Do I absolutely despise immature people at zoos (particularly children). YES. Do I think it is nessecary for them to be there despite the fact that it causes other visitors and the animals discomforts. YES. This is because the reasons stated above, zoos not being able to financially survive as well as the small, small possibility of them becoming inspired.
Zoos are happy to give a discount on admission to these groups because they come at an off-peak time, ie when families cannot normally visit (except for the Mum mentioned above). Why can't families visit? Because the children are in school. A bit circular, I know, but there it is.
If zoos really understood their mission, the most carefully designed part should be the children playground. This is where the most visitors go, and where the most important group to educate focuses. Strangely, almost all zoos make their children playgrounds as a typical one from any shopping mall, and all the wildlife education stays outside.
Honestly, I don't like children who came to the zoo. So I intentionally avoid going to the zoo on weekends because I don't want to see the children, and other all visitors. In my experience, at local zoos in Korea, about 70 percent of children bully animals by throw food and foreign substances at animals, beat glass windows and yell at animals. But more absurdly, 70 percent of adults do the same bad things as children in zoos. Of course, children who come to the zoo for the first time see and follow these adults' actions as they are, and eventually perceive the zoo as a place where visitor can bully animals. And when those children grow up... ...the Korean zoo, and its viewing culture is clearly wrong from the roots. I hope this vicious cycle will end in my generation, but the road ahead is still bleak.
Children's attendance to zoos and Aquariums provides a wonderful learning experience for them, making education an amazing journey... In the right hands, of course. For me the real issue is with the parents, teachers, legal guardians, etc. Whenever children misbehave, it's these people's responsibility to either prevent or correct this. When I see a child misbehave only to be scolded by the parent or teacher or whatnot, I consider the situation solved and salvaged. However, when they ignore or, worse yet, encourage their bad behavior is when I really lose my nerve. Often I have to tell alien kids to not tap on the glass, only for the parents or teachers to snap back "I will tell him that, thank you!" Or "Don't you have a job?". The worst cases I experienced were both in Barcelona; trashy family number 1 let their kids break into the giant tortoise enclosure and taunt the reptiles by doing fortnite dances around them, and trashy family number 2 was chucking bread at the orangutans. In both cases I, and others, told them to stop, only to be lavishly covered in insults and physically threatened on both occasions by their alpha male. I called security on both occasions. A less agregious yet more common and nonetheless sad issue is when parents and teachers misinform children and give them negative bias towards certain animals. I've seen many a field trip rush through the reptile house, the teachers constantly denouncing the snakes and crocodiles for being "scary, disgusting, ugly" among other lovely adjectives. And on top of it, when parents guilt trip their children for asking to go to the zoo by telling them how sad the animals are and how they feed the chicks in the petting zoo to the crocodiles. It's all the perfect maggoty, filthy stew from which ignorant and malicious zoo-haters are born.
I agree with this. In my opinion, until the age of around 12 or 13 a child not responsible for their actions, since at this stage children are almost uniquely influenced by their parents/guardians/teachers. It is up to their parents therefore to teach them what is right and how to behave. If the children are not behaving in a public place and the parents are doing nothing about it, it is entirely someone's right to tell them to stop, especially if it is compromising their own experience, but I don't believe the child should be held responsible if they are in the age bracket stated above.
What is funny, how children in zoos act differently from what adults think. Small children, for example, do not find reptiles or spiders ugly. They do not prefer animals which adults call cute, either. They learn it from their mothers. Also, with their short attention span, children can see only few exhibits and quickly lose interest in favor of a climbing frame, an especially fine stick on the ground, whatever.
I think a lot of us go to zoo as a child, so I don't think we should say "zoo shouldn't allow child under 12" or something like that in this forum. A lot of us develop our love into zoo since we were a few years old. Also, I think children going to zoo is great for them. They can explore and learn about things. Also, more children love animals than adults so this is another advantage.
With the onset of zoo shows on TV after WW2, families with children have become and remained the main target audience of zoos. Occasional events aimed at an adult audience aside (like Gay Night at the Zoo in Berlin, London Zoo Night or London's Streak for Tigers naked run), zoos purposefully depict themselves in the public as child-friendly family fun centres. No zoo director in his or her right mind would ban children from zoos; that would be like fast food joints refusing to sell their products to teenagers or obese people (or families with kids). But I agree: some children are indeed rude, obnoxious, loud and misbehave, and the behavior of the accompanying adults is often neither helpful nor productive. However, I've never had any problems reprimanding children or their parents in zoos. And even less so in WdG. Must be my stern German authoritarian attitude. I also agree with Jurek7's observation; it's mostly the mothers, not their children, who are truly interested in "cute" baby animals. And considering the short attention span productively in the educational elements is key to an improved learning effect.
You're absolutely right; children are curious by nature, and if given the chance they can develop a fondness for all animals, no matter how creepy they may be to others. However, another reoccurring problem is... Parents that disallow their children from going to the zoo. I know of children who are just brimming with curiosity, but their anti-zoo parents won't allow the zoo to be a "bad influence" on them... Where are child protective services when you need them?!
What if a child don't like animals and zoos, but his/her zoo nerd parents take him/her to zoos. Calm down, I'm just rubbish
You do bring up a valid point though. My older brother always got super bored there and kept telling me, the zoo-lover, that his favorite part of the visit was the exit. If the kid doesn't like going there, honestly I wouldn't push it at all, or at least take him to a radically different zoo to change his mind. Ironically, now my brother wouldn't mind having a visit, but probably just in order to irritate vegans. XD
The problem is that in asian cultures, did not develop the same kind of respect to animals the west have. Many still se animals not as feeling beings, but tools, for food or entertainment
Your comment hit the head of the nail. Yes. Including the years when Korea was a colony of Japan, the history of Korean zoos is about 111 years, but no visitors have been deeply concerned about the right way to treat zoo animals. Everyone thought zoo animals were just a toy that can be bullied at will for their own fun, and there are overflowing fools in Korea who think that giving food to zoo animals at will is a good deed to distribute their food to animals.
I 100% agree. Adults who misbehave are children who were never given limits... And you can no longer change them.
Honestly I cannot imagine a zoo without children. Whilst sometimes they can be utterly annoying, I do also find a ton of grown ups to be annoying too. The most problematic in my opinion is more so the age gap in between. The more ''trying to act cool'' teenagers that go pester some bird for a tiktok or something else to look cool to their friends, even if they would never show this behavior if they were to be alone. I think all ages have their annoying people. Children however I find less of a problem considering I very much realise I also was once like that, a screaming, running disaster. However not all screaming is done to annoy others, some are out of sheer enthusiasm. I've heard kids scream across half the zoo how cool animal X is and the weird behavior they have and then ask mom or dad if they know what it is that they're doing. I think this sort of ''screaming'' is more justified than screaming ''I wanna go home'' or something along those lines. The crying babies is a different case, but I never really am bothered by it, ofcourse the thoughts of ''please shup up already'' come to mind, but I then also am glad that parents bring their children to a zoo. It's a good thing that kids are somewhat familair with animals that way they may just develop more interest for them, definitely was the case for me. So whilst they are sometimes annoying I do think it's important, and I think it would be a tad bit hypocrite of one to think children should be banned from zoos if anyone ever has that thought Earlier one mentioned about school trips. I do think that those are important. Yeah kids usually are more busy with each other than the animals, but really, having fun in a zoo makes the zoo a fun place to be. And in the end if you have fun somewhere you might return. Perhaps they found the playgrounds so much fun they bore mom and dad for days asking if they can go back. This also is important if you ask me. I think it's safe to say how easy it is to forget that schooltrips not only have educational value, but also a tad bit of promotional. Which ofcourse, can never hurt for a zoo!
