farming

They are going after them hard. They won't quit until the abuse stops. I won't quit until it's illegal to use animals in circuses.

I'm a caregiver, in answer to your question. I may not be in the animal profession but I have eyes. I was very upset when I saw that elephant being neurotic at Metrozoo. And the small area in which the elephants were kept. They couldn't walk around, much less roam like they do in the wild because it was too small of an area. They were all bunched up together as if ready to roam but couldn't go anywhere. It was sad. That was 25 years ago. If it's changed since then, good.

Let me ask you something. Am I an extremist when I object to this?

Meat Farms
Meat.org | The Website the Meat Industry Doesn't Want You to See

Circuses:
Ringling's Baby Elephants Tied Up and Electro-Shocked by Trainers | RinglingBeatsAnimals.com