(I have so many different version of that drawing lmao)

Zoos don’t look like this anymore.

They look like this:

Good zoos do not keep their animals in “tiny spaces” with no enrichment.  I’m not pro-roadside zoo.  I’m pro-accredited zoo.  Zoos are incredibly important for conservation and education.

Are Zoos Necessary?

The Importance of Zoos: Resource Post

Why Zoos and Aquariums Matter: Assessing the Impact of a Visit to a Zoo or Aquarium

Why I Want to be a Keeper

Except the sea lions are blind. One was found as an adult after suffering a gun shot wound to the face that destroyed his eyes. The other was found as an adolescent, weak and starving because it had been blinded and unable to hunt. So they were rescued and introduced and the zoo built them a nice pool where they can swim and sunbathe and people toss them fish. It’s not the biggest exhibit, or the fanciest. But it’s a home for them, where they’re safe and well fed. Sea lions aren’t the most romantic of animals, but they’re a part of SF culture and a lot of us have a soft spot for the loud, bulbous things. And because of zoos, these two get to live long, happy lives.

They also do work with camel populations because the local human population use the camels for food sources the zoos help monitor the camels health.

Another zoo, I want to say it’s the Oregon zoo but don’t quote me on that, is helping female inmates. The zoo works with the female prisons by encouraging the inmates to assist in the breeding and raising of endangered species of butterflies. They plant the specific plants that the butterflies and catapillars need, raise them, and release them. These inmates get noted in any scientific journals that get published. They are giving these inmates a sense of accomplishment and validation.

Zoos not only save species but bring together and assist communities in an effort to save the environment. Zoos, good zoos, are essential to the future and I will fight anyone who tries to say otherwise.

Fully accredited zoos are a major source of conservation funding worldwide. They take in and provide safety for injured animals. Other animals are removed from roadside zoos or even where they were kept as pets and therefore are far too people-oriented for any other life.

Fully accredited zoos are absolutely essential in breeding and husbandry of endangered species. They sometimes provide individuals of varied genetics either for release into the wild or to breed to release their offspring into the wild. They keep METICULOUS records which are incredibly important in tracking genetic diversity of small populations, which are particularly prone to inbreeding depression and other negative consequences of genetic drift.

Fully accredited zoos care about the health of the whole animal and will bend over backwards to provide the best enrichment they can with their resources. Great example: Philadelphia Zoo is city-locked and cannot expand its footprint. So they have made what are essentially giant hamster tunnels that go over the visitor footpaths. They will put novel scents or toys in there and (please someone correct me on this if I am wrong) rotate which group of big cats has access to it at any time so that when one group gets access it smells like other cats and that provides new things to explore and interact with. They have also done these tunnels for small primates.

If you want a great look at the power of zoos and what it is really like behind the scenes, all the ups and downs, check out “The Zoo” which is a reality TV show about the Bronx Zoo in NYC (similar land issues as Philly Zoo) or “Secrets of the Zoo” which is a similar show filmed at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium and their wild animal park The Wilds. I know people who work at these zoos and who are on these shows and they aren’t making up how much care and dedication they put into their work.

“Bringing butterfly conservation work into a medium-security housing unit continues to be a rewarding process,” Oregon Zoo butterfly conservationist Ronda Naseth, who advises the program at Coffee Creek, says in a statement. “The butterfly team is thrilled to have partners who are working so diligently at providing the lab with beautiful harvests, and we are exceptionally proud of the quality of larvae being released this year.”

I finally got clearance to show my rough animation from Castlevania! I did a lot of animation for this show so I’m going to release these through several posts each week, starting with this one.