Talk:Zoo

Etymology
In the lead paragraph, this article suggests that the abbreviation 'zoo' was first used to refer to London Zoo (although the reference given for this sentence does not refer to this statement). However, in the etymology section, the article states that it was first used in print to refer to Clifton Zoo. Is this not a contradiction? --Yojjeth (talk) 08:57, 7 February 2011 (UTC)
 * Having just read this article for the first time, I too was struck by this contradiction. Can someone not sort it out?__DrChrissy (talk) 19:17, 22 October 2013 (UTC)

Sources and care of animals
My apologies for this comment being a bit on the long side...

I think this section needs a lot of tightening a cleaning. Many parts don't read as encyclopaedic and deal more with allegations and accusations against specific zoos rather than examples of common animal abuse at zoo facilities. Also, PETA is not the only organization that deals with abuse and quality of life issues for animals, but they seem to get a high degree of mention in this section. I think other sources should be used to compliment the PETA findings.

In addition, I think this Guardian article gets more weight than it deserves as a source:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/mar/28/wildlife.conservation

For a reputable paper like The Guardian, this is a poorly written piece and is not encyclopedic as it deals with accusations but few proven facts - If Ms Claudia Hämmerling's evidence proved true, where are the followup articles? I looked her up on the German language Wikipedia page and while it outlines her political activities, there is only one line about animal welfare. Surely if there was an serious investigation into her claims then there are more supporting periodicals and they should be included in this zoo article. The general writing of The Guardian article is also problematic, granted, papers do not have footnotes or citations, however, when a journalist writes:

It is believed standard practice for zoos to kill "surplus" animals. Nuremberg zoo's deputy director, Helmut Mägdefrau, was reported as saying: "If we cannot find good homes for the animals, we kill them and use them as feed." Recently an antelope in Nuremberg was fed to caged lions in front of visitors, causing outrage.

Then if "It is believed..." it is the journalist's responsibility to address: By whom it is believed. The "whom" is important as it leads to credibility. Is it Claudia Hämmerling who believes or another entity? As it is written we have no idea who the journalist is talking about. Further, if Mr Helmut Mägdefrau is "reported" as saying something (especially something controversial), then it is imperative that the journalist cites who reported Mägdefrau's quote. Right now it is an anonymous source which should be avoided by both newspapers and encyclopedias. This is simply proper journalisitc standards and practice. I am not saying what is here is incorrect, but I am saying it needs to be quoted from better material.

This Zoo article should be designed around informing the reader about the negative and positive aspects of zoos. As such, proper sourcing should be used properly and carefully because the ethical treatment of animals is an important, sensitive and an emotional issue. It is important that the information here is accurate and reliable or it should be removed. OK, time for your thoughts (I'd like to get a bit of feedback before I spend time working on this, only to get it reverted)? 76.65.28.115 (talk) 17:17, 21 August 2011 (UTC)


 * Replied here.    Sophus Bie  (talk) 04:51, 23 August 2011 (UTC)

Disappointing that an article about zoos that mentions the cruelty and poor state of many zoos, does not even mention the Singapore or San Diego zoo and their incredible breeding programs and humane conditions for their animals. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 202.156.11.11 (talk) 14:00, 18 December 2011 (UTC)

Slaughter of animals in the Roman zoo
Is it possible to get a more valid citation about zoo history here? 400 bears slaughtered in a day, sounds impressive, but it's from a history book from 1869. The whole article definitely needs some scholarly doing.


 * I imagine thats an exagerated account and should be taken with a grain of salt. Zoo  Pro  11:09, 30 January 2012 (UTC)

Category:Zoos in fiction
I think this would be a valid category, user Ryulong is reverting all my additions. CensoredScribe (talk) 22:42, 2 February 2014 (UTC)
 * See WP:ANI on discussion on how CensoredScribe is inappropriately making dozens of categories of questionable quality. CensoredScribe, this is not the page to make this sort of discussion, either.— Ryūlóng ( 琉竜 ) 15:48, 3 February 2014 (UTC)

Contradictory Information about Regulation of US Zoos
This article is very unclear about regulation of zoos in the United States. In the section on roadside zoos, it states that they "are small, unregulated, for-profit zoos." However, later in that section it contradicts that statement, saying that such zoos "are sometimes less regulated." Then later the article contradicts both of those statements by clearly stating that "in the United States, any public animal exhibit must be licensed and inspected by the United States Department of Agriculture, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Drug Enforcement Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and others." So, what's the truth? Are roadside zoos unregulated, sometimes less regulated, or always strictly regulated? 74.71.65.22 (talk) 18:28, 30 August 2015 (UTC)

External links modified
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 * Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20080510051708/http://www.theguzoo.com:80/main_page.html to http://www.theguzoo.com/main_page.html
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 * Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20080504172909/http://www.defra.gov.uk:80/wildlife-countryside/gwd/zoo.htm to http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/gwd/zoo.htm
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 * Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20080501154538/http://www.zoonews.ws:80/IZN/316/IZN-316.htm to http://www.zoonews.ws/IZN/316/IZN-316.htm#lost

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Semi-protected edit request on 1 May 2017
Zoos are important regardless of the the negative aspects. The welfare, conservation and education efforts in place within accredited zoos are too valuable to disparage. There are so many zoos who's main goal is to protect wildlife and increase education so that the world can become better. Katieq123 (talk) 04:23, 1 May 2017 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format. & WP:NPOV —  IVORK  Discuss 07:14, 1 May 2017 (UTC)

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External links modified (January 2018)
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Live Feeding and "Baiting"
The source used for the apparent live feeding at Badaltearing Safari Park is the Daily Mail, which is not considered a reliable source. Indeed, the tone of the article and the Wiki section reads very sensationalist. On top of that I can't find any other sources for this on the internet, nor can I even find evidence that a zoo called "Badaltearing Safari Park" exists. There's Badaling in Beijing, but again I can't find any evidence for the things mentioned in the article (not that I couldn't find a whole host of other inhumane practices though, it doesn't sound like a fun place). Would recommend removing until proven otherwise. 2A00:23C5:C892:9900:69D6:5566:54E4:5314 (talk) 04:21, 29 September 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 2 February 2022
“These days, many people see zoos for what they are: animal prisons,” said Priya S. People started going to zoos around 1847, in the United States alone, zoos are visited by over 181 million people annually. Zoos shouldn’t exist anymore, the animals suffer in captivity, many zoos fail to provide even a minimum standard of care, and perfectly healthy animals are killed daily.

The animals suffer in captivity in small spaces, or sometimes cages. An article from animalequality says “They lose control over their lives and the environment they live in. Social animals are often forced to live in the misery of solitary confinement. Animals who would prefer to live alone are often forced into close contact with others. Some animals are confined next to their predators, and some are held in cramped, barren environments where they are constantly bullied by cagemates.” This is horrible for animals. Imagine how you would feel if you were taken from your home and put into a confined space with strangers for no reason? You probably wouldn’t like that, so why do we get to do that to animals?

Zoos rarely even bother to take good care of their animals. According to sentientmedia.org, “Since 1995, zoos have turned to antidepressants, tranquilizers, and antipsychotic drugs to alleviate depression and aggression among zoo animals across America.”    This is only a percent of things zookeepers do so they can get money from people that visit these zoos, so they can get money. Selfish and disgusting.

Animals are killed even when healthy. According to salon.com “The animals can't be used as breeding machines or they're taking up space that's needed for other animals of the same or other species. As morally reprehensible as the practice of killing surplus animals seems, it's a reality and part of business as usual for many zoos.” Can you imagine if you were killed when you weren’t “useful” anymore or are “taking up too much space?”  I didn’t think so, but yet this is still acceptable to do to thousands of animals.

Sure, they have some benefits, but they put profits first and animal rights second for the most part. We need to spread awareness if we want to see changes before it’s too late for abused, neglected, or endangered animals in captivity. Zoos shouldn’t exist anymore, the animals suffer in captivity, many zoos fail to provide even a minimum standard of care, and perfectly healthy animals are killed daily. Kayleedipple (talk) 20:09, 2 February 2022 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. ScottishFinnishRadish (talk) 20:18, 2 February 2022 (UTC)
 * This seems like abuse of the request system, as the so-called "request" seems to be a way of attracting attention to an essay on zoo ethics and nothing to do with the encyclopedia... Jerodast (talk) 09:43, 4 February 2022 (UTC)

Etymology 2
The etymology section seems rather limited. It doesn't really get into the etymology that much. Ultimately, the "zoo" part derives from Greek ζῷον meaning "animal" itself from a proto-Hellenic ďṓyyon from a PIE gʷyeh₃w-y-om derived from a PIE gʷíh₃weti meaning "to live" (the proto-Hellenic and the PIE words being academic reconstructions). The current Etymology section is limited to talking about "zoo" being a shortening of 19th century "zoological forest" without actually explaining anything beyond that etymologically. An expansion to include ultimately where the word comes from (as far as academically possible without getting anywhere near fringe wacko theories) would be greatly appreciated. — al-Shimoni  (talk) 02:18, 3 June 2022 (UTC)

corperations
I'm unsure what this should mean: "Many corperations in the form of breeding programs have been set up since". Is "corperations" a wrong spelling of "corporations" or it should be "cooperations"? --Ilya (talk) 11:52, 16 December 2023 (UTC)