I've been lucky enough to have some friends fly out to Nebraska to visit me in the last few months, as Omaha isn't really the first place that springs to mind when planning a trip to the United States, they've all sifted through various travel web-sites looking for things to do once here.
One of the top rated things to do is to visit the Henry Doorly Zoo, which happens to be well recognised as one of the best zoos in America. Looking at some of the photos my friends took it was obvious that this zoo would be well worth a visit.
Now it's been many years since I visited a zoo, it was very good, but one of the things one of my friends said to me really stuck in my mind. He said, "the zoo is awesome but it's still sad to see these magnificent animals behind bars".
And he was right.
Seeing beautifully elegant big cats pacing around their enclosures and curious monkeys looking bored with their very familiar surroundings really does strike a chord with your conscience.
The gorillas with all their giant crushing power are still unable to break their boundaries, and the tigers with all their majesty must still obey their human captors. You can't help but pity these animals, and also feel that their true potential will never be realised in this place.
But yet it's not all in vain.
Looking round at all the children visiting the zoo and seeing the amazement, wonder and intrigue on their faces gives call for hope. It's this generation that must be educated to respect the natural world and all the plant and animal life it contains.
The zoo isn't just about looking at the various animals, it also provides information on their struggle for survival in a world where man is destroying their natural habitat at an alarming rate.
The statistics make for stark reading.
In 1998 there were 1102 endangered species, over a decade later that number has jumped to 3079, so unfortunately the situation is getting worse. In 2006 784 species had become extinct, today the number has jumped to 905.
Belize Zoo at night
Zoos can save endangered species from extinction by bringing them into a safe environment, where they are protected from poachers, habitat loss, and starvation. They also take part in captive breeding programmes, in the wild individuals might have trouble meeting and breeding, a bit like match.com for animals.
Zoos help rehabilitate and care for injured animals, they take in exotic pets that people don't want or can no longer take care of.
Some of the largest animal welfare charities rely on monies raised by zoo's to fund projects all around the world. Sanctuaries and park boundaries are sometimes subsidised by charitable donations provided by zoos.
Community Baboon Sanctuary Belize
In the book of Genesis God gives Noah detailed instructions for building the ark: it is to be made of gopher wood, smeared inside and out with pitch, with three decks and internal compartments. Noah saves himself, his family and a remnant of all the worlds animals when God decides to destroy the world because of man kinds evil deeds.
Zoo's are just like modern day ark's, saving the animals from all of man's poaching, deforestation and excessive hunting. I've never been a religious man but these stories no matter how old can still have relevance today, and for me the analogy works to make sense of keeping some animals in captivity.
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