Exactly. These well-managed zoos are some of the best sources of money specifically for helping conserve the wildlife population. These zookeepers and other employees work there because they love the animals and want to contribute towards more research and conservation efforts to protect the animals we keep in the zoos. I love zoos and I enjoy taking my friends because I have a lot of animal knowledge and I can teach them a lot beyond what the plaques show. However, I only go to zoos that have made an obvious effort to provide the animals the best habitats within their means and are confirmed to assist conservation efforts.

There is a difference between extinct in the wild and extinct in the world. I fully suppert animal rights and it's a career I want to work with in the future, however, I think it's beneficial to the growing human population to see these animals and realize the impact our choices have on these wonderful creatures.

With the way that climate change is impacting the artic, I think zoo captive Polar Bears are a necessary evil. I highly doubt that good-working zoos in this age will be inbreeding their polar bears. But the alternative is that polar bears become a creature of the past.

The exact thoughts I had in my mind while reading this article and watching this video is how zoos are a necessary evil in this world. Not all of them are good. The animals aren't living the same lives they would in the wild. But the good zoos will do everything they can to ensure these animals are happy and help ensure that currently endangered animals do not become extinct.

Yeah, I had to hold myself back from saying anything to this comment since it doesn't make any sense. It's no different from someone saying "Hiking is my entire life" or "My family is my entire life".

Just commenting to say that I really liked this comment and I completely agree. I tend to make pretty crude jokes with my friends quite often but as silly as it might sound, I really don't like any jokes that imply terrible things about or happening to my cats. It turns my mood defensive almost immediately because they are my entire life. To OP, I'll back up this comment by saying it does sound like you crossed a boundary involving your friend's mom. Give her time and she might be able to forgive the comment, but don't try to pressure her to accept your apology and just learn from this mistake moving forward in current or future friendships.