Of Circus Wagons and Imagined Nature: A Review of American Zoo Exhibits, Part II

While animal welfare is an important issue, in actuality zoos’ resources are allocated for the public viewing while animals (in this case, mostly mammals popular to the public) are confined in small cages more than half of their time, away from the public's eye. The “naturalistic” exhibits have little resemblance to the animals’ in situ habitats. For great apes, there exists confusion as to how to accommodate animals; some subscribe to the needs of animals while others prefer imagined “natural” furnishing. Elaborate large exhibits often send misleading messages to the public regarding endangered species and zoo-based Conservation. The currently popular theme park approach hardly meets the goal of raising the public's environmental awareness. Although education is expected to be zoos’ mission, in reality it represents a formidable task. What is needed is independent and critical thinking for creative ideas, beyond the realm of accepted practices in zoos.