For crying at the Gorilla display at ZSL today?

[Waltonswatcher1]

It really overwhelmed me . They were in the inside enclosure with no privacy . The viewing gallery was rammed with us all staring and commenting .
I just can't see how its fair to the animals . At Whipsnade the chimpanzees seem equally as uncomfortable .
I have only recently become a ZSL member - the conservation work is so necessary and the zoo visits fund it .
Am I being unreasonable in thinking that lots of primate enclosures should not be open to visitors ?
My 11 Ds was equally dismayed , we felt all the other animals we saw were unaffected by our presence .

Agree mackerel

The gorillas at ZSL have access to private areas at all times. There is a bridge going across the top of the walk way (as you pass the first outdoor view and come to their indoor enclosure) which leads to an enclosure the public cannot see into. They can go there to get privacy if they want it.

I don't disagree that zoos are not the best place for most animals, I think They are only justified because of their conservation work. But it's not true to say those gorillas have no privacy. If they want it, they have it.

I do wish we didn't need zoos but I also wish we didn't go round putting houses up on every mm of animals territory in this country, that people didn't destroy all the forests and wildlife in other countries for developing. And the lunacy behind rhino poaching for keratin.

Everytime I've been to london zoo there has been a volunteer asking people to be quiet and turn flashes off on cameras.

If you mean the UK, only 13% of it is developed land.

Yes I do mean the uk. We are developing in the wrong way, big fences (no gaps for hedgehogs or other wildlife) no front gardens, small rear or no gardens. lawns with no shrubbery for them to live in.
Animals affectively need corridors to link territories.
Whilst there are obviously large undeveloped areas we are trying to make villages into towns and over develop the centres (knock down a house put 20 flats in). Decimating what wildlife there is or was. There's plenty of species specific evidence of all of this. Hedgehogs, stag beetles, bats, sparrows, bees.

Anyway back to gorillas at zsl!

I am sure on the programme I watchec the window is a special window so they cant really see out I might be wrong though

But... if gardens are the problem (though round here we have plenty of shrubs, trees, front and back gardens, and corridors and I live in a major city) than surely 20 flats is better than a house - more housing on same footprint = more land left wild.

The reasons for wildlife decline in the UK are complex, things like domestic pets and incentives to grow certain crops play a big part. But we still have a massive percentage of our land not built on, so "putting houses up on every mm of animals territory in this country" is a not very helpful overstatement.

If they weren't totally happy they wouldn't be mating.

lolololol