In the last few days, I spend some time at the Calgary Zoo and it was a very weird experience for me. The weather in Alberta was very cold just like the rest of central and eastern Canada, minus 27 and below in some spots.
Due to the extreme cold many of the animals at the zoo were kept inside however as I ventured around the zoo I spotted lots outside. Having seen many animals over the years living both in the wild and in captivity it puts things into perspective in many ways.
I've always had mixed feeling about zoo's and what zoo's represent. Seeing African animals in the snow just doesn't seem right and watching both hippos and giraffe feeding, while housing in these man made structures is bizarre to say the least.
I'm not someone who is going to sit on a soapbox and talk about animal rights and weather or not animals in captivity is a good or bad thing. That can be debate for the comments below. I understand zoo's and aquariums can have there place for scientific research and education. I feel that education is a huge part of what is necessary to ensure that humans and animals can coexist for years to come. Kids love the zoo and if the zoo is built and maintained for the right reasons then I can appreciate why they exist.
Thanks for reading and please keep the comments clean and civil.
Scott
For more stories and images - http://www.scottstevensonphotography.ca/
