More U.S Zoos Closing Elephant Exhibits

From National Geographic News:  The Bronx Zoo is the most recent of zoos making the decision to discontinue elephant exhibits.   Officials at the zoo decided to close the exhibit for the benefit of their three current elephant residents -- Happy, Maxine and Patty.  Says Bronx Zoo spokesperson, Alison Power:   "Committing to elephants into the future would require us to build up a new herd, and there is no guarantee that our three girls would accept new elephants."  Nonetheless, the exhibit will continue while the elephants are still in resident.

This however, sparks a debate about whether animals should be kept in captivity.  For my part, I'm pretty anti-zoo -- a stance I've had to relax a bit, since now I have a two year old daughter who does seem to enjoy it.  Still, we've only been twice in her short two-year-old life, and I'm hoping I can get away with not going again.

What about you -- how do you feel about zoos?

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