To wonder why older kids never go to the zoo?

[anotherfinemess1]

I had a fantastic day out with DS (8 years old) at London Zoo yesterday. We all loved seeing the animals and it’s great now he’s older and can read the signs and learn about species and how they are being saved in the wild. I was really shocked that he was about the oldest kid there. Why don’t older kids (8+) go to zoos any more? I hope my son never grows out of it - at the moment he wants to be a conservationist when he grows up and surely that’s going to be really important for his generation after the older generations have made such a mess of the planet!

Personal experience, and same for my kids, it's just boring unless they are little kids.

I took my daughter when she was older too, I think she was 12 when we last went.
She loved it so much her bf proposed to her there a few years ago.

Mine are 15 and 17 and we go at least once a month, we love the zoo!

Ours did. Adults now, still love a zoo.

I think 7/8 is about where kids have their own preferences.

My 8 year old is very interested in wildlife and animals and gets more out of a trip to the zoo now than when he was little.

But other kids have other interests. Mine wouldn't sit through a football match for example but some of his friends have been doing that for years.

I always see mixed primary age kids at my local zoo? Definitely more popular for younger children as they're not in school so lots of locals buy an annual pass but I still see lots of older children too!

The last time we went to the zoo it made us feel sad to see the animals locked up, dcs were 12&14. I don’t enjoy going to zoos at all, even the safari parks where the animals have a bit more space.
I can’t get past the idea that surely those giraffes would prefer to be in their natural habitat instead of being in an enclosure in the UK.

My 16 loves going to the Wildlife park.

But it is expensive so it's only once or twice a year.

Zoo entry is not cheap? We go to zoos on holidays

My 22 year old (ND) son loves a zoo. We were on holiday in September and had to include a visit to a local zoo/wildlife place.

It's depressing seeing the animals looking cold and bored. They usually hide away and they don't like being stared at and interacted with. I think older kids learn about conservation, about animal cruelty etc. Also they see so many animals and stuff online and on TV and in games, that the ones in the zoo aren't bright and shiny and exciting looking enough.
I personally hated the zoo. My school used to take us there about five times a year. It's not got a nice vibe as far as I'm concerned. Same as people riding elephants in Thailand. I wouldn't get involved in that.

Because they clock at some point that the animals are miserable and the natural world is not designed to be kept in pens and peered and poked at. I took my dc at that age, it cost a fortune and was fairly unpleasant for dc who love animals.

Perhaps as children get older they realise that these animals are in cages , locked up and it takes the shine off going to see animals. Looking at a tiger, stuck in a cage in the middle of a city, brings me no joy. I do understand that some zoos do research, and there are places where animals that were abused/sold etc are rehabilitated. I have been to one monkey sanctuary that did that and found it quite moving that they were rescued , and some of there lives and had been truly horrific before been rescued.
But I find zoos really difficult places to go and really wish we. could end them now, and perhaps only have wildlife rehabilitation places that fund ongoing environmental work.

I do agree, but most zoos are about conservation now. A lot of habitats are disappearing due to human activity - directly or indirectly - so it's some species might disappear if they weren't bred in captivity.

By 8 they didn’t want to see animals in captivity.

Depends on the zoo, but DS is also 8 and absolutely loves going. I do too honestly! We always try to find a zoo or aquarium to visit on holiday. DS also absolutely loves animals and fish, and can’t decide between being a vet, zoo keeper, marine biologist or palaeontologist (yes I’m well aware he is only 8 and this will probably change).

Our favourites are Berlin Tierpark (in East Berlin, not the Berlin Zoo), Whipsnade, and Toronto Zoo. Though London Zoo is our local and we go there the most. All brilliant with lots to see and do. I can imagine if you live somewhere with a sad little zoo and unhappy-looking animals it might not be quite so appealing.

I would say it’s a bit of “been there, done that” when they’re older.

Other new opportunities for days out open up to them. For example, I took my teens to the new Taskmaster event on their inset day instead - not an option with little ones.

A zoo trip is an expensive day out for a family, so if you’ve done it a few times when they’re small it’s not such a “special” trip.

I like the zoo but dont like it.
I love animals but seeing them in cages and locked up for people to look at instead of being in the wild how it should be.
But i get it they are looked after well and some are better off being in a zoo.
I mixed feelings about it.

London Zoo is really depressing if you're old enough to understand how animals should be kept. Fine for little kids who are just excited to see a lion.

I do a love a good zoo though. Whipsnade is fab.

What are you basing the idea that they don't know?

I do think annual tickets are common when they are younger so you go a lot, and then it gets boring. But I also know my eldest is at an age where they’re rejecting anything they see as ‘childish’ and therefore wouldn’t be caught dead at a zoo. I expect she’ll grow out of it, but plenty of adults aren’t interested in zoos either, so maybe not.

We went to a wildlife park recently and dogs outnumbered children by about three to one. Dogs were being held up by their owners to watch the penguins being fed. Some were on their hind legs barking at the poor things. Utter madness!

Because the oldest teen finds them boring. Middle teen is meh about them. So that leaves the primary schooler. Expensive day out for two out of three to be miserable too often.

I took my 12 and 14 year old to Edinburgh Zoo and it was fab. We’ve been to Taronga in Sydney semi regularly and last time I took them when they were about 11 and 13 I thought to myself “why did we come here when they were so small?” because there were loads of screeching children being dragged round, whereas mine just enjoyed the shows, we wandered round, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

I remember going when my son was about 3 and he basically just legged it the whole way round so I saw the whole place at a jog and would breathlessly call out “look a zebra” as we flew past. Would not recommend.

DD still enjoys the zoo but it has to be about more than just wondering around, we take a proper camera or a travel water colour set etc.

We used to take year 7 for a school trip and a careers talk many of them had never been before and they were enthralled.

I don't think zoos will be around much longer, ours have been struggling massively financially since COVID, they do alot of conservation work and all new animals to the zoo were trafficked and rescued.

I do get particularly sad going post the polar bears on the train though at Jimmy's Farm I think it is but again it's a programme for endangered animals.