Call Me a Dreamer

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LiveJournal's "Writer's Block" question for August 9, 2011:

If you could, would you set a zoo animal free? Which one and why?

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I would never set a zoo animal free.

Zoo animals do not know how to care for themselves, so releasing one is very likely to result in its injury or death. In addition, many zoo animals could be a danger to humans, so releasing them could place people at risk. In either case, it's irresponsible and cruel to simply release a zoo animal.

Typically, zoo animals are well-cared for, but if I learned that a zoo animal was being mistreated, I would take legal and/or political steps to end the mistreatment and, if necessary, to move the animal to a facility that would care for it appropriately.

The one exception I would make to this, is that if I were working with a legitimate animal rehabilitation and release program, one that was acting responsibly and within the law to return wild animals to original and appropriate habitats, such as one affiliated with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, I would happily work to reintroduce animals to the wild.

Crossposted manually from http://pdlloyd.livejournal.com