Pumpkin Skies

For so long, zoos have been a popular attraction to tourists and locals around the world, as well as a crucial contributor to endangered species conservation. They have taken in animals from their habitats where they are at risk and are slowly starting to recover some species from an almost-extinction. Lately though, some zoos have decided to prioritize some species that are more loved by the public, and that some lesser known species should be left to die out for the sake of the others. It has come to their conclusion some species will have to be sacrificed for the greater good.

If you are not aware, I am currently in the midst of a Humanities project centered around Human Rights. We were allowed to make our project about  a human right of our choice. I gladly signed up for the Environmental Issues group, but more specifically, I chose to base my porject around the conservation of Endangered Species. With that in mind, you’ll probably know what my attitude towards this article  will be.

I am deeply appalled by the fact that zoos are suddenly giving up their duty to help conserve the animal kingdom. No, not just the fan-favorite, public-preferred species, but all the endangered ones that the zoo holds and is responsible for. If they had committed to the plan of recovering species that are on the brink of extinction, then they should stay to it, not just for a while until they suddenly decide it is necessary to dump a species into the reject bin. Oh, I’m sure if most zoos were doing this for a noble cause, I would agree that this path would be the most sensible to take. In the article though, it stated clearly that some zoos were merely doing this for profit. They spend eighteen million US dollars in order to build a new, shiny pool for the sea lions, and then they claim that they did not have enough money to fund their endangered species conservation plans? Sea lions aren’t even in risk of endangerment, why should they be held in the spotlight when there are more pressing issues to attend to? Because the sea lions are the zoo’s most popular exhibit and attraction, they spend money on them so that customers will arrive in larger and larger amounts.