What is a zoo? Features

What is a zoo? This is the place of keeping wild animals in conditions as close as possible to the natural habitat. The main feature of the zoo is the ability to observe animals, including exotic ones. Most often, zoos are located in the city, in a specially equipped place and with the created conditions for a comfortable life of all kinds of animals.

What is it

What is a zoo? Zoological Park is an institution in which animals are kept in captivity for demonstration, study, conservation and reproduction. Zoos are created for scientific and educational purposes. They help spread knowledge about the diversity of the animal kingdom, advocating the protection and preservation of the gene pool of rare, endangered individuals.

Features

The limited territory on which animals are kept is the main distinguishing feature of the zoo (photo zoological parks and animals are in the article). The zoo is similar to the rest areas, because it has clear boundaries. Specially created rooms with approximate natural conditions for life become the habitat of many species of animals. As a rule, the territory of the zoo is huge, unlike the zoo. Many institutions were organized on the basis of private collections, circuses and exhibitions. In Russia, the oldest zoos, founded in the 19th century, include Kazan, Penza, St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Advantages and disadvantages

What is a zoo? Does it have advantages and disadvantages? In the world there are many people who oppose the keeping of wild animals in captivity. To challenge this opinion is not necessary, after all, in fact, zoos are created for people's entertainment, and also are cognitive in nature. The advantages of zoological parks include:

• Preservation. If the zoo contains rare species, it helps to preserve the population.
• Availability. Such parks allow any person to see near exotic animals collected in one territory.
• Study. Zoos allow scientists to observe animals, study species.
• Comfort Zone. Animals that have grown in captivity will not survive in the wild. This also applies to predators.
• Visiting mode. A convenient schedule for the zoo and its location allow visitors to look at the animals at any convenient time.

The minuses of keeping animals in captivity include:

• Lack of freedom. In contrast to zoological parks, in the reserves animals live and reproduce in natural conditions.
• Stress. In parks, wild inhabitants experience constant stress due to city noise and people's encirclement.
• Restrictions. Compared to the natural habitat and freedom in the zoo, animals live in cages and enclosures.
• Lack of offspring. Many species lose their ability to breed in captivity.
• Short life. For example, lions, living in artificially created conditions, live less than in natural ones.

Objectives

What is the zoo, what goals and objectives does it pursue? The main and most important aspect of the activity of this institution is the maintenance of different kinds of animals for demonstration to man, as well as enlightenment, development and creation of an idea of the surrounding world and wildlife. In addition, zoological parks pursue the goal of instilling in people a sense of responsibility for those whom they have tamed. Zoos pursue the task of preserving and multiplying the population of endangered species, helping restore the animal world.

Most parks participate in various programs for the conservation and restoration of rare species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians.

Contact

More recently (the seventies of the last century), a new type of zoological parks - a contact type. Zoo in Moscow "Forest embassy" is the first contact institution in the capital. It is positioned as an educational, interactive site where different kinds of animals (sheep, rabbits, cats, dogs, lizards, raccoons, chinchillas and others) live. Visitors are allowed to iron, pick up, feed, photograph, study their habits, observe them.

As a rule, contact zoos contain innocuous individuals that can not attack a child or an adult, and cause harm to health. The main feature of this park is pet-therapy. It is recommended for children with developmental features. Feeding animals here is allowed, but special food, bought on the spot. In Russia today there are more than twenty networks of contact institutions. The regime of the zoo "Forest embassy" is comfortable for visitors. The doors are open for children and adults seven days a week, from 10 to 21 hours.

The contact zoo teaches kindness, careful attitude and love for our lesser brothers, brings up the best qualities in kids, and in adults arouses a sense of responsibility. The average price per hour of communication with an animal is 400 rubles. Some institutions allow the animals to be taken home for a period of time, fed and provided with care.

Moscow Zoo

One of the oldest zoological parks in Europe. It was founded in the middle of the 19th century. In a year it is visited by more than three million people. Here you can see 1132 species of animals. The symbol of the park for a long time was a taiga cat - manul. Later the symbol was changed. Now it's a stylized image of pigeons, squirrels, pelicans and dolphins. The schedule of the zoo is selected in such a way that visitors can bypass the entire park. You can see animals here seven days a week, from 10 to 20 hours.

Moscow Zoo is considered one of the main sights of the capital. Here you can feed the fish, look at flamingos, cheetah, lynx, bear, wild boar, snow leopard, griffon vulture, steppe eagle, Bengal tiger, elephant, raccoon, monkeys, polar bear, giraffe, camel, lion, polar bear and other animals . In the park live reptiles, marine inhabitants. The zoo is equipped for active family rest. On a large territory there are children's attractions. In addition, the Moscow Zoological Park has created a contact zone where children can pet and feed small animals: rabbits, monkeys, raccoons, goats, sheep, deer. In the future, it is planned to expand.