Readings Keulartz, J. (2015). Captivity for conservation? Zoos at a crossroads. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics.Kobilinsky, D. (2016). New live cam technology might help conservation.

Readings

Keulartz, J. (2015). Captivity for conservation? Zoos at a crossroads. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics.

Kobilinsky, D. (2016). New live cam technology might help conservation. Accessed August 13, 2016, at http://wildlife.org/new-live-cam-technology-might-help-conservation/.

Assignment Directions:

1. Discuss how zoos have evolved over the past 50 years to become conservation centers. Incorporate the role of zoos in educating the public into your response.
2. Discuss some of the economic pressures faced by zoos—namely space, capacity, and resources—that can affect their conservation efforts.
3. How does a species get on the Endangered Species List?
4. Take a virtual trip to the zoo using one of the links below and observe at least one of the endangered species.

Take a Virtual Visit to the Zoo

You can take a virtual visit to the zoo any day of the week by tuning into any of the following live webcams, which feature many endangered animals. The World Wildlife Fund lists many of these animals as priority species.

• Watch elephants at the Smithsonian Zoo on the elephant cam:
• The Houston Zoo has some of the best webcams of gorillas, rhinos, elephants, flamingos, and giraffes here: http://www.houstonzoo.org/meet-the-animals/animal-webcams/
• The Reid Park Zoo in Arizona has webcams of lions, giraffes, elephants, lemurs, grizzly bears, and flamingos here: http://reidparkzoo.org/cameras/elephant-cam/
• See pandas, elephants, apes or polar bears (the elephant has the most informative cam view) at the San Diego Zoo
• Pick an animal webcam of your choice

1. Make your own ethogram. An ethogram is a graph or chart of animal behavior that is used to compare certain behaviors that can be observed while animals are in captivity. Choose one animal from the webcam links above and observe its behavior at several different times during the day or over the course of several days. Take notes on its behavior using the ethnogram (include this chart in your essay). Choose 4 or 5 different time points (on the hour or half hour, it does not need to be the same day or the exact time point).

Give your chart a title and include it in your essay.

Ethogram Document

1. Did your perception of the species you watched change as a result of seeing it on the webcam? Why or why not?
2. Do you believe technology has a positive influence on people’s feelings toward wildlife and conservation? Why or why not?