I recently visited the zoo and would agree with
the inspectors that the animals appear to be in excellent health
(although one little canine, I believe it was the bat-eared fox,
looked pretty cold and miserable curled up on the damp,
leaf-littered ground).
However, a number of animals looked rather bored
or lonely. Perhaps they might benefit from associating more with
others of similar or even different species. If I were a
free-ranging animal, I would find some of these confinements too
confining. If I had, say, 400 square feet allotted to me, I
think instead of a 20-foot-by-20-foot pen I'd prefer an
8-by-50 run. Of course, all of us creatures need some private
quarters as well.
Thanks again for this opportunity to speak on
behalf of the animals. They told me they would have sent you
e-mail themselves but their "lion" was busy.
There have been a lot of improvements at the zoo
in recent years. I look forward to another visit in the near
future.