About zoo

Do you like going to the zoo? I bet you guys already have been to the zoo, especially when we were kid. I've been to there several times when I was a little child. Whenever I went to the zoo, I was excited how many animals I could see. I can see from a little bunny to a giant elephant. Of course I don't normally go to the zoo these days.

Sometimes I think about the zoo. Unlike my childhood, it's not that entertaining going to the zoo. Maybe while I'm growing up, I get to think about some downsides on zoo. Is it okay to keep animals in cages and quite smaller places than their real home? I mean I thought the small place is only for human. We can enjoy seeing or touching them first hand even if the imprisoned animals don't want to be there. Some people say zoo is educational for kid. That's right. Then, what about wildlife? They don't look happy.

But two years ago it turned out I had some misunderstandings on it. I turned on the TV and a documentary program was on the air in that morning. It was about nature things and obviously caught my eyes. And it made me change my perception on zoo. The program showed a zoo in Spain. It's Bioparc located in Valencia. It's quite different from traditional ones I've seen.

It has a huge space. It's like I'm in jungle or savanna in Africa. It was designed for animal, not for us. The founder wanted to make the zoo that is similar to a real habitat. He made the place for animals to roam and play. He wanted them to feel free even though they're inside the zoo. So there is no cage. There is no boundary in it. The founder said the first goal of the zoo is education. He explained we have to know they don't deserve to be kept in the small cage. And we're hurting them in every way. The second goal is preservation. We have to do our best to preserve them. He puts stress on the awareness of protecting environment. He's also trying to protect the animals in danger of extinction. I wonder if the park is still keeping their principle.

Of course there's still a lot of bad zoos in the world. At the same time, there're also many efforts and changes for animals.