Do you think its cruel to the animals? So much so that you would stop your children going to either?

Im 100% fine with Zoo's. Maybe its because im a wimp but I reckon if I was an animal id prefer to be in a Zoo than in the wild (dont shout at me lol). I just reckon it would be nice not to be scared of being eaten by another animal, have a constant supply of food, medical care etc and in most reputable Zoo's the animals are well cared for. In fact most animals are bred in captivity so dont know what they missing. I think id be a bit scared in a jungle, even if I was a big giraffe or something

Circuses are a hard one. I do think its cruel to animals to spend so much time in cages on the road, and even when they park up they have so little space to roam. In saying that, while I dont agree with them I do think if Caitlin asked to go at age 5/6 I might take her. Thats a bit hypocritical though isnt it?

I did think about adding farms to this debate and then realised that farms are natural habitats? Arent they lol? The only thing that appalled me was at our local farm you get to pet the chicks and a little boy of about 5 nearly choked one to death while he was handling it!

I think it depends on the individual zoo or circus... and what animals there are.. i think horses at a circus are ok but i wouldn't go to a circus that has elephants and things like that.
Zoo's obviously depends on how well the animals seem to be looked after. If I went to a Zoo and they had a bear in a tiny enclosure or tiger in a cage sort of thing I wouldn't go back. provided it all looks quite natural and nice for them I don't have a problem.

i agree it depends on how well looked after they are, animals in zoo's tend to live longer than thoies in the wild...i was at the zoo the other day and felt a little guilty thinking gawd id hate to be locked up with all these people gawping at me lol, but that are well cared for in the majority of cases

circus i feel differentley about, i went to one in france and my mum ended up waling out half way throught as it was so obvious the animals were in distress!! i think a lot of animals in circuses are kept in poor conditions and its not fair at all x

I have no problem with most zoos. Am anti the circus though but thats partly because i've never been as my parents thought they were cruel

i love zoo's im a big animal person..

however some zoos are much better than others, i love chester because the enclosures are huge and tend to be ideal for the animals in them, alot of work and research goes into them.

where as a local zoo is so old that some of the enclosures are concrete and horrid.

but the worst one i went to was one where there was animals were in cages, and that appauled me, we left shortly after getting there as i couldnt stand watching the animals

edinburgh zoo is improving. I used to hate it because they had mercedes the polar bear on anti depressants and pacing around a tiny enclosure. so they moved her to an animal park up north. now they have changed the whole layout and moved animals that they couldnt provide the right enclosures to. they dont have giraffes anymore because they are supposed to have an enclosure with 50% indoor and 50% outdoor access.

the last time we visited the zoo we went to all the talks and they have started a big chimp project which means they can choose to actually learn how to use computers on a reward basis but are never forced to do it. the door is left open for them to enter if they want. it has changed my whole view on zoos to see how much they have changed and improved. they also said that a lot of wild animals would actually choose to live in captivity because they know when their next meal is coming especially tigers as they can be quite lazy when it comes to hunting.

I will not go to a circus that has animals it's cruel, zoo,s I will go as long as the animals have plenty of room etc and are happy x

I didnt think in the uk they used animals in circuses anymore?

But zoos, i suppose in one way not great to be a in a confined space but in another, without zoos, a lot of animals would long be extinct so they serve a valuable purpose. But then I suppose there is an argument for messing with nature's plans but not going there as if turned around on human aspect, I know I would not turn down medical treatments if i needed them and that could be messing with nature's plans. (hmmm, tangent there....)

Circuse I feel less comfortable with because I have this view (and probs skewed) of animals in the tiniest cages made to learn tricks they dont want to learn and being ppunished if not done. But then on the other hand it is amazing ot see the performances. But on the other other hand, bull fighting is a spectacle to watch but that is clearly cruel.

So... sitting on the fence here then......

Mandy xx