I completely agree with you Aeoncat, for the most part. Until, you look at the bigger picture...
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Its about time we start treating animals as we would treat ourselves.
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Most of the human population is mal-nourished. Either scraping to stay alive in a third world country or grossly over fed and undernourished from a fast food diet (I've been to AZ so I know you know what this means!!!). We drink alcohol until we pass out. We smoke ciggarettes until we fall ill and die. We drink caffeine to keep us awake when our bodies tell us we need rest. If we are a little under the weather, we take chemicals which make us feel ok even if we need to rest and heal. As we age, we pound our bodies with synthetic hormones to trick us into feeling young again. Then we die a painful and agonizing death from liver failure or coronary overload or get killed by someone else in an accidental but likely preventable motor vehicle crash.
I wouldn't wish any animal to be treated the way we treat ourselves!!!! (please note, I understand that this is only the norm, and that yes, some of us do look after ourselves)
Ideally, I agree, zoos would be a thing of the past, with animals roaming safely and freely in the wild. People would live harmoniously with nature, respect the environment, themselves and their children. However, not all people are capable of this kind of thought. Honestly, its sad, but it appears that most people don't think up stuff like this on their own.
Beacause of zoos, we have secured all kinds of wildlife refuges, and saved many habitats which would have otherwise been consumed by the greedier types. By allowing the uneducated, and out of touch people to see animals, and learn about them they develop a sense of attachment for them, and on their way out the zoo gates...make a charitable donation to organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund or Friends of the Rainforest, who are making real life differences in maintaining some degree of global biodiversity. Without many of the greater zoos, we would not have all kinds of re-intorduction programs, educational programs for schools, and initiatives to save habitats.
In my local area (southern Ontario) we are now starting to see bald eagles again, thanks in part to a joint initiative by the toronto zoo, and WWF, and some other groups.
In the foothills of the canadian rockies, the black footed ferret is fast making a comeback and has been denoted from an endangered species to a threatened species, and will hopefully make it off that list too. The Toronto zoo is also involved in a re-introductory breeding program for the ferrets.
Now, it needs to be recognized that there are all different kinds of zoos. Like you, never ever in my wildest dreams would I take my child to a roadside zoo to view caged animals. Perhaps as a teenager, only as a lesson in the wrongs of society, followed by some kind of peaceful protest preferably!
But some of the larger zoos, which operate as vehicles for saving habitat, and educational tools for the public...which house their animals in large fenced acreages, when you're lucky if you actually get to see any of them as the zoo train goes by, the habitats are so large they're often hidden from site. They operate only as non-profit organizations. Most of their animals come to them as rescues, mothers killed by poachers, mamed in a trap, liberated from a roadside zoo or life as an exotic pet....
They're really doing us more good than harm.
I know its sad, so sad that a few individuals live this way to benefit the masses. But unfortunately, not all humans are as fortunate as you to come into the world with a soft spot for animals, and as such need more than just a little nudge to push them in that direction.