... say that they have an interest and contribution to conservation, I believe that only a few actually keep and breed endangered species. As far as my knowledge goes, the vast majority of zoo animals are not endangered. I also believe that zoos tend to focus mostly on conserving single species in isolation whilst ignoring their habitats. True conservation means more than keeping rare species in captivity permanently. According to the Born Free organisation there have been 'pitifully few cases of zoos successfully releasing captive-bred species back into the wild'. As far as research goes, Born Free state that only a handful of zoos are involved in viable research and much of which is devoted to the study of physiology and is primarily aimed at keeping species in captivity, not how better to conserve species in their natural habitat. Results from captive studies therefore have limited benefits to the species in the ...

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