Zoo & Aquariums (need to be shutdown for good)

[TheRifleman]

It's time to shutdown these institutions. The only need for animals or sea life to be caged or boxed in an environment if they can't fend for themselves or happened to get lost onto our environment.
Maybe Animal hospitals or some other type of habitats that are more like reservation land.

I'm actually having a tough time understanding how these so called animal lovers think it's okay to cage and box in wild life so the public can gawk at them with their children.
This is CRUELTY

The only people that are profiting off this type of cruelty are the people that run these institutions.

The Gorilla that got gunned down in Cincinnati is a perfect example --- why are these animals held in captivity? They had no choice but to shoot this Gorilla even if he was trying to protect the boy. Thank God he did not kill the boy naturally instinct would be for the Gorilla to protect his limited space.

Its time to close these institutions down.
Lions, Gorillas, Dolphins, SeaLions, Sails, Whales, Penguins.

If people want to watch animals, or sea life---setup cameras on the ocean floors or in the wildlife and watch them on TV.

And all these executives who have been reaping salaries and bonus's watching these creatures enslaved would need to get real jobs.

 

[BostonUrbEx]

Or we could not be reactionaries and realize there is nothing inherently wrong with zoos, but there's certainly room for improvement at most of them. They're a great place for children to see, learn, and explore in-person. I'm going to guess a lot of people who become veterinarians or set up wildlife rescues, particularly those who go abroad, were inspired by animals at the zoo as a kid.

We should concentrate on improving zoos. For example, the Stone Zoo and Franklin Park Zoo need to be consolidated into one, single facility that is larger than the size of both combined (to increase enclosure spaces). Sidebar: Disney's Kilimanjaro (where they do the "safari" rides) is incredible, yet these animals are in captivity.

 

[datadyne007]

Sidebar: Disney's Kilimanjaro (where they do the "safari" rides) is incredible, yet these animals are in captivity.

And if you fall off the safari vehicle in the Animal Kingdom, drivers are instructed to drive faster so the other guests don't see the gruesome fate of the person that falls off. There's no attempt to save the person.

 

[tysmith95]

It's a good educational opportunity for children. Also many zoos help to protect endangered species. I don't believe that there is necessarily anything wrong with zoos. We aren't going to get rid of dog ownership just because we believe that Dogs should roam free. Sure the Cincinnati incident shows that some Zoos could certainly be improved however that doesn't mean we should close all Zoos. I believe that an effective measure would be to create some sort of federal oversight over the safety of zoos to make sure that it is impossible for animals to escape or children to find their way in.

 

[CSTH]

What's a real job?

 

[Beton Brut]

And if you fall off the safari vehicle in the Animal Kingdom, drivers are instructed to drive faster so the other guests don't see the gruesome fate of the person that falls off. There's no attempt to save the person.

Can you tip the drivers to take it slow? #Darwin

 

[TheRifleman]

What's a real job?

Creating, producing, servicing or becoming self-sufficient without being a burden to society.

 

[statler]

Running complex organizations that care for exotic (and often endangered) species while educating the public about those animals very much falls into the 'servicing' category.

 

[TheRifleman]

Running complex organizations that care for exotic (and often endangered) species while educating the public about those animals very much falls into the 'servicing' category.

I'm not talking about the actual Zoo Employees who make$8.00 dollars an hour who actually do most of the work for these animals on a daily basis getting real jobs.

I'm talking about these executives reaping their bonuses and their high salaries schmoozing with other Govt officials, or Corporate donors along with public looking for grants and donations.

Why not find real solutions to helping these animals? Instead of enslaving them into an environment that seems very depressing.

Would you like to live in a boxed/glass cage the rest of your life?

I personally wanna snap staying in my house all day never mind living in a cage the rest of your life.

 

[bigeman312]

I would love to go to a zoo exhibit that showed TheRifleman in his natural habitat. That would be fascinating.

 

[TheRifleman]

I would love to go to a zoo exhibit that showed TheRifleman in his natural habitat. That would be fascinating.

I'm honored that you would come by and visit TheRifleman exhibit. Granted my living conditions in the past made Shirely Ave look like Newbury Street.

I'm sure there would be a line of Archboston's best--- throwing Popcorn and Peanuts gawking at my cage.

 

[bigeman312]

Yes!

 

[Scott]

I feel that the time for zoo's has passed. Same for big game hunting.

 

[statler]

Boston Globe:

Should the New England Aquarium be in the advocacy business?

{...}
Hillgarth, now 62, has taken that zeal to spread awareness and compel change to a new level since becoming president and CEO of the aquarium in Boston, a city she had never visited before interviewing for the post.

Among her goals: more closely linking what the aquarium’s 1.3 million annual visitors experience and their interest in protecting the environment. Surveys there have shown that about 40 percent of visitors leave saying they want to do something to help the oceans; she aims to double that.

{...}

But Hillgarth’s mix of scientific analysis and environmental concern has spurred some to question whether she may be pushing one of the region’s premier cultural institutions — which has more visitors than all but five other aquariums in North America — too far into an advocacy role.

They have raised concerns, for example, about the aquarium’s support of controversial legislation that would ban the sale of shark fins and its efforts to persuade the Obama administration to declare a marine monument in portions of the Gulf of Maine. The proposal has angered the region’s fishermen because it would ban fishing in those areas permanently. A monument is a federally designated protected area similar to a national park.

{...}

But Hillgarth’s mix of scientific analysis and environmental concern has spurred some to question whether she may be pushing one of the region’s premier cultural institutions — which has more visitors than all but five other aquariums in North America — too far into an advocacy role.

They have raised concerns, for example, about the aquarium’s support of controversial legislation that would ban the sale of shark fins and its efforts to persuade the Obama administration to declare a marine monument in portions of the Gulf of Maine. The proposal has angered the region’s fishermen because it would ban fishing in those areas permanently. A monument is a federally designated protected area similar to a national park.

{...}

Since opening in 1969, the aquarium’s staff has testified against proposed offshore oil and gas development on Georges Bank, encouraged the creation of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and more recently, helped the tiny nation of Kiribati in the central Pacific create one of the world’s largest protected areas for marine life.

Indeed, Hillgarth envisions advocacy efforts that may arise from research at the new Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life, a scientific institute that will integrate different departments at the aquarium to boost its work on fisheries conservation, marine mammal research, and the health of ecosystems.

{...}
“It’s just fascinating to see how nature works,” she says. “To see the real, living animals in front of you is something to behold.”

It’s that same sense of wonder and appreciation that she hopes is sparked by a visit to the aquarium, which uses its $45 million budget to feature nearly 37,000 specimens of 958 species at its cramped, aging building on Boston’s Central Wharf. But she also wants visitors to leave with more something more, something beyond fascination or entertainment.

She wants them to appreciate a sense of what’s wrong, and what needs repair.
{...}