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Sunf1re96 t1_j1frw0i wrote

Reply to comment by gravy_boot in There’s a new baby Pygmy Hippo at the Richmond Zoo! by ThaLZA

It's interesting because the numerous posts about breweries and bars don't cause people to rant and rave about the dangers of alcohol.

If you (or anyone else) has issues with how the zoo operates, then I strongly recommend reaching out to the zoo politely and professionally to voice your concerns. Not just the RVA zoo, any of them.

Zoos do phenomenal conservation and education work around the world, and are filled with hard-working, extremely dedicated individuals. I'm sure any of those people would be thrilled to tell you how they provide the best care possible for the animals that they love.

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gravy_boot t1_j1fz5ox wrote

The issues with our zoo are noted elsewhere and I generally agree with them- but it’s all besides the point for me. There are two facts that I can’t get around when trying to justify maintaining captive breeding programs:

  1. Humans aren’t entitled to animals.

  2. Animals don’t care about extinction.

If we’re not doing it for the benefit of individuals who can appreciate their own sacrifice, and doing it causes them measurable misery, then we shouldn’t do it.

We made our bed, now we have to sleep in it. On a planetary timescale this is a blip, humans will die soon enough and nature will heal itself.

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panopticon31 t1_j1fsu91 wrote

Richmond Metro Zoo is a for profit business that is "accredited" through the ZAA. Which was started after another zoo lost their accreditation through the existing AZA organization.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoological_Association_of_America

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gowhatyourself t1_j1fuy3r wrote

Is there a good source of information about the RMZ that gives any detail about why it's not great other than it being part of ZAA? I've seen people say the Richmond Zoo is bad but never really give any explanation as to how they got there.

My mom has a membership because she lives down the road and loves going on walks since the hills are good exercise. We've gone once and my daughter was overjoyed at seeing all the animals. If I knew there was mistreatment of animals or something else that would give me pause I'd want to know about it so we wouldn't go back and I would tell my mom to give up her membership.

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Sunf1re96 t1_j1ftsv2 wrote

It'd be really great if every zoo could be AZA accredited. I've seen a lot of zoos without any accreditation and they are really problematic. The ZAA provides a way for a lot of smaller zoos to improve their standards of care without the expense of the AZA (it costs money to join and stay accredited).

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WikiSummarizerBot t1_j1fsvik wrote

Zoological Association of America

>The Zoological Association of America (ZAA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2005 dedicated to responsible wildlife management, conservation, and education. The ZAA is headquartered in Punta Gorda, Florida, and accredits zoos and aquariums within the United States.

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