Zoo of doom

The recent case of a Cumbrian safari park losing its licence, after the unacceptable losses of life of a member of staff and hundreds of animals, prompted UK media headlines along the lines of 'Zoo of doom'.

On the other side of the world, a zoo in Indonesia has long been labelled the 'Zoo of death' due to the appalling mistreatment of its animals.

Whether you agree with the principle of animals in enclosures as entertainment, or not (and I'm pretty firmly in the 'not' camp), within these supposedly tightly-controlled human-centric environments, we should be able to look after the welfare of a relatively small number of creatures.

And if we are unable to do so, what hope is there for wildlife in the wider world, the many species condemned to extinction by loss of habitat, pollution and our overconsumption?

Zoo of doom (photo courtesy of NASA)