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A Crowded Ark by Jon R. Luoma
Surveys the history of zoos, describes the activities of modern zoos, and assesses their role in helping to save endangered species
Hardcover
First published November 1, 1987
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January 2, 2023
This book read like a massive National Geographic article, and I mean that as a compliment, as I like that magazine. The writer has a way of putting you in certain situations as you read so I almost felt like I was experiencing some of the things he wrote about. I got bogged down in some of the heavily scientific parts, but the book was still interesting to me.
The zoo as a whole is compared to an ark. How do you decide which species to save? Can zoos be a part of the solution in reintroducing animals back into their natural habitat, assuming, of course, that there's any left? Should zoos be playing more of a part in conservation and not just collecting and exhibiting animals? Can zoos develop successful breeding programs for some of the highly endangered animals in their care?
There are a lot of questions like these posed in the book, and the research to answer those questions was fascinating. This book was written in 1987, and I couldn't help but wonder how many more species have gone extinct since then.
This book also traces the history of zoos, from about 2500 BddC. to the present. We read about how zoos used to be primarily collections of royalty and then the elite. We read about the Roman sport of gladiators and those in opposition to the Roman government were thrown to the lions while crowds watched and cheered. Beasts were pitted against each other as well. It was a bloody sport. Zoos gradually improved and are still improving, but there are still roadside menageries and circus acts, of which the author definitely doesn't support here. He writes in favor of zoos today, or at least the ones that are truly trying to improve their exhibits, not just for the visitors, but for the animals as well.
The zoo as a whole is compared to an ark. How do you decide which species to save? Can zoos be a part of the solution in reintroducing animals back into their natural habitat, assuming, of course, that there's any left? Should zoos be playing more of a part in conservation and not just collecting and exhibiting animals? Can zoos develop successful breeding programs for some of the highly endangered animals in their care?
There are a lot of questions like these posed in the book, and the research to answer those questions was fascinating. This book was written in 1987, and I couldn't help but wonder how many more species have gone extinct since then.
This book also traces the history of zoos, from about 2500 BddC. to the present. We read about how zoos used to be primarily collections of royalty and then the elite. We read about the Roman sport of gladiators and those in opposition to the Roman government were thrown to the lions while crowds watched and cheered. Beasts were pitted against each other as well. It was a bloody sport. Zoos gradually improved and are still improving, but there are still roadside menageries and circus acts, of which the author definitely doesn't support here. He writes in favor of zoos today, or at least the ones that are truly trying to improve their exhibits, not just for the visitors, but for the animals as well.
Displaying 1 of 1 review