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Zoos


vegan_rossco
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What's your opinion on them? Specifically british zoos, I've never had an issue with British zoos, (with a few exceptions) as there's a real ethical, educational and conservational agenda.

 

The reason I ask... Is that I have potentially been offered a job at the Isle of Wight zoo in sandown and I really want to take it..

It would mean a lot to me to hear what you guys think, thank you.

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alrite Ross, ive always had a problem with zoos, even before i was a vegan.......i think its horrible and a shame to bring animals in from the wild into small enclosures just for the public to come and gawp at. I know some of the places they are kept are alot bigger than they used to be but they still arent wild, penguins brought from the arctic and put in a little pen in britain with a swimming tank etc.......its totally wrong. Some of the animals have huge territories and habitats which cannot be replicated no matter what in a zoo........it can be argued that we are keeping some of the endangered species safe by putting them in a zoo, but i dont really see that as fair either. Why should we condemn an animal to be locked up just because it is the last, im sure the creature wouldnt agree that its a good idea. People say, "yeh but youve got a dog and thats and animal being kept out of the natural world" but its different as i havent gone out into the wild to catch my dog just to keep it........its a difficult one, but thats just my opinion on the subject bro, i couldnt work in one, but we all have different thoughts on things and whos to say im right your wrong or vice versa........id be interested to hear others thoughts also

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Zoos = Cages

And I'm against cages.

 

Once I went to a presentation of a vegan photographer, a guy named Jon Amad.

He said that he went to every possible zoo in Europe to shoot pictures. According to him, each and every zoo was cruel to the animals.

He showed this picture: JALX12X02-5962

and said that this little monkey tried for hours to break the glass with that little rock, but once he got tired all he could do was raise the rock and look to the people passing by, and seemed like he was asking for help with this gesture.

In my opinion there is nothing ethical about zoos, but I'm not saying that you shouldn't take the job. In that matter I really don't know what I would do.

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  • 3 weeks later...
What's your opinion on them? Specifically british zoos, I've never had an issue with British zoos, (with a few exceptions) as there's a real ethical, educational and conservational agenda.

 

The reason I ask... Is that I have potentially been offered a job at the Isle of Wight zoo in sandown and I really want to take it..

It would mean a lot to me to hear what you guys think, thank you.

 

 

So did you take the job?

 

 

IDK much about British zoos in particular. This is always a tough issue, because there is no clear cut answer. On the one hand zoos have do a lot of good. Some of the breeding programs have helped restore animal populations that were near extinction in some cases. They also educate and in some cases help support and protect wild animals. On the other side they also can't really replicate the wild some of the animals develop zoochosis. They become distressed, obsessive and depressed. There's good and bad in zoos. But I wouldn't not take the job because of the negatives. Being in the zoo and working there gives a chance to learn and make things more positive.

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I didn't take the job, I could almost justify working there given their amazing reputation and international conservation programmes that protect tigers in India and biodiversity in Madagascar but I had too mangy issues with it.. Not just the cage thing but the hours, pay and partly the role itself.. They're keeping me in mind for future jobs, I have the right qualifications and experience to be a keeper and higher positions such as their conservation projects so who knows.. For now I've gone back to the supermarket I worked at as a teenager.. Not ideal but the pays good, the hours are great and it'll get me through the year until something comes along!

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I detest zoos as well. However, I would have actually liked to see someone like you working there over others who don't care for the individual animals. You could have been a force from the inside to illicit change. Although, I think that would have made your job very difficult. Also, you would be a guard against brutality and abuse of the animals. If an animal is suffering, your voice might be the only thing that helps that animal.

 

If you do take a position there in the future, there will be some vegans who understand your motivations. Unfortunately, a lot won't.

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I detest zoos as well. However, I would have actually liked to see someone like you working there over others who don't care for the individual animals. You could have been a force from the inside to illicit change. Although, I think that would have made your job very difficult. Also, you would be a guard against brutality and abuse of the animals. If an animal is suffering, your voice might be the only thing that helps that animal.

 

If you do take a position there in the future, there will be some vegans who understand your motivations. Unfortunately, a lot won't.

 

Yeah I totally agree, and I know what you mean about the way certain vegans feel..

I almost don't consider myself a vegan though, because that implys that I follow a strict set of rules based on an absolute morality.. That's wrong to me, I do what I think is right and don't do what I believe to be wrong whilst using reason to justify my actions. I'm meat/dairy/egg/leather/fur free but some other things considered to be non vegan I don't necessarily boycott.

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my thought...while zoos are archaic hold overs before Discovery channel and the interweb (haha!) where people could go see exotic wild animals live aside from books, opportunity to engage with others (both other workers and the public) to educate them. Most who queue up for the zoo are mis/under-informed. Much like me when going years ago to places like Seaworld. Expectation is that zoos care about the animals, do their part for endangered species, etc....then get crap like that zoo that killed giraffe and fed it to the lions for bio-diversity. WTF?!?!?!

 

It can be one thing to demonstrate outside zoo with sign preaching why it's bad. Another to engage with those uninformed and show them the light.

 

Kinda like they did at Farm Sanctuary when I toured there in LA. Most in the group of visitors were NOT vegan nor aware how their food gets on their plate nor how crap their lives are in total.

 

Would bet that some of the other keepers also have closed minds, thinking or believing that they are doing 'good'....ignoring the rest....

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