How many of us grew up visiting the zoo at least once a year? When you’re young, the zoo is a magical place through which you can experience wildlife that you would have otherwise not been able to witness in North America. The economy has impacted all of us around the country, and on a smaller scale, has even impacted vast wildlife reserves and societies. The state of New York is the most prevalent example of the funding crisis, with the Wildlife Conservation Society requiring budget cuts of $15 million, $10 million of that being from staff cuts. Most of these cuts will impact zoos and other types of wildlife organizations, which has become an issue plaguing most conservationists today.
The Bronx Zoo won a small battle, wherein it petitioned thousands of patrons to write letters and emails to the governor by April 1, begging him to reconsider the budget cuts that would adversely affect the zoo and its animals. The legislature and governor decided to overturn the motion for budget cuts for this specific organization, but the state of New York is still suffering from the proposed cuts. In the eyes of the state government, most zoos and other wildlife organizations rely largely on donations from wealthy patrons, which is why they decided that this sector of society would be the easiest to take a budget cut. What they failed to recognize is that due to the economy, most patrons no longer have the means to make sizable donations like they made in the past.
By ending this era of zoo funding, the zoos of New York will produce less traffic, which means less educational experiences for school age children, and less fond memories of wildlife. Through staff cuts, animals will get less of their needed attention, and specific zoos and aquariums might be forced to scale back on their wildlife, instead sending animals to different zoos across the country. The zoo has come a great way from the early menageries of the eighteenth century, and the days of Hagenbeck’s zoo, which transported the most exotic animals from Africa into Europe during the late nineteenth century. This was an incredible transition that was made in order to introduce the public to animals they would never otherwise see in the wild. With this type of viewing comes increased knowledge about animals, animal life, and history.
Zoos also provide a safe haven for many animals around the world that would otherwise be extinct due to animal poaching and overhunting. Red pandas as well as the endangered snow leopard are some of the species unique to Central Park, and in order to keep rescuing similar endangered creatures, the budget needs to remain the same to ensure the proper care for these animals. The state needs to recognize that so many early memories are formed based on encounters with animals, mostly through zoos, and taking away the means to support this would be detrimental to the early education of many citizens.
This post was contributed by Heidi Taylor, who writes about the online universities. She welcomes your feedback at HeidiLTaylor006 at gmail.com
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