Hi there my Hivean friends and followers!
As the title suggests, I just visited a zoo. It must have been after many long years, maybe even decades as I don´t even remember what was the last time I did so before. The zoo that I visited a few days ago is the one in Krakow, Poland.
This zoo has a good reputation and as you will see in the photos below, it was built right in the middle of a huge forest far away from the busy city center, which is also the reason why I was willing to give it a chance as it felt like the animals could live decent lives in there. Still, however, my feelings were mixed.
Some animals like horses, goats, various kinds of deer or even camels (the Bactrian Camels from Central Asia) were kept in large outdoor enclosures with real trees and vegetation and they seemed quite happy and comfortable running in the snow.
On the other hand, it was quite hard for me to look at some of the tropical animals. There was a group of scared flamingos cowering in a little shelter, literally shivering with cold. There were two soulless giraffes locked up in a confined glass fronted house, apathetically chewing straw. There were lethargic lions, tigers and other big cats walking in circles behind the bars of their enclosures. We even saw a pair of sloths hanging from a dead tree in the house designed for the nocturnal species.
As you might know from many of my older posts here on Hive, we have had the privilege to observe many of these amazing tropical and subtropical animals in their natural environments during our travels so we know what their normal lives back in the wild look like and it was so sad to see them captive, struggling in the Central European winter. I know there is this argument that in zoos, animals are regularly fed and checked by vets. That they don´t have deal with predators and other challenges they would face in the wild. But would they really want to trade all this "comfort" for their freedom and natural lifestyle? I don´t know but with some species, I am pretty sure they actually wouldn´t.
Now don´t get me wrong. This post is not to slander the Krakow Zoo. Compared to other zoos around the world, I am pretty sure this one would actually rank very high. In spring and summer, when all the trees and vegetation of the surrounding forest is fresh and brimming with life and greenery, it must be a really nice place to be. There must be also animals native to the forest like birds, squirrels and other little creatures sneaking out into the zoo to steal some food and maybe even make friends with the animal inhabitants of the zoo.
So no, this is really not to vilify this particular zoo. I saw pictures that one of my friends took in a zoo in Senegal, for example, and I couldn´t even watch them. The animals were so impoverished that you would have troubles even telling what they were in some cases. Absolutely heartbreaking scenes.
In my opinion, facilities like the one that my friend got to visit in Senegal should be banned. And there might be even worse, I know. I really hope that some kind of enforceable global norms / legislation regulating the conditions of animals kept in zoos and other similar facilities will be adopted one day to make sure that all creatures kept in them can live (at least semi) decent lives.
But even a decent captivity is still a captivity and as far as I am concerned, I will always prefer observing animals where they belong and that´s in the wild. I value my freedom so much and I know the animals do too.
Now let me wrap this post up with a few shots that I took in the Krakow Zoo.
As I already mentioned, we visited the zoo just a few days ago so everything was covered with snow and it was also a very cloudy day so the photos don´t look good but I think you still get an idea how nice the place can be in summer. I didn´t take any photos of the heated indoor places with the exotic species though. I just didn´t have the heart...
What´s your take on zoos, guys? Let me know in the comment section below.
This post was created by me for the Hive blockchain exclusively. All rights reserved.
Hey Petr,
I know what is your standpoint at zoos. Our Hive relationship actually started to developed after I published a photo of orca, which we saw in Sea World San Diego if you remember.
From that time on, I am looking at zoos a bit from a discance as well. I think it is important to seperate zoos like you already mentioned. The one in Snegal and the one in Krakow. From my experience I can also diferentiate the one I visited in Belgrade and is simply horrible and would never step there again and the one we have in Ljubljana and is very decent.
But overall prison in prison.
Thank you for showing your view and start a debate. Hope little extra support will help with visibility and more people will stop by and share their opinion.
@tipu curate 5
Have a great one!
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Hey Andy! Yeah, I remember your post about the Sea World. Actually, to me, these kind of facilities like animal circuses, dolphinariums etc. where animals are kept in terrible coniditons only to perform shows for human audience, are pure evil and should be banned everywhere immediately. Zoos are different. There are some that take a very good care of their animals, they run their own reintroduction programs, they educate people on the importance of conservation etc. These are ok, of course. I might even visit them, although, as I mentioned in the post, I will always prefer observing animals in the wild, just like you I guess ;)
Thank you very much for your valuable feedback and for your generous support of this post. I know it was also you who sent the Curangel votes here. Thanks man, it means so much.
Imagine the same happens with us - we are given all the luxury but restricted to stay at the same place, what would happen. I am not a fan of zoo either - have one pretty close, yet to take the kids there.
Right. Thanks for your feedback, glad to know you view this thing in the same way as me. Are there any reserves or national parks around you too? Much better place for some wildlife education and building connections with nature...
There are few national parks - we visited the one that is closest - Chilika - did few posts then, waiting for the Covid go away to plan some trips.
https://peakd.com/travelfeed/@sanjeevm/planning-to-visit-chilika-odisha-india-in-a-budget-here-are-some-tips
Awesome. I hope you will be able to take your family there soon again.
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.
Yep. It seems beautiful specially that little water pond :)
This one is for the penguins. I thought they would be one of the species to appreciate the cold weather and snow but apparently not, they were hiding inside...
I see :)
There is already snow. It may snow here as well because it is very cold. I think I have once been to a zoo long ago, but passed by many times 😁 It is great to see those animal which we see in documantaries on TV.
Yes, we already have snow here. I hope your zoo takes a good care of their animals :)
An issue that is always controversial and that, as you say, generates mixed feelings for many of us.
By the way, I have never been to a zoo with snow, it looks like sadder everything :(
Yeah, I know. We actually went there because there was supposed to be a special "winter tour" around enclosures with animals that like winter and snow. But there was nothing like this. We might give it another try in summer (if we are still here) to see the place with all the greenery. I actually like the concept of building a zoo in the middle of a forest. Much better than in the middle of a city.
nice pictures but it looks so cold there, hope the animals are okay with that
As I wrote in the post, some are ok with that, some not... Unfortunately.
i have never been to a zoo in the winter, certainly very practical when there are so few people;) and certainly a very different feeling...
Yeah, that´s true. I don´t like crowds anyway (anywhere) so I appreciated the peace and quiet and the animals did probably too. At least those who weren´t too cold...
Odpovím ti článkem ;)
Četl jsem, děkuji ;)
Není zač ;)
it is an amazing thing I know today, thank your information
Glad you learned something new.
It's a beautiful place to visit
Thanks for reading the post.
You remind me of my visit to a zoo about 6 or 7 years ago. But I guess the zoo I visited is much different from the one you visited. By the way, it looks so cold over there. I think the animals I saw in my visit before cannot survive in that zoo. 😁
Yeah, it´s winter here. I am afraid that some of the animals that you saw in your Vietnamese zoo may be here too. Struggling with the cold :(
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