Whilst I am not for animals in circuses and 100% agree with them slowly reducing in numbers, surely you’d have known when you purchased your ticket that animals would be used? I also then wonder why you stayed to take photos of the show? Perhaps this is why I’d differ from others as personally if I wasn’t to know and then found out, I’d of walked out but perhaps that’s just me. In slight defence for the people taking care of the animals I will firstly say that they are in good condition here so are fed and cared for to the best of their abilities and I’d imagine that their keepers also love their animals just as much as I would. So I do not point the finger at them but perhaps their bosses who make these decisions.
I find it very hard to read your views against Zoos, please hear this from my point of view. I respect those who do not agree with zoos but understand why we have them. Or they have made their decision on correctly informed information and not properganda. It does however, sound as though you haven’t been to an accredited facility that has only the highest standards of animal care and husbandry, diet, veterinary treatment and quarantine procedures. Also have you ever spoken to a keeper on how much time they give devoting their lives to the animals? Missing out on holidays, time with family, general socialising because they are caring for a sick animal. Or those in America currently risking their lives riding out the fires over in Santa Barbara Zoo. Why would I know all this? I’m a zookeeper myself :). Please if you have time take a look at my blog and read my stories from my Zoo life that only ever come from my heart, that hopefully you will see that only our animals come first. We all love animals we all want them out in the wild but the wild is not safe nor able to keep these animals within their habitat right now. We work every day tirelessly to educate and support conservation projects to release animals back into the wild. Check out my post on the Amur Leopard where I discuss what zoos are doing to save the species! I really hope you can just see it from our side and see we want the same outcome as everyone else, we want our animals to be safe and living wild.
There are “bad” zoos out there of course that’s the same with any organisation or buisness but it shouldn’t be that all zoos are tarnished with the same brush so to speak. There are incredible facilities out there doing all they can to ensure the animals within their zoo are kept to the highest of standards and help in the keeping the wild animals safe also. Who else is helping them? Because I know one “charity” in particular is doing literally nothing but producing slanderous information against zoos but actually doing nothing else to solve the issues.
