Most animals are in zoos because they have been rescued from pet trade or injury. Some of them have been born in captivity as an effort to increase population of endangered species. They are not living in "jails," they would die in the wild. Get educated.
This is Louisville, my zoo! The orangutans are part of the Islands, the first multi-species rotational habitat in the world. The animals move between many connected outdoor/indoor and public/backstage spaces randomly. We're just seeing one indoor space here. The Islands is coming up on 30 years old now, but it was the model for that kind of design. I think that's pretty cool.
As with any industry, recognition and awards for innovation like this benefits everyone, the animals most of all. I know it may not mean much to some people, but I think it's easy to take for granted the value of great zoos like ours in the work they do in education and conservation. The vehicle for doing that is just a fun day out for the family. :)
It's especially clear these days that people often fail to consider or sympathize with someone they can't see right in front of them, unfortunately. Zoos remind us who we're sharing the world with. It's cheesy, but these animals are called ambassadors for a reason.
San Diego Zoo has a similar setup for baboons and for Jaguars. The Jaguar exhibit is really cool as the enclosure is on both sides of a path and there are catwalks overhead to access the different enclosures. So while we were watching, a jaguar walked right over our heads within 5 feet of us. Mind blowingly cool, but a simple way to make an exhibit larger, more explorable, and it gives them the opportunity
With that in mind, the Orangutan exhibit as SD Zoo was also fantastic. They had man made termite mounts with holes where they could use sticks to fish out snacks. A huge part of the exhibit was hidden from the view of people, and they had what had to be about a 1-year old baby playing around.
The whole zoo was fantastic and you could really tell the care and attention to detail they put in with the design of the exhibits and the overall well being for the animals.
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u/KneadlesGambit Mar 03 '25
Most animals are in zoos because they have been rescued from pet trade or injury. Some of them have been born in captivity as an effort to increase population of endangered species. They are not living in "jails," they would die in the wild. Get educated.