I have to agree with you. The animal must have proper housing, care and be treated kindly but as you said some people could relate more to them or care more if that species survives or not if they can actually get close or have a personal experience with one as opposed to maybe just reading about it in the paper or maybe seeing a picture on the news.

Lisa

I generally don't have a problem with the animals that they show on talk shows and stuff. You're thinking of when Jack Hannah brings animals on the Tonight Show? A lot of those animals are ones that have been hurt, and often for whatever reason, can't be released back into the wild (i.e. they're still damaged in some way, or so used to humans that they can't acclimate to wild living). So I think using them as a way to educate people about their species is probably a good thing.

Other shows like The Crocodile Hunter, and the Jeff Corwin Experience...I'm not sure how I feel about those shows. Those seem more exploitative than say, the older nature shows that would just show the animals in their natural habitat.

Exploited on TV... well I never really though of it that way before. With the exception of meerkat manor, which I could swear is scripted and casted from hollywood rejects, I thought they just go set up cameras in the bush and film the lions and whatnot going about their day.

I have no problems with Jeff Corwin and especially Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. He lived for conservation. What you see on TV was just the tip of the iceberg and it got millions of people to care about crocodiles and snakes. He spent millions of dollars worldwide on conservation projects and scientific research. Plowed the money made by the TV shows into conservation and upgrading Australia Zoo also a state of the art vet hospital where they treat and release thousands of injured and sick wild animals.

The crocodiles captured were being saved or being used for research. Australia routinely shot them before Irwin and his father before him starting moving them or removing them to the zoo to save them.

Anyone ever watch Wild Kingdom? They jumped out of helicopters and off jeeps and horses on to the animals to catch them because it is safer than drugs. All those animals that were caught and radio collared, measured and blood tested add to the database of knowledge about the animals.
Many were also relocated because of human development.

The more scientists know about a species, the better armed they are to save it.

Zoos, animal parks, aquariums (that have safe, healthy habitats and healthy, happy animals) help the wild ones because they get people to care. I've never been to any such facility that didn't have education and conservation as their purpose. Zoo raised animals are being released into the wild, endangered species are being saved in zoos.

California Condors, Black Footed Ferrets, Arabian Oryxs (an antelope) Prezewalski's Horses, Pere David's Deer have all been saved by captive breeding and are now back in the wild. There are many more projects like these going on world wide. Accredited zoos keep studbooks and have Species Survival Plans and share knowledge and animals for breeding around the world to benefit the various endangered species.

It would be fabulous if all animals lived free and wild but it isn't an option with the billions and billions of people on this planet.

Millions of whom could not give a rip if all animals were gone, all forests cut down, all ground drilled etc. as long as it doesn't affect them, personally, right now.

I agree Buyorsell. Too bad there are animal rights activists out there that would like to see all those facilities shut done and no exploitation of wild animals on television. How else can people learn to even care about wildlife if they live in their cities and are never exposed to it?

I think Buyorsell said it great. I think a lot of Zoos are great, such as the San Diego Zoo. I also think that some Zoos have and keep animals that they do not have the ability to care for.

Obviously this post was a spin off my Ringling Bros. post, so I just have to say that I support conservatories, good zoos, and rehab org.'s for wild animals.

I do not support the circus. They offer no education and they are the ones who exploit their animals. Animals being brought on TV to educate people is a far car from elephants propped up on each others backs. That's not natural for them and only teaches how humans think that animals should do what we want and that they are their for us to control.

Also, above, buyorsell mentioned aquariams. These can be great places. Yet, marine parks are not non profit and force their animals to do stupid tricks! While they do try to educate, which is great, the Orka suffers greatly being kept in captivity and its life is drasticly shortened.

This is to the contrary of some animals, such as the javalina, which can expect to live 10 years longer in captivity. They are not endangered though, wish more of the endangered animals could expect longer life spans in captivity.

Speaking of the Black Footed Ferret, I agree with buyorsell that many zoos, etc. help to repopulate endangered species. A local attraction here, The Desert Museum, attracts people from around the world and was one of the helping hands in repopulating our native Black Footed Ferret!

I found the ringling bro thread interesting, but really didn't find anything to debate there. Can't think of too much to defend when it comes to a circus using wild animals. So yes, you are correct, I did spin off your thread. :-)

A good spin too, I must say!

The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum should be visited by everyone who travels to Arizona.

It is an an award winning zoo and botanical garden of native plants and animals of the desert Southwest which many people think is barren. It is surrounded by some of the most beautiful desert landscape in the country and very close to Saguaro National Park.

So many people go to Arizona and only see the desert from the car as a brown blur or they go to Yuma which doesn't have much to recommend it beyond all the other retirees hanging out. They are all missing out!

Here is a link that might be useful: Desert Museum

We went there lst year & the Saguaro NF both were nice. But I have to admit the highlight for me was Tombstone!! I have always been a fan of the gunslingers like the Earps, Doc holiday, et al. I will take out Pennsylvania mountains any day too! Arizona is nice for a vacation for sure.