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@Cchoi4: For me, it depends on the sort of zoo! We went to the LA Zoo recently, and it was a very depressing place just like you described.

But there are zoos that are doing amazing work in conservation, and where the animals have a lot more space to roam! I'm OK with those... although to be honest, I haven't done enough research to know for sure!

There are some aspects of zoos that I'm comfortable with and others that make me cringe.

When there's a great effort to provide a comfortable, natural space for the animal and it's large enough and made to resemble their natural habitat, I'm cool with it. Most of the zoo animals are rescued too aren't they??

I don't like the shows and demos though. For example, the Indianapolis Zoo has a dolphin show and I hate that those dolphins have to go through that.

@Cchoi4: My thinking changed a little after reading Life of Pi years ago, strangely enough. It's a fictional book of course, but the quote was, " Pi has heard many people say negative things about zoos—namely that they deprive noble, wild creatures of their freedom and trap them in boring, domesticated lives—but he disagrees. Wild animals in their natural habitat encounter fear, fighting, lack of food, and parasites on a regular basis. Given all these biological facts, animals in the wild are not free at all—rather, they are subject to a stringent set of social and natural laws that they must follow or die. Since animals are creatures of habit, zoo enclosures, with abundant food and water, clean cages, and a constant routine, are heaven for them. Given the chance, Pi says, most zoo animals do not ever try to escape, unless something in their cage frightens them."

Anyway, here's a real zoologist comparing life in the wild vs. life in a zoo and the relative merits of each.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Wild-Animals-705/animals-living-zoo-versus.htm

We're members of the Brookfield zoo in the Chicago suburbs and I think it's DS's happy place. He can't get enough. For that reason, I like them. However, that's not always been the case as I too found them sad and really smelly. The LP zoo, that I believe you're referring to is a bit sad and small. I never liked going there either. But at Brookfield, they talk a lot about conservation and helping get animals out of extinction. I agree that the pros outweigh the cons.

They totally make me sad. As a child I LOVED zoos. I love animals and wanted to be a zoologist when I was younger.

Now as a parent/adult it really makes me sad seeing them enclosed in a small pen. We went to the queens zoo in NYC and there is a bear that just walks circles and pirouettes when he has to turn around. I was super sad when I saw that.

Depends on the zoo! Some of them are awful... Like sea world, for (mostly) land animals. Some are fantastic and do a lot of good work as far as preservation of species.

@Cchoi4: Thanks for posting about this topic! People usually look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them I don't do zoos. I am heavily involved in animal welfare we will be taking our LO to shelters, etc., instead.

We were just at the Tampa Zoo last week. Most of the time, I thought the place was great. They have a manatee hospital, they do a lot of education, they have some animals in huge areas. The only thing that made me sad was the tiger enclosure. The tiger was pacing back and forth in the small area where water was running and just didn't seem happy. I don't know what that animal's story was, but I hope he was a rescue, and not something they put in a cage just because.

It depends on the zoo for me, but generally I like them. If it helps to know, zoos are not allowed to purchase animals. From my understanding, they can only trade them for other animals from other zoos or receive rescue animals, so it's not like American zoos are receiving animals that were poached from the wild (in the past, yes, and that type of thing was awful). I like the educational aspect and I try to be optimistic and think that they are more likely to influence children to be kind to animals than the reverse.

I live near one of the best zoos in the country (and its free!). Like @blackbird: said, they do lots of conservation research and breed and release animals back into the wild. I love taking C, to be honest. She loves seeing the animals and I feel like it's an opportunity for her to learn a lot. I don't think that zoos (at least not ours) are just there to exhibit animals. There is a lot of science behind it that is helping them.

Isn't the Indianapolis Zoo supposed to be really good?

@mrbee: The LA zoo is so depressing, especially for the giraffes!

We went to the SD zoo and wild animal park and they are doing amazing things. I have no issues supporting them and the conservation work they do.

I just took my son to the Central Park Zoo this weekend. I had not been to a zoo in a very long time. I felt sad for some of the animals who looked like they did not have nearly enough space, e.g., the penguins and the coatis. But then I saw that the brown bears at the zoo were brought there after they had attacked towns near where they lived in the wild. The bears seemed to have a lot of space to roam around, and if they presented a threat to humans in the wild then I guess it's better to keep them in the zoo than to kill them.

So, I am left feeling torn. But those poor penguins were really crammed in there, and they don't even get to see any sunlight. Poor little guys.

@Cchoi4: I echo it depends on the zoo. The one here in Portland is really nice I think, so is the one in San Diego. The one in SFO was really sad when we went but it was the week after some idiot climed into the cat area and was maimed or killed. I will take our girl to the zoo, but will likely go to the Children's Musuem, Japanese Gardens, OMSI and the Portland Art Musuem more. We also have Circ shows travel here often, which I would take her to once she can appriciate it.

@littlejoy is from Indy and can weigh in, even though I know she's not a fan of zoos, she likely has been there.

We have a zoo that is a wonderful place. It is always free and open year round. They do tons of education and conservation! The animals all have names and are loved and cherished by the community- seriously!

I've actually never been to a zoo before. I know. Deprived child, right? I can't wait to take T this spring for the first time (for me too!). Im okay with zoos though.

Like others said though, no circuses or Sea World for us

As a former zookeeper, I vote with my money and only go to zoos accredited by the AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) https://www.aza.org/ Having gone through one of these inspections, it's no joke how hard you have to work to keep the zoo up to snuff.

These are going to be the zoos that participate in conservation, attempt the most responsible breeding programs and have solid safety measures in place for both the animals and people.

Personally, I love zoos when done responsibly. How else are children going to find a passion about conserving the environment? It isn't feasible for many to travel the world, so the world is brought to them via animal ambassadors. We participate in a monthly "Breakfast with the Animals" at our local zoo with our oldest. It's a great opportunity to learn about the animals and get a close up view behind the scenes.

@Cherrybee: haha! You forgot expensive!

Obviously it depends on the zoo and there are definitely bad ones out there. But I think the good ones are not just fun but also important. I'm a bit biased because my dad worked at (an awesome) zoo for over 30 years so my whole childhood was spent going there a thousand times and I worked there summers when I was a teenager. They work really hard to make good environments for the animals and they are improving all the time. They also have a lot of educational programs and research centers and conservation efforts. For example, my dad was sent to south america for a few weeks at one point to help advise on some condor conservation efforts. My cousin also has worked at several zoos and her husband has as well. Her husband was sent to China for a few months to do research on Giant Pandas. This is happening all over. I think that if there were no zoos, a lot of exotic species would be in a worse position than they already are today.

@charlotte: the DC zoo doesn't have giraffes! Perhaps you're thinking of the much smaller Baltimore zoo.

I love zoos and so does my 3.5yo. We live near the DC zoo and go to the San Diego zoo whenever we're visiting.