North Carolina Zoo

In many circles, zoos are no longer in vogue, and I tend to agree with that philosophy. Zoo animals are often acquired from dealers who have obtained them via brutal means; they are not treated humanely during transport nor housed compassionately; they may not be fed properly, nor have their medical needs attended to; most often they are denied the life they would normally be granted in nature. But, the most fundamental objection to zoos is that they exploit and abuse living creatures for the entertainment of humans, often causing and perpetuating profound suffering.

Even the word “zoo” conjures up some unpleasant images – captured animals, sub-humane living conditions, chaos, humans versus animals. I much prefer the concept of an animal sanctuary, where animals who are truly endangered, or who would otherwise be abandoned and left to die, can be housed and cared for to live out their lives in peace.

But some zoos are better than others. Some zoos are truly concerned with animal welfare and adhere to higher standards for obtaining and housing animals. I did not thoroughly investigate the standards of the North Carolina Zoo, but there were aspects to their approach that I could align with, which made it easier for me to support their enterprise. I, like most people on this planet, will never get a chance to see animal species in their natural environments. If a zoo is more like a sanctuary, a learning place, somewhere to gain an appreciation for our animal companions, it can be a humane opportunity to observe a wide variety of animals.

The North Carolina Zoo is the world’s largest natural habitat zoo, which means the animals have more room than normal (in this setting) to roam. The zoo is involved in local and global efforts to protect wildlife and wild places and promote and protect nature’s diversity for the future. In collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund and local governments, the zoo is involved in research and conservation projects to help protect vultures to gorillas to elephants in Africa to endangered plants and amphibians in North Carolina.

Without knowing for sure if any zoo, even this seemingly progressive one, could ever be something I would feel totally comfortable with, I did see evidence of compassionate caretakers and expansive living enclosures for the animals during our visit.

Here are some pictures of the beautiful animals we saw the day we were there.