Fauna

I have a love/hate relationship with zoos, wildlife parks, aquariums and the like.

There’s no doubt that breeding programs have the potential to help protect endangered species from extinction. Or that these institutions can educate those of us who might not otherwise be able to witness a bear, wolf, shark or whatever in the wild, which can inspire us to think more about our impact on the planet and its non-human inhabitants.

Yet no matter how progressive, well-funded and well-intentioned these establishments are, for me there’s a definite sadness to animals in captivity, be it the immediate sense of their ‘imprisonment’ or the fact that it has — in some cases — become necessary to aid their long-term survival.

Free and endangered, or captive and protected? Neither is ideal.

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