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I agree with AnimalMad that it really does depend on the zoo. The older zoos do tend to be very cramped, and with not well designed enclosures. Newer zoos tend to be much better designed. Smaller zoos have fewer crowds and are therefore less stressful on the animals. Zoos allow for invaluable research not possible to conduct with wild animals, and captive breeding of threatened species. They also increase public awareness of animals, and allow people to connect more meaningfully than just watching videos of threatened species. Zookeeping has come a long way from just sticking animals in a cage and keeping them alive, and all reputable zoos have enrichment programs to keep the animals not just existing but thriving.
Generally I feel that the positives outweigh the negatives for most zoos. Incidentally, zoos and marine parks have been instrumental in developing and popularizing more humane methods of training animals (namely, positive reinforcement and clicker training), which have since extended to many domestic animal trainers as well.
There have been instances where I've been against the way zoos house a specific animal, particularly some incidents where (usually small) zoos keep social species without companionship. That is genuinely inhumane.
The meadows are in bloom:
who has ever seen such insolence?
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