Zoo's vs Animal Sanctuaries #adsactly - Animal Photography
I love animals and being in nature, but I HATE zoos!
When I was still in nursery school, I went on a trip to a place called Twycross Zoo and I realised even at such a young age (I was probably only 3 or 4 years old) that the animals were not happy and they were in too small enclosures.
I swore that I would never again visit a zoo!
From that moment, I kept my promise to myself and never visited another zoo... until I had a child of my own.
My son's infant school also had a trip to Twycross zoo, so I decided as 25 years had passed, perhaps it was time to be a little more open minded, and I decided to go on the trip with my son.
As soon as I arrived, I realised my instincts as a child had been correct!
The animals that were there did not look healthy to me, they were pacing (which is a sign of mental health issues) and I just felt so sad being there.
My son surprised me when we got home and said to me the exact same thing that I had said to my mum at his age, he never wanted to go to the zoo again!
So it may surprise you that I have recently visited a wildlife park. This wildlife park however does not keep large animals in cages, and they educate the public about the animals that they do care for.
They also adopt animals that have been neglected.
These tiny guys here in the pictures below, had at least an acre of land to run around and play in! A far cry from the sad camels I saw in Twycross in their 'yard'.
Don't forget to click the image for the full screen effect...
They seemed so much more happy than the other animals I had seen in a zoo environment. People couldn't get near them (except for the staff), you could only see them by walking into a small glass room (a cage I guess) and watching them thrive outside of the cage in a more natural habitat.
Anyhoo, these images were taken by me using my Nikon D5300 and my 90mm Macro Lens. I edited them using two different effects as I loves the sepia tone and the bright orange eyes, but I also think the picture looks good as a black and white image.
What do you think?
Thank you so much for visiting! :D
Kudos to you @beautifulbullies for standing up for what's right and noble as well as your child. It's so true what you say, and I need to start doing the same thing with my own kids and not go to zoos
I think you just have to do what feels right with your kids and I knew that it didn't feel right to me being there. I was shocked more at the fact my son had the same feelings without me saying anything to him about my own views. I am so proud of him :)
I totally agree, zoo's are terrible and I will never go back.. I haven't ever been to a wildlife sanctuary but if they have more room to enjoy life then it beats a zoo.. Glad more and more people are realizing the truth finally, hopefully one day zoo's wont exist..
I hope so too! Unfortunately the more we spread out as humans, the more natural habitats we destroy so I think that more zoos and sanctuaries will be popping up :(
I have had both positive and negative experiences at zoos. The Singapore zoo seems to do a great job at caring for the animals. I visited a zoo one time in Indonesia and I felt bad. It was not just an issue about the size but also the quality of the environment the animals were living in.
Interesting how both you and your son had the same thoughts many years apart.
yes, it really was a shock that he felt the same way as I didn't say anything to him about how I felt because I didn't want to ruin his school trip!
We as humans must be very grateful to God for creating us as perfect beings who have free will. It's sad when we see animals in a zoo. Moreover, the animal cage is very small. But there is a zoo that provides a large cage, and provides several trees in it. And the cage looks like in the woods. Hopefully many zoos provide large cages.
You are right, it is sad that we put the animals in cages. I wish we didn't have to do this and their natural habitats were left untouched by humans
I used to just love zoos, every time I visited a city I would visit the zoo and that would be part of my rating system. One day I just realized how shitty they really were, even the best of them. I've only been to the San Diego Zoo which is considered the world leader in humane exhibiting. Still...
I understand the need to confine some species, particularly on the critically endangered list. But otherwise I only go where I am the species that is restricted.
Thanks for the beautiful photos and the sentiment. Sounds like you've got a pretty good kiddo there too.
Yes, endangered species need to be protected at all costs, it is a shame we have to do that though :(
My son is definitely a mini-me when it comes to animals and nature, he feels very connected to them and I am very proud of him :)
Thank you Big T x
Last time we visited a zoo in the city we all got depressed instead of enjoying ourselves. I had a post months ago about it and it was very sad. We never went back to that zoo again. But there are some that we visited where the animals had a large area to roam free. You would feel if they are happy and taken care of properly.
Yes, you get a feel for the sadness of the animals, especially those in small enclosures that should have hundreds or thousands of acres to explore in a natural habitat
Humans are a weird animal and only we would put other species in cages to look at them. It is odd.
I like when a zoo tries harder to make their 'cage' more like an environment but it's still a cage.
Of course many people live in zoos in their small office or job, confined to a short pattern of home to work, but who is watching them? Oh right the camereas everywhere ;) ...wait, are we in a zoo! :)
:O
OMG... we are sooo in a zoo! That's it, I am organising a break out, who's up for it? lol xD
Shhhhh...you mustn't let them notice we know, or we'll get put in a worse 'environment' we have to pretend we don't see the bars of the cage ;)
Totally agree with you @beautifulbullies. I H.A.T.E zoos. They are cruel and give people a totally warped idea of the wild animals reality. Being South African and living (years ago) in a Game Reserve I have really experienced wild life. My (first and late) husband was a passionate advocate of wild life. He got himself in hot water a number of times over "canned" animals. What people don't know is that usually baby animals are stolen from their parents and raised in appalling conditions (dozens of crocodile in a bath tub for example). They are later sold at a high price. And let's not discuss the illegal aspect. Or the terrible hunters shooting these confused and tame creatures. Cruel. Cruel. Cruel. Thank you for bringing this to people's attention.
Yes, there are so many bad practices going on around the world that we don't know about. South Africa must have a lot of issues being so abundant with wild animals! Here in the UK we are oblivious to the things that happen around the world as we don't have that many wild mammals, and we shouldn't be. Just because it isn't happening where we live, does not mean we can ignore it! Thank you for your comment <3
Yes it's really bad here. I think everyone knows about the rhino and elephant poaching but don't look further. I wish there were more advocates against what goes on behind the scenes of a zoo
I realise it isn't uncommon everywhere in the world. Sad that zoos are not well kept and animals that are supposed to be protected area dying and mistreated. Many are malnourished and left to die.
yes, it is very sad and unfair :(
I've been to a mix of zoos. Definitely there are some that are much better done than others, I think those are still valuable in a larger city where it can be difficult to get to a natural sanctuary more than once in a blue moon, to give kids experience with animals in general. The small ones that don't have enough room should try to cater for animals that require less space...
Yes, the sanctuary definitely felt better for only housing smaller animals, but I think for me the main thing was the education it offered people and the fact that they were rescuing animals that were otherwise suffering. There were sessions on different animals every hour so there was so much to learn! The comfort of the animals was definitely priority over the spectators which was great to see