I haven't really been to any of the other zoos that are mentioned in other posts. I guess that is pretty common for most folks as when you travel, you don't usually get off the plane and say, "let's find the nearest zoo"!

Sounds like some of them are really cool while others can use some help. And the "Roadside Zoos" you mention - that should be just plain banned!!!

I know that the Pittsburgh Zoo has undergone a dramatic transformation. When I was a kid (40 years ago), our zoo gave first meaning to the term, "Concrete Jungle". All the animals were housed in relatively small enclosures and walked around on cement with little or no shade from trees. I am shocked when I look at old photos of our visits there and see the deplorable conditions they lived in.

Now, it is really quite nice. It is like a forest. It is very shady there with open savannas, rivers/streams running through it. Indoor facilities. It is all naturall habitat with wide open spaces. Sometimes so expansive that you may not get to see a particular animal in the event that they choose nor to be within viewing distance. But it's nicer that way, when you do see them... you see them come runnming from a distance, jumping over obstacles, amyne climbing a tree. It's almost like they are wild.

Anyways, point is... the Zoo is quite nice now and I do believe they serve a functional and important part in the preservation of species along with educating people about respect for wild animals.