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Zoos would be great if they were all world class research institutions and rehabilitation centers. We'd have far, far fewer zoos and the ones remaining would be of a higher quality.

Instead, every jurisdiction with two zip codes has its own mediocre animal jail. Not to mention the uncountable number of private zoos. I'd personally like to see those regulated out of existence, except when very high standards of welfare can be met.

> If society believes that some animals should not be in captivity at all due to moral/practical reasons, it is worth asking: What other technologically driven solutions can be made/used to help people of all demographics experience what it is like to be in front of X animal

Seems like the perfect use case for VR?

Let's solve everything with VR. Throw in some cryptochain as well for good measure.

Don’t forget some AI, machine learning and microservices!

VR can give you an experience for something you'll be unlikely to ever do yourself for real.

It may also allow you to experience animals that have gone extinct.

It's not a technology without merit.

Weird reply. This is precisely a use case where VR in particular is useful.

brilliant! can we call in cryptozoology?

>What other technologically driven solutions can be made/used to help people of all demographics experience what it is like to be in front of X animal?

I would say education teaching people that the urge to be 'in front of X animal' is likely dangerous and destructive and something we shouldn't do.

The use of media tools to allow limited interactions to be shared with much wider audiences like we see with Our Planet and other nature documentaries are more than enough to provide information, exposure, and there is no doubt that movies and media has already inspired thousands of biologists and other scientists to get into their fields (I know biologists that refer to themselves as the free willy generation due to their love of biology and nature starting with those movies at a young age, for example)

> If society believes that some animals should not be in captivity at all due to moral/practical reasons, it is worth asking: What other technologically driven solutions can be made/used to help people of all demographics experience what it is like to be in front of X animal?

Honestly, I think it's a bit weird to think these problems need to be solved at the same time. If we accept that there is something deeply immoral about holding these animals in captivity, that absolutely and immediately overshadows the problem of, how do we get these animals in front of as many diverse demographics as possible now so they can (we hope) act in favor of conservation?

As a kid I loved zoos. As an adult, I think zoos are an anachronism from a time with different values. If there wasn't a single zoo today, would a zoo be the best way to share animal life with the world? I am guessing we could do better.

In Hawaii myself and a friend have been working to convince the local tourism industry to organize into a self-regulating body which aims to aid marine science, educate the public through workshops and exposure to wildlife, and to do so without adversely impacting sea creatures' abilities to perform their essential life functions. There were some people on Moku O Keawe working on something similar for manta tourism.

They CAN.

They usually don't.

First, most zoos end up having to be driven by capitalism (even if they are non-profit), and as such are incentivized to try to game-ify the experience. Many parents and most children don't want to pay money to be lectured to. They want to have FUN.

Therefore, the experience ends up arriving at an awkward intersection between science and commerce, and it can create unhelpful connotations between animal captivity and entertainment.

Second, most people have an inate understanding that a living creature in captivity is wrong, and likely not super beneficial for the creature. So the zoos - both super conservation-focused ones, and brutal cruel entertainment zones alike - have to make an effort to justify and convince the public that actually the animals are well taken care of, are comfortable, and happy, true or not.

This further perpetuates the idea in people's heads that animals exist for our amusement and we can give them a better happier life than the wilderness.

Why is all this a problem? Because childhood memories are formative and significant. These experiences shape us and our understanding of the world. We are in a significant time of species extinction - caused directly by human activity. The amount that people care about this, about deforestation, about habitat loss, directly affects how much they care about voting for policies that either help the situation, or exacerbate it.

I'll reiterate - I think zoos/aquariums CAN be a force of good here and help change many people's minds. But I don't know if overall they are a net good if the majority of the uneducated population just treats them as an entertainment escape and formulates in their head that it's not a big deal if rhinos go extinct as long as we can still see them at zoos.

You can rent a jetski at Treasure Island, FL and see wild dolphins in the bay for the same price as SeaWorld tickets.