UO?

cagoldi

Anybody?

I actually have one today, and I know it won't be popular. I'm kind of surprised at how many people have taken their kids to zoos, aquariums, petting zoos, and Sea World. Obviously I know these are appealing to the babies, but I figure most adults know about the problems with these types of facilities and exhibits but still take the kids. I don't get it.

[Deleted User]

I love Taylor Swift.

[Deleted User]

Also @cagoldi we try not to go to those things if we can help it. There was a petting zoo at the pumpkin patch though so I did let the kids see the animals.

cagoldi

Mommyxtwo1113 said:

I love Taylor Swift.

Oh man. I thought we were friends.

fitmama418

cagoldi said:

Anybody? I actually have one today, and I know it won't be popular. I'm kind of surprised at how many people have taken their kids to zoos, aquariums, petting zoos, and Sea World. Obviously I know these are appealing to the babies, but I figure most adults know about the problems with these types of facilities and exhibits but still take the kids. I don't get it.

We are members of the Philadelphia Zoo. I don't really see zoos and the aquarium being on the same level as Sea World. Don't zoos/aquariums often contribute thousands (if not millions) of dollars to animal conservation efforts? Maybe I'm being naive but...

Sea World I can see people having beef with as animals shouldn't be made to perform for humans (though, I've admittedly gone to Sea World in the last 10 years).

fitmama418

Mommyxtwo1113 said:

I love Taylor Swift.

Nope.

htk1113

Mommyxtwo1113 said:

I love Taylor Swift.

Her newest one is pretty damn catchy. 

[Deleted User]

@cagoldi I am dropping little tidbits here and there showing my true colors so that @Sing2phins‌ and @kellykinns know what they are getting themselves into

Also I have a decal family on my minivan and 6 cats on our civic.....

htk1113

Candy coated popcorn.  It just tastes bad.  

cagoldi

@fitmama11‌ Yes, but they also sell old animals to some questionable entities and people. They can end up in the circus or with private owners that don't care for them properly. Sometimes they're even sold at livestock auctions. You can't always assume you know how the animals were acquired. The San Diego zoo purchased elephants that were captured in Swaziland. Monkeys are sometimes bought after being illegally trafficked.

[Deleted User]

klongoria11 said:

@Mommyxtwo1113 these may be encroaching on FFFCs

Oops. I will save them for tomorrow

htk1113

fitmama418 said:

cagoldi said:

Anybody? I actually have one today, and I know it won't be popular. I'm kind of surprised at how many people have taken their kids to zoos, aquariums, petting zoos, and Sea World. Obviously I know these are appealing to the babies, but I figure most adults know about the problems with these types of facilities and exhibits but still take the kids. I don't get it.

We are members of the Philadelphia Zoo. I don't really see zoos and the aquarium being on the same level as Sea World. Don't zoos/aquariums often contribute thousands (if not millions) of dollars to animal conservation efforts? Maybe I'm being naive but...

Sea World I can see people having beef with as animals shouldn't be made to perform for humans (though, I've admittedly gone to Sea World in the last 10 years).

I thought zoo's have a policy about how they acquire animals (like no black market sales...). My local children's zoo has two Bald Eagles because they both have injuries that prevent them from flying.  Not to mention the breeding programs some zoos are a part of in order to keep the population of certain animals thriving.

I see your point about Sea World making animals perform.  However, may I counter, that the performances and training are a type of enrichment program for the animal that helps keep them mentally and physically engaged and stimulated.  Not enough enrichment is one reason you'll see some animals pacing severely at zoos and other animal parks.  

I like the education programs at zoos and the interaction of the public with the animals (not physically but being seen) provides a face and makes a stronger impact so maybe people will support habitat protection groups and other foundations.  

cagoldi

Breeding programs, yeah, sucks to be male offspring of such a program because they're difficult to place.

What about the surplus animals that are sold at auction? They can go to a slaughterhouse or be made subjects of experimentation. Doesn't work out so well for them, huh?

And I'm sure all zoos have a policy on the books about not buying animals that were trafficked, but that doesn't always stop them.

Enrichment, well, that's better than nothing I suppose. It's like yard time at a prison? It doesn't mirror what they would have if they were in the wild, obviously. So to say they are pacing or exhibiting stereotypies because they aren't being trained is ridiculous. If they weren't locked up they wouldn't need the enrichment to modify the behavior.

cagoldi

tgrimes1980 said:

I didn't think Mean Girls was very funny. Maybe I was too old when it came out to love it.

Clueless was a million times better.

cagoldi

@htk1113‌ Wildlife sanctuaries would be a better choice for education about the animals.

cagoldi

Weasleymom said:

I have another one.

Spending that much money on an anywhere chair is freaking crazy. They're cute, but not THAT cute.

I don't know. $100 isn't bad if they will have it for several years. But maybe I'm naive about how much destruction it can withstand from my little wild child and he'll destroy it in no time flat.

PeachsMama

Weasleymom said:

I have another one.

Spending that much money on an anywhere chair is freaking crazy. They're cute, but not THAT cute.

That's why nana and papaw bought it. ( : lol. Obviously if my parents were struggling they would have said no. But I know my mom is going to spend a fortune on his birthday and Christmas and she knows I'm very particular about what toys and things I want him to have. so tells me to give her a list and she picks what she wants based on her budget.

cagoldi

Mommyxtwo1113 said:

I love Taylor Swift.

Love her personality, her music, or both? I don't think there's a right answer because she's terrible, but I find myself wondering.

[Deleted User]

cagoldi said:

Mommyxtwo1113 said:

I love Taylor Swift.

Love her personality, her music, or both? I don't think there's a right answer because she's terrible, but I find myself wondering.

Oh, just her music. I know nothing about her personality.

cagoldi

@trtlcrzy I don't think zookeepers are in a habit of hurting animals in their care. I'm sure they generally treat them well, I'm just not sure they can thrive in that environment and what do they do when the animals are old but not so sick they need to euthanized? They aren't required to continue to care for the animals at that point, and many choose not to.

SV917

I'm just here to love tit everything @cagoldi‌ says.

cagoldi

@Yez9 I don't know about most peoples thoughts, but my thoughts are it's fine to keep a cat or a dog in a home with people since they've been domesticated and selectively bred over millennia to make them suitable for such an arrangement. Clearly that would not be true of elephants, hippopotamus, or giraffes. Animals that are not generally kept as house pets probably should remain wild.

Sea life? I'm going to take this mean not all aquatic life, like we aren't talking about a common goldfish. Even then, I doubt most people know how to properly set up a tank to provide the right environment for them. But if we're talking about sea mammals, isn't it common knowledge how they suffer in confinement? They're taken from their pod and thrown into the human equivalent of a bathtub and made to perform. They don't live nearly as long in captivity as they would in the wild. They get skin ulcers from the chlorinated water. They can't use sonar and echolocation.

@LizB8943 I believe people want to think zoos are helping the species they are warehousing, but these animals experience a lot of stress. Nocturnal animals don't fare well when they have to be made available for viewing during the day. Birds are confined in spaces that don't allow them to fly. Biodiversity has declined and continues to decline but that's because of human activities. I hardly think taking animals out of their natural habitat that we exploited for medicine, furniture, clothing, and food and lock them up then tout selective breeding programs is noble. Really, that's kind of like my neighbor burning down my house then telling me, hey, it's cool, let me drag you away in chains and let you live in my basement. Captive breeding programs will not do anything to address the destruction of their habitat. Zoos are not going to be the salvation of the animal kingdom. What good is it if a few survive but they can never be returned to the wild?

I'm not being snarky but I honestly don't understand what education anyone thinks they're getting at a zoo? What are you learning by seeing an animal in an unnatural environment? That it's okay to capture and confine animals just because we can? Why would this seem like a better alternative than a sanctuary?

cagoldi

@trtlcrzy Nope. No need to get up close and personal with a cheetah. Seriously, I get it. I would love to see A pet a baby goat or go crazy for the meerkats or whatever, but it's not right. As cute as that would be I can't do it. Those animals are in less than ideal circumstances because they're used as entertainment and we can't be part of that.