Zoos - education or cruelty?

Hello there!

Before I start off with the blog post, I'd like to ask you guys a question:

How many of you went to the zoo as an excursion when you were in primary school?
How did you feel about seeing the animals in the Singapore Zoo?
Do you still feel the same way?

Personally, I used to enjoy going to The Singapore Zoo and to Jurong Bird Park when I was younger because that was the closest we could get to "interacting" with animals!

Check out this funny video about zoo animals going wild.

Zoo Animals Gone Wild (Ken, 2013).

I'm sure it made you laugh! But think about why they act like this.

After visiting the Zoo last year, I felt disgusted and disappointed with myself. The visit to the Zoo made me feel really sad inside because of the plight of the animals held in captivity.

Put yourselves in these animals shoes. How would you feel being confined to a small area, the agony of not knowing whether you'll be released one day, relying on someone for your food and water, not being able to socialise, being watched from day to night without any privacy of your own.........

Now, watch this video that sums up what you don't know about zoos in 1 minute.

What You Don't Know About Zoos (Ken, 2013).

Don't you feel your heart sinking?

What rights do us humans have to control these animals and take away their entire life?
How can we be this selfish? To gain economic profit while these animals' lives are being destroyed?

It might have been a great idea to have zoos as tourist attractions or even as a form of education in the past. But with advanced technology these days, I personally feel that we can scrape these zoos and learn about animals through documentaries or 3D movies instead. However, these documentaries have to be taken in a way that respects the animals as well. Apart from that, natural sanctuaries can also be a way to let the public learn about animals in a more responsible manner.

There are, however, some controversies about natural sanctuaries as well... which I will get back to next week!

References:

Ken, S. (2013). Zoo Animals Gone Wild Compilation. [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/lA5Kvkwseg4 [Accessed 12 Sep. 2015].

Peta2, (2014). What No One Told You About Zoos. [video] Available at: https://youtu.be/gw0SWsRB1Fo [Accessed 12 Sep. 2015].