A few pictures from Dartmoor Zoological Society -- Sparkwell

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Just a few pictures from Sparkwell Zoo near Plymouth. Most of these were taken at great distance and some of them through fencing, so best I could do in those circumstances.
I'm somewhat ambivalent about zoos. Are they for public spectacle or genuine conservation organisations? I know they try to breed most of their animals but it's probably not with the intention of returning them to the wild, even if this was a good idea, which in most cases, it wouldn't be.
I think it is important, when one sees an animal in captivity looking bored, to remember that even in the wild, animals look bored and that we should not necessarily anthropomorphise them and think how we would feel in their position.

Sparkwell-2 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

Sparkwell-5 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

Sparkwell-11 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr


Sparkwell-9 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

Sparkwell-10 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr


Sparkwell-1 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

Sparkwell-3 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

Sparkwell-8 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr
 
Nice shots. I feel pretty much the same about zoos; some more so than others. I think if it's a choice between captive animals or extinction then the zoo is the better option, but I'm not sure that it's always the best option.
 
TFS this set, Martin. It's (relatively!) local to us and we might be members there (not sure if our membership has expired -I'll have to ask Mrs Nod!) The Lynx kits look cute as buttons! A few years ago, they used to feed the Jaguar whole heads (cattle and pony [they have a license to do their own butchery on culled ponies]) but someone complained so they now do that out of hours!

The ethics of zoos is a difficult one. I suppose the life expectancy of residents/inmates compared to their wild relatives could be an indicator and in general, captives live longer. Not needing to catch your own meals could be seen as either a pro or a con - far easier to have it served on a plate but, as Cat in Red Dwarf said, "I like my food to moooove!" Having a partner delivered could also be a good thing - Flaviu (DZP's escapee male Lynx) certainly seems to like it!!!
 
Nod said:
TFS this set, Martin. It's (relatively!) local to us and we might be members there (not sure if our membership has expired -I'll have to ask Mrs Nod!) The Lynx kits look cute as buttons! A few years ago, they used to feed the Jaguar whole heads (cattle and pony [they have a license to do their own butchery on culled ponies]) but someone complained so they now do that out of hours!

The ethics of zoos is a difficult one. I suppose the life expectancy of residents/inmates compared to their wild relatives could be an indicator and in general, captives live longer. Not needing to catch your own meals could be seen as either a pro or a con - far easier to have it served on a plate but, as Cat in Red Dwarf said, "I like my food to moooove!" Having a partner delivered could also be a good thing - Flaviu (DZP's escapee male Lynx) certainly seems to like it!!!
Click to expand...
The lynx kittens were completely unfazed by an audience. They were climbing all over the branches and each other. I did have a sequence of one of them tumbling off a [low] branch while reaching out to grab anything to save itself, but it fell on the other side of an upright trunk so the pictures didn't really show the incident, just a flailing of paws and not much else; shame, but that's photography for you.
 
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ShinySideUp said:
Just a few pictures from Sparkwell Zoo near Plymouth. Most of these were taken at great distance and some of them through fencing, so best I could do in those circumstances.
I'm somewhat ambivalent about zoos. Are they for public spectacle or genuine conservation organisations? I know they try to breed most of their animals but it's probably not with the intention of returning them to the wild, even if this was a good idea, which in most cases, it wouldn't be.
I think it is important, when one sees an animal in captivity looking bored, to remember that even in the wild, animals look bored and that we should not necessarily anthropomorphise them and think how we would feel in their position.

Sparkwell-2 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

Sparkwell-5 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

Sparkwell-11 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr


Sparkwell-9 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

Sparkwell-10 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr


Sparkwell-1 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

Sparkwell-3 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr

Sparkwell-8 by Martin Baxter, on Flickr
Click to expand...
Beautiful stuff!
 
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