What did you guys think about roadside zoos? For me, these guys are far cry from accredited zoos. They've bred tons of exotic animals just for their money. Apperently, according to HSUS, 1 baby tiger can produce up to $60.000 USD! They seems to have no interest in conservation, evidenced by poorly inadequate enclosures/cage, unattended ill animals, and signs that have no educational value or hard to read.
Either we need tighter legislation for exhibiting animals and close the lot (maybe nationalise USZA while your're at it), or have roadside zoos step up and actually care for their animals.
I don’t know, I don’t really think about them. There are a few in my state of Ontario, but why would I drive two hours to see a tiny zoo with poor exhibits? On one hand I’m deeply saddened by the state of some exhibits in the “roadside zoos”, but then again I haven’t actually been so it’s hard to form an opinion on a few pictures shown by PETA, HSUS and other anti-zoo organizations. For all I know, they might be only showing the very worst areas while the rest of the zoo could be quite good. For example if I googled San Diego zoo and they only photos were of the disgusting bear grottoes I’d think the zoo was horrible. But that wouldn’t be fair as most areas of that zoo (huge aviaries, Africa Rocks, Gorilla exhibit...) are simply superb. My advice is, try not to make a opinion on a zoo you’ve never seen as even if it looks bad, it might surprise you (that said I dislike most roadside zoos).
Personally, I have visited several. While some exhibits are bad, most are average. Places like PETA exaggerate with how bad they are. Most are okay.
All attractions are on the side of a road therefore all zoos are road side zoos.Some zoos depite their decent don't join the AZA due to the costs of maintaining the accreditation and ideology. Also, never take HSUS seriously.
First off, Rimshot! Second, having an AZA accreditation means zoos can have higher budgets and display more exotic fauna. I'm quite aware that PETA constantly lies*, but never HSUS.
Eh? I don't think HSUS is fully anti-zoo organization though... Well, I'm aware about PETA's lies but not for HSUS.
before they took it off from its site hsus said these two quotes which currently can be found with a good use of the web archivehttps://web.archive.org/web/20170116113327/http://www.humanesociety.org:80/issues/zoos/facts/zoos.html: "The Humane Society of the United States believes that under most circumstances wild animals should ideally be permitted to exist undisturbed in their natural environments. Zoos are, however, a currently established part of our society and a fact of life" "We also urge zoos to act as sanctuaries for wild animals, providing facilities for animals in need rather than breeding them for exhibition purposes or acquiring them from the wild or from exotic animal dealers." For the second quote no exception is stated for even conservation purposes. I am not saying that hsus lies, it uses distortion of facts and weasel words and exploits the naivete of the poor souls that take their bait
I avoid visiting roadside zoos. With the small budgets they have it's unlikely they can really take good care of the animals they have.
I don't really go to them. So many of them are really bad that I'd rather not support them. Maybe some of them are decent, but they're probably the minority.
How do you guys feel about private zoos, that do have AZA accreditation, but are owned by a single person
I’m honestly not sure if you’re serious or not, especially if you do know that peta is terrible. This isn’t as detailed as I’d like it to be because I should be working right now, but here’s some basics. Much of this comes from Humane Watch, which is run by the Center For Consumer Freedom and uses public documents like tax returns, book quotes, etc. for its information, rather than gossip. HSUS is not affiliated with any animal shelter or rescue. They are primarily a lobbying group, like peta. They are deliberately misleading about this, both with their name and advertising campaigns. Here’s some quotes from actual animal shelters: What Local Humane Groups Say About HSUS - HumaneWatch Less than 1% of their income is given to real shelters. Over half typically goes to more fundraising (those commercials, mailers, etc.) 45 execs make over $100,000. Here’s some of their numbers for last year: Unpacking the HSUS Gravy Train (2017 Edition) - HumaneWatch Their mission is very similar to peta’s. They want to end pet ownership (quote, regarding a future with no pets: “I wouldn’t say that I envision that, no. If I had my personal view perhaps that might take hold. In fact, I don’t want to see another cat or dog born.”) They are very pro vegan and want to end all captivity for mammals. They have compared eating meat to racism (one of the quotes: “Anybody who eats meat is guilty of holding the same mindset that allowed the Holocaust”). They released a vegetarian food for dogs a few years ago that thankfully did terribly. Some other quotes: Humane Society of the U.S. CEO: “I don’t love animals” - HumaneWatch Many of their staff previously worked for peta. Their puppy mills campaign director is married to peta’s executive vp. VP of their LA office was previously peta’s communications director. When their food policy director was with peta, he created the campaign comparing farming to Nazi concentration camps. Here’s a list from 2012, there’s been more since then: The Bottom Line: HSUS = PETA - HumaneWatch Another big hire was J.P. Goodman, an ALF spokesperson with multiple arrests for arson relating to animal liberation at the time of his hiring. They have over $50 million in offshore accounts. A few big examples of them misleading people and abusing funding: - Last year, 80 great danes were seized from a home in New Hampshire. HSUS took over care for the dogs and released very few photos; those animals seen by others were in much better condition than stated; several otherwise healthy dogs ended up dying in their care. Once the case was settled, HSUS provided the court with a bill for $773,887.63. Only $154,375.66 of that was for animal care! “The remaining $619,511.97 is attributed to consulting fees ($245,429.88), travel by plane, train, and automobile ($151,138.36), meals ($23,841.98), and lodging ($117,490.01), with minor amounts going to office expenses, trash removal, and even an $88.63 charge for ‘Prize/Awards Payments’.” (Opponents of Bradley bill cite HSUS ‘extortion’) - They raised $34 million to help animals after Katrina. So little of that money ended up back in Louisiana that the state’s AG did an 18 month investigation. In the end, only $7 million was used to help pets. - Vick. HSUS solicited tons of donations to help the Vick dogs while making claims that the dogs were in their care. They weren’t, they never were, and in actuality, HSUS was trying to have all of the dogs put down for “aggression”, despite never seeing the dogs. They later became partners with Vick, helped him get a new dog, and had him be the keynote speaker at their End Dogfighting campaign in Philly. They were sued by one of the shelters that did have some of the dogs. (Only one of the dogs seized ended up being put down; many ended up becoming therapy dogs and doing other community work).
I know it's been a while since this was commented on, but there's an article that I feel is relevant here. It's about why "roadside zoo" is a useless term that needs to go. What's In A Word: Why It's Time to Retire "Roadside Zoo" — Why Animals Do The Thing
