Replies to post #480858 on Tornado Alley (PROG)

[zab]

This might be dated, I grew up with Ringland Brothers Circle, all of it, even my first year back from college. 20 of us went to the circus, Madison Square Garden, it wasn't the same. Went down to see my Lions close up, they looked sad, tired, and that cage, I changed. 30 years later, saw a Shriners Circus, the lion could barely get up, broke my heart.

[newmedman]

I love the zoo too. I have since I was a little guy. I think that nowadays they are more of a conservatory than anything else. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes that I never even realized. The zoos in different states have networks that share a ton of info with one another and sometimes even their animals for breeding purposes.

There's endangered species that are kept thriving and some even get released back into the wild these days. I know it might seem a little selfish to keep caged animals but this isn't my father's zoo anymore. Everything we do is with our cohabitants in mind. After all, the guests don't come there to watch me fix a broken door or bench. They come to see the majesty of the wilderness that they would not be able to otherwise witness on their own.

The days of the traveling circuses are over.