To be frank the bear enclosures in Chicago circa 1910 were light years ahead of some enclosures common elsewhere. This is a bear cage at the Little Rock Zoo in 1910. Sixty years later the same style of bear cage was still used in places like Hampton Park in Charleston, SC. What's remarkable is the effort that went into rethinking and rebuilding most American Zoos in the thirty five years after the Second World War. By the the mid-1980's few of the really old inappropriate enclosures remained.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Zoos evolve
Posted by
B.E.Trumble
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5 comments:
Ben,
I think people became a bit more sensitive and "educated" about the world around them, given the invention and use of the atomic bomb. I used to read and reread, like you and many others, as a child the old books by Hagenbeck, Corbett, Martin, etc. etc. and it seemed like the best, most exciting kind of life in the world. But I wasn't really comprehending what they were really doing. As I got older and I realize that in order to capture 60 Polar Bear cubs, Hagenbeck killed at least 30 Polar Bear mothers, by driving them into the water and netting the babies on deck, and I comprehended why Corbett felt the need for National parks, I also started looking at the keeping of animals in captivity different. I for one will encourage them to keep getting better, and I am sure in 20 years what today is considered "state of the art", will be obsolete.
Wade
Ben i am just curios what is your opinion on why do you think Corbettfelt the need for national parks ? CuriosRaul
Raul,
I am supposing that he realized there were not as many tigers to hunt, as there were earlier. Corbett dispatch mainly man eaters. The fact that a man of his profession, noted the loss and the need for conservation early on speaks volumes to the individual. Past "crimes" are easily forgiven in that scenario.
Wade
Thank you Wade for answering for Ben but i do share the same point of view as you . ps i am the proud owner of one copy he sighn to another person of the same profession CleanRaul
Raul,
I can name 5 that would be worthy of a book signed to them by Corbett. If it is one of those, what do you want for the book? Or do you want to work out a swap for goats and horses. LOL
Wade
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