Going to the zoo is a thing we don’t think about like we used to.
Back in the day, there was nothing more exciting to go and see exotic animals and learn about them and have fun at the playgrounds and either eat overpriced snacks or set the most extravagant picnic tables people have ever seen.
But now, the question about the animals will and well-being and ethical details take our hand while we wander the paths between wire and glass and walls.
Zoos are heritage from the times where travel and internet were either a matter of privilege or yet unthinkable. But nowadays, we could go and see and learn about animals in other ways than at the zoo.
But I am glad that seeing with your own eyes is still irreplaceable. Also, I haven’t seen a zoo that doesn’t actively support wildlife preservation. And nonetheless, some species were only saved because of breeding programs in a sheltered environment.
Be zoos good or bad, that’s for everyone to decide personally. But it did feel like cheating, when I recently visited one and tried out some of the longer-reaching zoom lenses. Out in the wild you would have to spend days for some shots…
I had to think about one of my first picture posts on my blog. How far we’ve come!
