Life On the Other Side of the Exhibit

The Zoo may be the most popular cultural institution in America. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums says 175 million people walk through its members’ gates every year – 2 out of 3 come with children. That’s more than attend all major sporting events … combined. Over time, this public has become more sensitive about animal welfare, and so has the AZA . Long gone from many top zoos are barren cages, iron bars and cement floors. Now exhibits can look like savannahs, bamboo forests, or the African jungle. And some zoos are also making life inside these exhibits more stimulating –did you know big cats have a thing for Calvin Klein perfume?!  But critics say the AZA demands too little of its members when it comes to how animals are exhibited. As we learn more about animal behavior, should zoos allow primates to live in isolation  and would larger enclosures solve a lot of the challenges of caring for animals in zoos?