My feelings about zoos are also mixed. I think they allow us to see in person species of animals that otherwise most people would never be able to see, but as you say, captivity is captivity even if it is in the best conditions. In Venezuela, there are few zoos, but the animals, except for one exception that I know, don't have good facilities. The animals have a tough time, and the country's crisis has affected them even more.
I think it is idealistic to believe that it would be good for the zoos to release their animals to their natural habitat because many were born in captivity and do not know any other way of life; they may not even be able to adapt. But I have to disagree with hunting animals to take them to a zoo.
Thanks for sharing you valuable feedback with us. I know the situation in Venezeula is bad and I get it that it´s hard to care for the wellbeing of animals in zoos when so many people in the country struggle for their own livelihood. In fact, there were some news even in our media that in some Venezuelan zoos, the situation was so desperate that they had to feed bigger animals with smaller ones :(
Yes, that was on the news a couple of years ago, when the situation was worse than now.