Would you go to the zoo or circus?

Well said, VegMike!!! People may argue "zoos save animals who may otherwise go extinct". Well why the f*ck are they going extinct anyway? 99.9% of the time of recorded history, it has been as a direct result of humans' greed, short-sightedness and general sickness of spirit.
I love critters and I love to see them. However, I respect their rights and I don't participate in that anymore.

Zoos and circus's might be the only way to see some of the animals in person for some children...by the time my kids are grown, some of these animals may be extinct and they'll never have the opportunity to travel and see them in their natural habitat.
I am torn on it; some say that the animals are mistreated and it's slavery; some say that if not for captivity and breeding, that the animals numbers would be significantly lower....supposedly, the circus that comes to our town supports an elephant sanctuary...
This year will be the third circus I have taken my son to...and my baby's first...if you arrive an hour before show time, you can go in and "meet" the animals and performers. I think it's a wonderful opportunity for my children to see these animals up close...but not without a lesson; I will explain to them how some are mistreated, and why it's so important to be good to the animals.

I have been to a zoo before, and it was quite depressing to see animals just lying around with glazed expressions on their faces. That is no way to live. I hate the circus. Words cannot express how much I hate it.

Maybe a circus that didnt have animals.
Zoos no. Thier sad. i wanted to cry. elephants arnt supposed to know what concrete is, sand cats dont belong in kennels
the big cats are in too tiny of a space and the wolves.....The wolves who can roam up to 45 miles a day are put in a space probably smaller than an acre. thier dirty places that most all of the times dont give a shite and also have smaller petting zoos nestled inside them.
so no and fuck no again.

I find it strange that so many people are choosing to make negative comments about ALL circuses, based on issues which they have with the ones that exploit animals.

My mum and I went to see the circus when it came here a few years ago. It was great. They had no animals. What's the problem ?

I had to go to one a couple of years ago for uni. Yes I'm doing a degree in zoology and the Melbourne Zoo is in a park across the road from my campus, so it was only a matter of time (I wasn't required to pay to get in btw).

On some levels zoos are a necessary evil, as conservation and breeding programs require funding and what better way to get funds for animals you are breeding than to put them on display? Breeding programs are getting somewhere with some species, Giant Panda have been successfully reintroduced to the wild as a good example of an animal which draws a crowd but will go extinct without intervention.

However there are SO MANY NEGATIVES, years ago I wanted to work in a zoo based breeding program but now I never would. The Melbourne Zoo has been embroiled in controversy since last year, after reports of a mfkr who repeatedly stabbed one of the elephants in his care was NOT EVEN SACKED!!! I wrote to the zoo and they don't give a shit. click here for news report.

So don't be persuaded by the lie that zoos are no longer the abusive menageries of old... abuse is still rife even in the "progressive" countries. Take a look at this forum thread from a couple of months back: http://vegifide.com/forlife/node/2071

Not at all!! This video may explain why… Circuses and zoos are another sort of animal exploitation. Animals are constantly suffering just for a few minutes of our entertainment (??? … I don’t even find it funny, though!!). There are alternative ways of having fun and you can even find circuses without animals (in case you’re very fond of circus). Why do they have to suffer just for me to have fun??? This is an abuse!

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=ziLyVMw8FRw

And the same happens with zoos. Animals are not in their natural habitat and you are getting economical advantage of them. If we extrapolate this situation to human context, it may be called SLAVERY and EXPLOITATION.

No to circus's... i just, think that's wrong. i here that living conditions are horrible in circus's for non human organisms. Zoo's, are kinda iffy... i don't really think it's right to keep any living being caged. but some zoo's work on helping endangered animals repopulate. i guess it's a matter of the cause of the zoo. if they just kinda have a bunch of caged animals, then ya... that's wrong.

NO! You want to see "wild-life;" adopt it or see it in "the wild!" Say "NO" to "Animal Adventure Parks" like Sea World and the "Six Flags Animal Safari" too.

the two times i went to the zoo before becoming veg*n, i was so terribly saddened by the creatures who were there. the donkey and a couple of gorillas looked like every bit of life in them had been sucked out. there were others that looked bored, but they just looked ... dead on the inside. i can't stand to see animals inside a cage. it's absolutely horrible. i would go to a circus for the same reason. there's a whole world out there, and we've stolen it from them.

Only if I was there to protest.

I have gone to both in my earlier years. Now, no...not to either. It is one of the things in this world that causes tears to well up in my eyes, and a knot to grow in my throat.

Who are we to cage another life?
Marie

Zoo, MAYBE. Circus...NEVER!

Personally I can't do either.

I went to the circus once in second grade on a class trip and was highly traumatized by the whole thing, it was entirely depressing.

As for the zoo, I used to go to zoo camp (oh yes they have such things or at least they used to) and did a few overnights at the Cincinnati Zoo (one of the "better" zoos in this country) it did encourage my love of animals I innately had, but I never liked seeing the monkeys behind bars when indoors, the small spaces provided to the tigers and poor Brutus the walrus all alone in his tiny tank.

The last time I went to a zoo was when I was 12, I was in the children's zoo area in the nursery. We were getting a lecture on endangered species and artificial insemination. Being the inquisitive cat that I am, I pulled out of them that they would sedate cheetahs, primates, etc. and artificially inseminate them even if they'd never previously mated. It made me so upset to think about a poor teenage girl going to bed one day, not knowing what's happening to her body, and waking up a few months down the road to give birth. Then often times the baby was immediately taken away since they would be worried about the response of an unknowing mother (depending on the species). I know my sensitivities were heightened at that age with puberty and all, but it really troubled me and I decided I didn't want to support that behavior. I had and still have the mindset that if i wouldn't want it for myself I won't support it for others. Yes I know many of you would say the species will go extinct otherwise, but I'm more of a naturalist and don't necessarily think it's best to preserve a species in an unnatural environment. Having rescue programs that allow more "natural" mating to repopulate open spaces with species like California Condor I don't find nearly as objectionable, but doubling panda populations just to be kept in captivity.......I believe in quality of life over quantity.

When I eventually have some kids or take my nieces/nephews to learn about animals, I'd love to go take "field trips" to see animals in their natural environment, like porcupines in Northern Michigan, bison in Utah, moose, deer, elk, in Colorado, javelinas, tarantulas, coyotes in the Sonoran desert, snorkeling off the Great Barrier Reef, giraffes, elephants, zebra roaming over plains in Kenya, etc.

Never. Especially not the circus. However there are some zoo type places that look after hurt wild animals and act as more of a sanctuary, and that's a good thing, so i'd visit one of those places if the opportunity arose.

CIRCUS.... Never.... Maybe Cirque D'soleil... with humans doing parlor tricks! :)

Zoos do depend. If it is the type of zoo that houses animals that cannot be released back to their natural habitats (like Mystic Aquarium, CT) then, yeah... I would def. go. Are they zoos where animals are caught from the wild for no other reason then to be put on display (like the Maine zoo) then no... Plus, the condition of the animals and their living conditions is a huge deal to me. If they are clean, well fed, and not able to be poked at or have stuff thrown at them by stupid children... then thats a bonus...

But, CIRCUS SUCKS!!!

Circuses are terrible and if you think they aren't then watch Earthlings.

If you MUST circus then Cirque de Soleil i guess.

I would never go to an animal circus and most likely won't be going to a zoo again.

From what I've seen/heard/read, animal-based circuses are horrid and basically nothing more than torture and cruelty. It is NOT natural for the animals to do what they are forced to do and endure... the torturous training, the confinement, the travel.

The whole zoo environment is a sad state-of-affairs, from my personal experience and from what little research I've done. There may be preservation/education issues that zoos attempt to promote, but... None of the animals I've seen in zoos ever look happy (but I guess I really can't say that they're not just "being animals"). Their quarters are barely a mere fraction of what their true territories would encompass. Most of the general public look upon these animals simply as something to amuse them on a sunny afternoon... or something to make fun of.

I personally think a one-time "zoo encounter" could possibly be justified for a child just so that they could personally see how magnificent these creatures are and how important it is to do what we can to help preserve their NATURAL habitat in their own home countries.... but maybe not. If what guernica says is true about all zoos, then I could support a zoo like that... if the animals had nowhere in their own country to safely live. I know that with overpopulation, pollution, poaching, and deforestation, many animals are already running out of (or HAVE run out of) natural land in which to live. So... I'm not sure.

Just as "There's plenty to eat without chosing meat", there's plenty to do outside of the zoo. ;P There are so many other activities out there to occupy our time, to provide us with entertainment/amusement, to WOW! us with uniqueness, and to let allow us to interact with animals (probably not mountain gorillas, elephants, or giraffes, of course) and nature without the negative issues related to zoos and circuses. Human circuses - like Circus Contraption, based out of Seattle, with aerialists and aerialistas, unusual and unique comedy and music - are rare (outside of the coasts and major cities)... but awesome! Hopefully it's a quickly growing phenomenon!

I would go.

I would never pay to go to one. But I've gone to a zoo a few times when there was free admission to scope out how the animals were treated and drop-off some vegetarian pamphlets (there was an earth day event). But it's too depressing regardless. I guess it just depends on what kind of zoo it is to begin with. As for the circus, never interested me at all - would never go even if there weren't animals involved.