Education and Conservation.... Or Maybe Not

Go on to the web site of any accredited U.S. zoo and you won’t have to search far for a link marked “conservation.” Click on it and you’ll see that zoos position themselves as critical players in the effort to save endangered animals. In this section of the program, “American Zoos: Inside Out” examines the ways in which zoos see themselves as leaders in conservation: through financial contributions to field projects, by managing zoo breeding programs, and by inspiring their visitors to take action on behalf of wildlife. Critics argue that the amount of money zoos allocate to conservation efforts is minimal; and  few animals bred in zoos will ever be introduced in the wild.   Zoo historian Jeff Hyson points out why this debate  is so important, because the zoo  “ is not like a museum or a library that simply has books or artifacts. This is a strange institution. What it displays is alive.”