The Most Depressing Place on Earth (for an animal)

Zoo: An excellent place to study the habits of human beings.
Evan Esar

Personally, there are few places that depress me more than a zoo. You have wild animals constrained to a tiny amount of space, often without privacy or … well, anything that makes life interesting. Prolonged solitary confinement is frequently regarded as torture, yet many humans have no problems doing this to animals.

Just take a look at this animal:

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A zebra in a zoo in Berlin.

or these:

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Some seals in a zoo in Kiel.

Would we place humans in these barren places, without space to move, without things to see and experience?

Yes, it’s important to get an idea of wild animals, or seeing species of other continents and habitats. But aren’t documentaries and books better suited than zoos?

Note: This is a side-issue for me and I’m interested in differing opinions. If you know of zoos who do it right, or other solutions, please leave a comment. I’d really like to see a creative solution for the problem of wanting to show people (esp. children) the variety of life on this planet and doing it in a “humane” manner for the animals involved.