Zoos
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A zoo can be an awesome place to see animals first hand and learn about what they eat,
their habits, environment, and all sorts of other interesting facts about
animals. Another name for a zoo is zoological garden.
Today zoos are becoming better and better places for animals. In the past
some zoos were somewhat cruel to animals. Placing animals in environments
they were not suited for and often not keeping the animal's best interest in mind. However, today many zoos do wonderful work in animal research and take great care of their animals.
Photo by Ducksters
Some good things that many Zoos do today include:
- Acting as sanctuaries for endangered animals. They provide a safe environment for animals that are being threatened by changes in the environment. Often zoos will work to breed and maintain endangered animal populations. Sometime animals are nearly extinct in the wild and the only place they survive is in zoos.
- Education on wildlife. Zoos provide a great opportunity for us to learn more about creatures from distant lands.
- Research on wildlife and how we can help animals survive radical changes. Zoos do veterinary medicine research as well.
Today's modern zoos house animals in enclosures that are similar to the animal's natural habitat. This can include buildings made for nocturnal animals where they are bright at night, so the animals can sleep, and dark during the day, so zoo visitors can see the animals moving about. Also, climates are controlled in some zoo enclosures for animals like penguins and polar bears. Many zoos have great open spaces as well where animals may graze together. Some zoos have an area where you can take a mini-safari or ride around in a truck or bus to hopefully see the animals up close.
Perhaps the most famous zoo is the San Diego Zoo in Southern California. Many
modern zoo practices were pioneered at the San Diego Zoo. The largest zoo
in number of animals is the Bronx Zoo with over 6000 animals. The largest
zoo in land size is the North Carolina Zoo with 535 acres.
Photo by Ducksters
Another great place to see animals, similar to a zoo, is at an aquarium. Most
states have an aquarium where they display all sorts of fish and some sea mammals.
More on endangered species:
Amphibians in Danger
Endangered Animals
How Animals Become Extinct
Wildlife Conservation
Zoos
Back to Animals
