The animals seem to be doing well there, they have space and look well fed. Nevertheless, I see zoos with one laughing and one crying eye... Of course it is exciting, especially for children or for people who have only been able to travel a little, to see all the exotic animals, live, right under your nose. Of course, they play an important role in the conservation of rare species. Of course they make invaluable contributions to scientific research into various species. But! How dare we lock animals away, primarily for our entertainment? How dare we gawp at them like an oil painting? I am not sure that we are giving our children the right image of these animals in this way. But I am quite sure that none of these animals would have chosen life in a zoo voluntarily.
I won’t bother counter-arguing because I definitely agree with you 101 percent.
However, as you yourself pointed out, safari parks do play a role in conservation, which I can’t entirely ignore. It’s not that this thought didn’t cross my mind while I was writing about my day at the safari — it did.
That said, I tend to approach the topic with a “lesser of an evil” perspective. Compared to conventional zoos, safari parks are a step ahead. They offer animals more space and a slightly more natural environment, which feels like a small improvement, at the very least.
And since they’re there, why not visit? At the end of the day, if these visits also spark awareness and a bit of respect for wildlife, perhaps it’s not all bad.
Thank you so much for your reply. I really appreciate :)