On Friday we took our first family trip to the zoo. Max was GLUED to the monkeys. He sat there staring and pointing for about 20 minutes.
Such beautiful animals. A part of me started to feel sad for them. Sad because wild animals really should be able to live in their natural habitat with room to roam and be wild. I wanted to free them and let them run back to Africa.
All zoo'ed out!After leaving the zoo I am not 100% sure how I feel about keeping wild animals in captivity. What do you guys think? Do you think the zoo's main interest is conservation and protecting endangered animals or are they more interested in commercialization? I would love to hear your thoughts.
HAPPY 4TH of JULY!
42 comments:
Oh, your babe is so cute!
I know what you mean about the zoo - I have mixed feelings about them too...
Jo-Anna
Look at that sleeping face! I'm not sure really.. I mean, I know that those animals in particular would die immediately in the wild because they are so used to being kept animals..
I guess we can say the same thing about cats and dogs and other family pets too, right?
Oh my goodness look at that monkey...I don't know why but they make me smile everytime! Gorgeous little one you have there! Happy 4th....hope you have a good one!
Daisy~
Hi, thanks for comment on my blog, and shoes are from stradivaruis, maybe you know the store.
I think that keep wild animals is really bad, but it helps to protect the species from poachers and so avoid extinction, but really everything has a commercial purpose. The photos are beautiful.
Your son is too cute!
What a fun family outing! Your little guy is adorable!
As fir the zoo, I've actually had the same conversation with my husband the last time we went. Mixed feelings here as well.
That picture of Max and your husband is precious!!! Cutest thing ever. Sounds like a fun trip and you got some great pictures too! I am with you about keeping animals caged up...I finally stopped going to the zoo because it made me too sad! haha
Oh that top pic is wonderful! You have a lovely family.
I have a bid issue with zoos. I think only animals that have no way of making it in the wild should (or are currently being rehabbed to re-enter the wild) be housed in them and they should be in the best environment possible with limited views from the public. That may mean people won't always get to see them, but they're a money making operation so yeah.
Sea World and the like infuriate me.
Circuses are the worst. Exploiting these animals for our own entertainment is wrong on so many levels.
This is a hard subject because you want your child to have a magical time. I do think this is the kind of convo we need to be having though. :)
Hi Lindsay. Awwwwww, how cute! Little Max is adorable and getting so big! Your photos are gorgeous.
You know, we're pretty spoilt where we are. We are pretty close to Steve Irwin's (the "Crocodile Hunter" who was an animal activist) "Australia Zoo". We've been there about 3 times now since we've had the kids and the animals (including all those crocodiles) are really well looked after and in as natural habit as they can get. They are currently in the process of setting up a "Safari Park" and we can't wait to go.
There is a zoo in Sydney and Melbourne, which I've been to, once each and sometimes I think they might be better off in the wild but then those species that are threatening to be endangered, might be better where they are. I think the people who look after the animals really do love their jobs and love the animals. That's what I'm hoping.
Anne xx
Hello and thanks for stopping by! Your little guy Max is super cute! Looks like the whole family had a great day. Yes and no on zoo animals, maybe they would already have died for lack of food or space to roam, we humans are a selfish bunch and tend to take what we want.......
Baby Max is totally cute! I think I have mixed feelings about the zoo. On one hand I do agree with you that animals are not meant to be in captivity. On the other hand, endangered animals in the zoo have a safe environment. Looking at these animals make us appreciate them more and they help to raise awareness. However I have heard of zoos that do not treat animals humanely, they starved the animals in order to make them perform in shows.
love~mongs
mythriftycloset.blogspot.com
that last picture is SO precious, definitely something to forever cherish!
<3 steffy
Steffys Pros and Cons
He is sooooo adorable!!!!!! Looks like a blast, and what great pics...I love the zoo :) XO.
swirlsofhappy.blogspot.com
Love my Godson! kiss kiss!
Have you ever seen the movie Madagascar : Escape 2 Africa? It is adorable from the animals perspective on this topic. So funny. My kids love the Madagascar movies.
Answer to your debate, I think they all should go back to being free to roam Africa, it is sad seeing them all "caged" for amusement, Especially the Elephant who just go rouge with time in captivity. The movie Escape 2 Africa exemplifies the comedy of this sad "Zoo" debate. You should watch it!
So cute! I adore these pics!
Your blog is so cute! Look how cute your family is. I love it. So glad I found it!
Ask the Duplex
what a sweetie.
i'm always torn about zoos. i dislike them in general, but i have to admit there are many that do wonderful work with animals. so depends on the zoo. there's nothing worse than visiting one where animals have minimal room, makes my heart ache.
nice. i just went to the zoo this weekend as well.
i understand what you mean about the zoo. I'm currently at the point where I'm okay with them as long as the animals are kept in good conditions with plenty of enrichment.
Im obsessed with Africa and the gorgeous animals in the Safari...so I'm kind of biased but I am very pro zoo.
Loving the first pic! SO cute!
I love the zonked out one :) Happy 4th friend!
I get so stinkin' depressed at the zoo! The seals do the same flip in the same spot over and over and over. The polar bears do a weird pacing thing, again, over and over and over. I feel so bad for all of them. They don't understand why they're in a cage. Even if, a lot of times, it's better than the alternative. Ugh. Your pictures are cute though. :o)
Awe what a good trip! :)
And I have mixed feelings but I'm more apt to having a zoo that treats animals properly than no zoo at all. Lots of people will never see these animals in real-life and zoos try to be educational about getting across certain messages like their endangerment.
For the elephants, I feel they're intelligent creatures that aren't necessarily going to be damaged by being in captivity. Maybe that makes it worse, but I'd rather them be in the zoo than being on the savanna and being hunted by poachers. Wild life reserves in African countries try to do a good job on protecting their animals, but it's hard to keep everything out.
It matters on perspective and species of animal and a whole lot of things. I think at sometime they should be released into the wild if possible and conditions are right. For large mammals it's just difficult because their worst enemy is us. You have to stop illegal game activity before you let a species go back into the wild just like that.
your photos are gorgeous!
I feel the same way, it was so sad to see such magnificent animals caged up in such tight quarters :(
so SO beautiful!! happy 4th to y'all! xxx
http://www.iletaitunefois.com.au/
Happy 4th! I hope you had a great day, your zoo photos are great :D
http://www.hiphopsideproject.com/
Funny--I just took a trip to an amazing zoo yesterday for the 4th. I'll be posting about it at the end of the week.
I think that it's difficult to make an impact on anything--including conservation--without funding. And a well-kept zoo that adheres to best-practice standards can be a really cool place for learning and fun to happen.
These are such beautiful pictures!!
What precious pictures!! :) Your son is adorable!!
Such amazing photos! It looks like you and your family had a great day at the zoo!
Kristen
Turning a House into a Home
soo..i am lovin these picts--and your lil mister is adorable!
Hope your little man had a good time!
Look at zoo's as more of an educational opportunity. Of course there is some commercialization involved with them, there always will be. But, the animals are generally very well cared for and the public really can learn a lot from visiting the zoo. The doctors and zoologists that care for the animals also learn so much about them. Maybe that will ease your heart a little :)
Hope you had a great 4th!
Haute To Sew
Aww, so sweet! There is nothing like the zoo to wipe little ones out, love it :) I feel the same way about the animals; I always leave feeling a little bit sad.
Ahh! Max is so cute! My daughter is obsessed with monkeys too. She got to pet one the other day at the furniture store (weird I know but it's one of those huge stores that has everything) and she was so excited.
And thanks so much for leaving such a nice comment on my blog! The best part of having a blog, is the support you get from all of the other great bloggers like you :).
Emily
It looks like you had so much fun! I always have mixed feelings about the zoo too! My kids LOVE going their though...even as they have gotten older. When my son was younger he only like non fiction books and animal books in particular! So, he knew all about Komodo Dragons and Poison Dart Frogs, etc. I brought him to the zoo and he was able to actually able to see these animals! He was so excited and kept thanking me for bringing him there (even though he was only 5)!!
Aw, what lovely photos. Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July!
Very cute photos!
Zoos have me conflicted. If the animal was in danger of not making it in the wild, I say it's fine. But it's so sad to have an animal born and raised and dying in captivity.
oh my gosh! Max is so cute! And I love the name- it was on our list of boys names :). I do hate the idea of animals in captivity, but I know a lot of the time they're nursing them back to health after they had an accident in the wild. Hope you have a good one :)
Those pictures are gorgeous!
We LOVE the zoo! And that sleepy Max... what an angel! Love ya Linds!!
fabulous shots - just out of curiosity what camera and lens did you use? also did you do any post work on them? love this post
http://blogoftheprettythings.blogspot.com/
xxx
wowzers, I have the same camera i thing (450d) and can't get anywhere near as vibrants shots without editing!!! what lens are you using? you should defo do a photography tips post, even if it is for my own selfish reasons :P
http://blogoftheprettythings.blogspot.com/
xxx
In response to your question, I think that zoo's are microcosm of our humanity. We appear to be in a constant battle regarding good/evil: selflessness/self-serving; truth/lies seem all underscored by honorable and/or dishonorable intent. With that I conclude that both conservation and commercialization go on at the zoo, and the propensity of the focus lies in our hands.
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