Modern zoos serve an important roll in society.
As society is more urbanized it is essential that children be brought up with a broad sense of the worlds diversity. Modern zoos with large open air animal enclosures offer people a vanishing glimpse of the real world.
Crowded, cramped and inhumane zoos need to be upgraded and or replaced with displays that give people a better sense of nature. It is all part of preserving and sharing the worlds beauty. Properly operated zoos have helped bring some species back from the brink of extinction.
Someone with more time on their hands or a deeper informed knowledge can fill in the details, but I know there are some African species that have more animals living on US game preserves and zoos than exist in the wild. While sad that forces destroy these animals in the wild, it is a reality that zoos can be our arks to save animals from oblivion.
It all comes down to how well the animals are treated. As designed and opened this Victorian style zoo was state of the art. Today it needs a lot of work or replacement to be a proper zoo.
