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n4te t1_iymheyh wrote

Reply to comment by couchasianktina in Toledo Zoo welcomes twin polar bear cubs by citytiger

I'm not sure any zoo can be considered good. Why are there polar bears in Ohio? Japan?

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srsrmsrssrsb t1_iymkvin wrote

Zoos are good. In addition to public education, they have a lot of conservation and repopulation programs for endangered species. Plus, most zoo animals nowadays are animals who were born and raised in captivity or are animals who can never be released into the wild because of injury or trauma. Plus, in a zoo the animal will always have access to veterinarians.

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n4te t1_iymol5d wrote

I suppose at least some of that's right. The last time I went to a zoo was in Tokyo and they had a polar bear. It didn't look like the right climate and he looked miserable. Feels bad to support that, though I don't have all the details. I'm sure many zoos aren't doing it for the animals.

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kozy138 t1_iyn4ayv wrote

Tbf, I've seen pictures of some pretty miserable looking polar bears in the wild as well.

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LegendWait4it t1_iynd8lq wrote

Many zoos are good* If you haven't seen the bad once I wish I was you.

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srsrmsrssrsb t1_iynsduj wrote

I'm well aware of how horrible the worst zoos can be, but not all of them are so because of profit incentives. Some historical zoos (especially in lesser developed, less wealthy nations) who want to do cutting edge conservation programs for their local wildlife (e.g. Thao Cam Vien in Vietnam is the only zoo to have successfully bred the critically endangered Vietnamese crested argus pheasant in captivity, which is the zoo I grew up visiting) are limited by their funding and even more so because of COVID restrictions on zoo visitation. But nevertheless, zoos have come a long way from being complexes of dull, torturous prison cells.

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LegendWait4it t1_iynzw9h wrote

You don't have to convince me, I'm with you! But great info for the once reading this thread so it wasn't for nothing!

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