Journey From Wilderness: Facing Dilemmas of Wild Animal Exhibits
In this prose-like journal article, Ken Kawata outlines the common history of zoos and circuses, and describes their relationship to the capture and trade of exotic species from Africa and elsewhere. He explains in detail how the trade and transport of animals for public exhibition has been made logistically easier over the years, and shows the evolution of animal exhibitions from relatively crude caged exhibits to more sophisticated displays attempting a more "natural" appearance. The piece encourages readers not to see zoos and circuses as cultural relics, but rather to understand how their present existence is situated historically. Though he recognizes that zoos and circuses are un-natural settings for animals, his opinion is generally pro-zoo and anti-animal rights, describing anti-zoo activism as "extremist." READ MORE