frankly the only zoos with “dismal” conditions these days are unaccredited facilities and side-of-the-road dumps, AZA-accredited Zoos like San Diego and St. Louis are held to some of the highest standards in the world! (especially since it is very easy for zoos to LOSE the AZA accreditation if they fuck up even a little bit) steel bars and bear pits are very much a thing of the past- you’re more likely to find exhibits like these where humans and animals can interact safely and without stressing the animals.

but aside from being centers of community outreach, education, and interaction, AZA Zoos have been ABSOLUTELY INDISPENSABLE in conservation programs and saving at-risk species from extinction. Zoos have established breeding programs for endangered animals from turtles to rare antelopes, securing the species’ numbers and carefully safeguarding its genetic diversity until it can be reintroduced to the wild. 

and a LOT of species have already been yoinked out of the grasping hands of extinction by AZA Zoos in this way- the California Condor, the Arabian Oryx, and the Panamanian Golden Frog are just a few of them!

my point is that the services provided by AZA Zoos are absolutely irreplaceable, and are only going to become more important as climate change threatens and displaces more animal species than ever before. support your local AZA Zoo today! (also see some giraffes and get ice cream, yay!)