Growing up on a hobby farm with chickens and horses, I never got the impression the animals were unhappy. I think if the option were given to most mammals, they'd choose life in captivity cage with fresh food every day and eventually a peaceful passing over a hungry life in the wild which eventually ends in becoming prey.
The "wild animal park" near San Diego has a 300 acre enclosure, for example. That's pretty darn big, and it houses various "compatible" animals.
https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/sites/default/files/...
Of course, the depressing part of the little tram tour is the "and over here is the last male of this species". The good part is the park was started as a breeding ground for endangered species (animals don't breed well in small enclosures) and that has been pretty successful.
In addition, zoos are also responsible for re-populating vulnerable or endangered species. Zoos spend a lot of money on this. They also return healthy animals back into the wild in service of this.
See the AZA's standards on animal care here: https://www.aza.org/animal-management?locale=en
As far as looking at a tiger for the 200th time goes, I mean, I never get tired of the dumb shit one of our cats does, and we've seen him way more than 200 times now! (We got him at three months old; he's 8 now.) I love getting glimpses into other animals that you would normally never see!
Now, there are definitely shitty zoos that actually do capture and lock up animals purely for entertainment, with patrons none the wiser to it. The most popular "aquarium" in Houston, for example, is actually a restaurant and is not AZA-accredited, which is usually (not always) an indicator that the animals are abused and mistreated.
These manuals are INSANELY detailed. There is absolutely no question that the keepers who helped create these manuals genuinely care about the animals they tend to. (Some of the manuals specify how large exhibits should be depending on whether the animals are staying on exhibit for a while or are preparing for a transition back into the wild!)
Folks that are on engineering organizations (like IEEE) or working groups (like the Kubernetes or Bluetooth SIGs) might appreciate the nuances here!
I also learned that zoologists from Disney's Animal Kingdom are HUGE contributors to these manuals and that Walt Disney himself was key in inspiring zoos to shift away from entertainment and towards conservation!
Yes, popping down to the Memphis Zoo for a few hours gives me and my family great joy. The animals are not free to roam the plains, but they are free from constant predation. More importantly, Zoos can be wonderful cultural centers, animal research, preservers of at risk species, educational and environmental education, on and on. Does it really seem that weird?
HOWEVER, Memphis Zoo smells like… a zoo… and hard pass on that for a work day.
I wish my body handled laptop ergonomics better. I just can't deal with it for days on end, got to have my desktop, big monitor, fancy mouse and comfy chair.
Feed animals in the zoo
Then later, a movie too
And then home