Zoo conservation success stories often come in the form of birth announcements. Breeding in captivity can be challenging, especially when animals are transported to and from zoological societies to maintain biodiversity. This year, a rare armadillo was born in Minnesota; a giant panda had a cub at the San Diego Zoo; a collared lemur, tree kangaroo and an African lion were all born in the Bronx Zoo; a wombat was born in Brookfield, Illinois; a giraffe was born in Denver; vultures, an elephant and a gerenuk were born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom; Houston welcomed a giraffe, a porcupine and a rare sifaka; the Lincoln Park Zoo hatched a penguin; two rare snow cloud leopards were birthed at the Washington DC Zoological facility; Oregon got a new elephant baby; the San Francisco facility got a new gorilla and the Atlanta facility received a new panda; San Diego’s Wild Animal Park got a cheetah, an Indian rhino and three Sumatran tigers.

In 2007, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums released an article discussing zoo conservation success stories that happened that year alone. More than 6,000 Wyoming toad tadpoles were released into the wild, bringing these neat-patterned amphibians back from the brink of extinction. Fifty-two Perdido beach mice were housed in a Florida breeding facility to protect their species following a devastating hurricane. With just 400 North Atlantic right whales left, there are now 3,693 conservation projects underway to improve their situation. The 215 black-and-white ruffed lemurs held in captivity are now being reintroduced to the wild in Madagascar.

Anne Warner, zoo conservation manager at the Oregon Zoo, said their .8 million “Predators of the Serengeti animal exhibit hopes to draw more attention to the plight of the cheetah, African lion and painted dog. She explains, “Visitors have to understand why it’s important to help — why support conservation?” At the artistic, innovative exhibit, guests will come nose-to-nose with lions, a caracal, African wild dogs and rock pythons that appear as though they’re lounging at a wildlife sanctuary, rather than a zoo. Careful landscaping, heated dens and waterfalls all make the animals’ realm more comfortable, as visitors are invited to imagine a world without these magnificent animals.

Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed panic attacks help as well as tips on the various medications for panic disorder available at www.anxietydisordercure.com.

“Animals in zoos are confined in unnatural conditions. A cheetah, the fastest land animal, cannot reach her top speed of 60 mph when confined in a cage. An elephant, which may walk 17 miles a day in the wild, cannot do so in her tiny barren enclosure,” writes a spokesperson for the Captive Animals’ Protection Society. “The zoo industry may argue that such animals do not need to hunt or forage for food, or migrate with the seasons, but this simply reveals how unnatural a captive life is for wild animals. These animals are designed for a life in the wild, not for a life in a zoo for the amusement of humans. It is now down to the public to express their concern by avoiding zoos.” They are not alone in their opinion, either. Many animal rights activists also protest against holding animals in captivity.

Organizations like Animal Liberation Victoria rigorously debate zoos as positive forces of change. They argue that only 120 out of 5,926 endangered species are in breeding programs in zoos, not to mention animals like elephants and pandas are difficult to breed in captivity. Small populations may resort to inbreeding, which produces weaker offspring. The lack of survival instincts, poaching and habitat destruction threatens the survival of re-introduced wild animals anyway. Therefore, the argument that these animal exhibits promote conservation of exotic animals is a myth, ALV of Australia argues.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), is another wild animals protection organization opposed to zoological facilities, enclosed pens and wildlife spectacles. “Animals are often prevented from doing most of the things that are natural and important to them, like running, roaming, flying, climbing, foraging, choosing a partner, and being with others of their own kind,” their website says. “Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to interfere with animals and keep them locked up in captivity, where they are bored, cramped, lonely, deprived of all control over their lives, and far from their natural homes.”

Wild animals trapped in zoos often meet cruel deaths, PETA argues, pointing to several noteworthy examples. The Virginia zoological facilities saw the deaths of 10 prairie dogs from a tunnel collapse, a rhino that drowned in her moat and a zebra who perished from a broken neck when she bolted from her pen. In St. Louis, two polar bears died after one ingested objects that had been thrown into their animal exhibit and the other was found to have two dead fetuses in her womb. Gorillas in Dallas and Siberian tigers in San Francisco were shot to death after escaping their pens. Undoubtedly, animals are suffering in the wild too; but the argument is that if we can’t take care of these animals properly in captivity, then we shouldn’t be subjecting them to this cruelty.

Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed panic attacks help as well as tips on the various medications for panic disorder available at www.anxietydisordercure.com.

Animal rights activists feel that zoo parks are morally wrong for enclosing wild animals in such tight spaces, forcing them to suffer through lives of captivity for our selfish pleasure. They argue that tampering with an animal’s life in any way is wretched. There are a number of activists who oppose zoological breeding facilities, which they say are mere farms for circuses and other exploitative enterprises. This is just one view, of course. There are still a number of zoo keeper biologists who feel very passionate about animal conservation and species preservation. Even so, it’s alarming to see the number of incidents that occur at zoos around the world.

Zoo parks sometimes fail due to mismanagement, as was the case with the National Zoo in Washington DC. Under zoo director Lucy Spelman’s care, two red pandas died after ingesting aluminum phosphide pellets that were intended to kill rats. An African lion died after being left alone all night following surgery. A bobcat was put down for an ingrown claw and a pack of zebras starved to death from hypothermia and starvation. Animal rights advocates were also clamoring to know what killed 23 other animals during a short time span, including a young pygmy hippo, a bear, two giraffes, a seal, an orangutan, a panda, a lion and a bobcat. No paperwork was filed for the euthanized black-footed ferrets, tree kangaroo or bobcat, nor was an official record filled out for the giraffe that died under anesthesia. “Because of incompetence in management and veterinary medicine, the operations at the National Zoo have been in such a state of disarray that it has led to poor animal care, animal suffering and even animal deaths,” wrote Donald K. Nichols, a senior zoo pathologist.

One of the zoo parks under fire this year is the Goiania Zoo in Brazil, where 69 animals have died of mysterious causes. The deceased animals include giraffes, hippos, jaguars, anteaters, European bison, turtles and caimans, officials say. They fear there may be an animal poisoner on the loose but they are still running toxicology reports and running through all the paperwork. Others argue that cramped enclosures and poor conditions may be a cause for death. One of the dead caimans was found with a fishing hook lodged in his stomach, which may point to recklessness. One Brazilian news site called the zoo “a torture show open to the public.” Zoo director Raphael Cupertino says, “We have seen a sequence of large animals die and we will take all the necessary steps to resolve the situation.”

The safety of zoo parks has also been called into question at times. While far more people leave zoos unscathed, there are still a number of zoo incidents that leave Americans wondering whether we should be so close to wild animals at all. For instance, a zoo keeper had his finger bitten off by an enraged chimp in 2009. A man was ravaged by a 300-pound Siberian tiger who escaped from his cage in 2007. A zoo official at Belgium’s Olmense Zoo was mauled to death by a cheetah in 2007. That same year, a six-year-old girl was killed by a performing tiger at the Kunming Zoo after a camera flash disturbed him. A pregnant zoo keeper was fatally mauled by a 180-pound leopard at the John Ball Zoo in Michigan. These incidents and more warn us that wild animals will always be dangerous; it is indeed nature over nurture.

Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed panic attacks help as well as tips on the various medications for panic disorder available at www.anxietydisordercure.com.

Zoo education is an important part of the whole zoological park experience. Naturally, everyone’s #1 focus is seeing rare animals and endangered species, appreciating their beauty, their quirks and their antics. Parents can read the signs and relay facts to their children about various creatures. However, zoo directors say that their facilities are meant to educate visitors about habitat destruction, how personal choices affect animal populations and about conservation efforts. With donations, activism and active participation, countless species can be rescued from the brink of extinction.

A London Zoo has recently received two awards for its zoo education programs. In 2004, the United Kingdom’s Chester Zoo won the Sandford Award (run by The Council for Environmental Education). Judges called the Chester zoological park “an excellent resource” and said that “nothing could compare to seeing live, wild animals at close quarters.” In 2009, the zoo won this same award again. Zoo head of Discovery and Learning, Stephen McKeown, explained: “The awards take into account our whole approach to conservation education, including taught educational discovery programs for schools, interactive materials, award-winning signage at animal enclosures around the zoo and extensive library facilities. What makes us different from a normal classroom is the environment we occupy and the 7,000 animals within it. Seeing and handling things from live snakes to snake skins and exploring the x-rays of animals opens up a whole new world that more and more students are now taking advantage of.” The Chester Zoo is just one of many parks offering unprecedented access to exotic animals.

The Oregon Zoo hosts a number of special zoo education programs for children and families. For instance, “Messy Animal Art” is a two-hour program for pre-school kids (ages 3-5), which gives them a tour of the animal exhibits, sing songs, participation in art activities and eating snacks. Similarly, the “Zoo Experiences” program involves a zoo tour, reading a story, having a snack and taking home a special memento. The “Family Camperoo” is a popular program ( adults, kids) that lasts from 4pm until 9am and lets families see what the animals are up to at night; breakfast, dinner and campfire stories are also included. Day Camp experiences involve petting zoos, crafts, snacks and special tours. Special zoo events revolving around endangered species conservation are also available each month. To register for some of Oregon’s programs, visit www.oregonzoo.org.

Some zoos cater more to little ones with their zoo education programs, trying to instill an early interest in animals, biology and conservation, while other zoo programs concentrate on making it easier for older kids to learn about zoo philosophy, zoo keeper’s activities and pursuing a rewarding life-long career as a veterinarian, animal caregiver, animal exhibit designer, zoo director, animal trainer expert, breeder of baby animals or nonprofit organizer. There are ample opportunities to make a difference in this world, but how many are as rewarding and enjoyable as a career at the zoo?

As a leading expert in the field of anxiety or panic attacks, Beth Kaminski is always on the lookout for ways to treat panic attacks. Visit her site for more information on treating panic disorder and much more.