From the archive
In Defense of Zoos
Erich J. Prince argues that critics of zoos too often mistake today’s conservation-minded institutions for the barren cages of the past, overlooking the species modern zoos and aquariums have helped save from extinction and their role in fostering a love of animals.
Perhaps in acknowledgment of how frustratingly all-consuming politics has become in the United States, despite my serving as the editor-in-chief of a magazine dealing in current events and still writing about political issues from time to time, I rarely discuss politics at the proverbial dinner table or at social events. I have found that seldom are minds changed, and far too many otherwise pleasant evenings have been ruined by the highlighting of intractable political differences. So I often find myself talking about other things, whether that be music, the outdoors, or things to do in a particular city or travel destination. But, on the latter point, I have found—on at least three occasions—that should I mention that I happened to visit a zoo on a given trip, the negative reaction has been perhaps even greater than if I noted I had just made the maximum allowable campaign contribution to my friend or acquaintance's most reviled politician.
The argument presented to me, usually with a healthy dose of vitriol for my having taken part in such perceived barbarity, goes something like this: Wild animals are just that (i.e., wild animals) and to restrict their freedom of movement is to take away the essence of their existence, and, furthermore, the enclosures on offer at zoos tend to be cruel. In most cases, the zoo-haters and I share an underlying commitment: We both love animals and want what is best for them. I believe their concern tends to be genuine and coming from a good place. However, I do see the issue quite differently.
I will confess that I have perhaps been inculcated from an early age to have an affection for zoos, having been brought to the Philadelphia Zoo frequently as a child. (The Philadelphia Zoo was even the site of my parents’ very first date.) And on family trips, zoos and aquariums were frequent destinations: St. Thomas’s Coral World and Artis in Amsterdam stand out particularly in my memory. Frequently when traveling outside of the United States, we would stop in to see how the foreign zoos compared to the ones at home.1 But I think my parents’ motivation lay in their deep appreciation for animals and, if you asked them today, a belief that zoos are the most effective way to introduce people, children in particular, to animals they otherwise would have to travel thousands of miles to see.2
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