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Writer's Block: Into the wild
Aug. 9th, 2011 07:24 am[Error: unknown template qotd]
Wow, this question needs so much more context.
My immediate answer is 'fuck no!'. Generally, zoo animals are born and raised in captivity. And while a large number of Western zoos try to mimic natural life for their wards as best as they can, few actually achieve it. These animals don't hunt live meat, have never seen a natural predator, and have learned survival and social skills for a zoo environment, not a natural environment. They're used to regular veterinary care, and haven't built up the resistance needed to live in the wild. They have been exposed to entirely different bacteria, are used to humans and the trappings of civilization, and to just release a zoo animal into the wild is a disaster waiting to happen.
There's a reason that when animals escape from the zoo, they end up wandering around residential neighborhoods and not the woods.
Obviously, there are Bad Zoos. There are some Very Bad Zoos. But I would more likely bust an animal out of a bad zoo and rehome it with a wildlife park, refuge, or rescue zoo.
Now, there are some cases where a zoo animal could be released, but it's rare. (And I mean specifically zoo animals.)
Wow, this question needs so much more context.
My immediate answer is 'fuck no!'. Generally, zoo animals are born and raised in captivity. And while a large number of Western zoos try to mimic natural life for their wards as best as they can, few actually achieve it. These animals don't hunt live meat, have never seen a natural predator, and have learned survival and social skills for a zoo environment, not a natural environment. They're used to regular veterinary care, and haven't built up the resistance needed to live in the wild. They have been exposed to entirely different bacteria, are used to humans and the trappings of civilization, and to just release a zoo animal into the wild is a disaster waiting to happen.
There's a reason that when animals escape from the zoo, they end up wandering around residential neighborhoods and not the woods.
Obviously, there are Bad Zoos. There are some Very Bad Zoos. But I would more likely bust an animal out of a bad zoo and rehome it with a wildlife park, refuge, or rescue zoo.
Now, there are some cases where a zoo animal could be released, but it's rare. (And I mean specifically zoo animals.)
