Zoos exist for educational purpose or merely as symbols.

Zoos exist for educational purpose or merely as symbols.

What do you think?

Introduction

The traditional idea of a zoo being harmful for animals is slowly changing. With greater spaces for enclosures, the concept of a zoo being a glorified jail is slowly losing its credence. Zoos serve an important educational purpose for both young children and adults alike. It exposes them to the fauna from different parts of the world.

Purpose of maintaining zoos

Apart from the educational role, zoos also have a role in conservation and entertainment. Let us look at these three separately.

Education

• For the people who live in concrete jungles that are cities, zoos are their only access to learn about species that inhabit the earth.

• Several schools take their students to zoos as a field trip. This is to ensure that they are made aware of the different types of birds and animals. It also gives children a chance to see in person the animals they learn about in their school books.

• It helps people to watch and learn the behavioral patterns of animals. Observing these animals in their natural habitat might not be possible, so this is the best way to learn about them. Talking to the zoo keepers and handlers also helps in understanding more about the animals.

Conservation
• Many zoos have breeding programs, which ensure the protection and continuation of endangered species.

• By keeping the animals in a protected environment, zoos are saving the animals from poachers and hunters.

• Zoos also facilitate research and study of animals, particularly endangered species. This indirectly contributes to conservation methods. Studies show that rigorous efforts in breeding programs and research have helped some species recover from sure extinction.

Entertainment

The traditional role of zoos is to be a source of entertainment. Zoos were started as menageries as a means of relaxation and entertainment. However, this remains a tertiary purpose, lest we lose sight of the more important roles of zoos.

• The fact is that zoos are maintained primarily with the revenue generated from visitor passes. This makes it an important source of entertainment.

• The jungle ambience, and cool climate due to the presence of several trees a zoo provides makes it a favored leisure activity for many people.

Conclusion

To conclude, while zoos play an important role in education, they also serve many other purposes. They cannot be merely referred to as symbols. Zoos have a significant part to play in modern day life of both children and adults.