首页
登录
职称英语
One of London Zoo’s recent advertisements caused me some irritation, so paten
One of London Zoo’s recent advertisements caused me some irritation, so paten
游客
2023-12-23
36
管理
问题
One of London Zoo’s recent advertisements caused me some irritation, so patently did it distort reality. Headlined "Without zoos you might as well tell these animals to get stuffed", it was bordered with illustrations of several endangered species and went on to extol the myth that without zoos like London Zoo these animals "will almost certainly disappear forever". With the zoo world’s rather mediocre record on conservation, one might be forgiven for being slightly skeptical about such an advertisement.
Zoos were originally created as places of entertainment, and their suggested involvement with conservation didn’t seriously arise until about 30 years ago, when the Zoological Society of London held the first formal international meeting on the subject. Eight years later, a series of world conferences took place, entitled "The Breeding of Endangered Species", and from this point onwards conservation became the zoo community’s buzzword. Tiffs commitment has now been clearly defined in The World Zoo Conservation Strategy (WZCS, September 1993), which-although an important and welcome document-does seem to be based on an unrealistic optimism about the nature of the zoo industry.
The WZCS estimates that there are about 10,000 zoos in the world, of which around 1,000 represent a core of quality collections capable of participating in coordinated conservation programmes. This is probably the document’s first failing, as I believe that 10,000 is a serious underestimate of the total number of places masquerading as zoological establishments. Of course it is difficult to get accurate data but, to put the issue into perspective, I have found that, in a year of working in Eastern Europe, I discover fresh zoos on almost a weekly basis.
The second flaw in the reasoning of the WZCS document is the naive faith it places in its 1,000 core zoos. One would assume that the caliber of these institutions would have been carefully examined, but it appears that the criterion for inclusion on this select list might merely be that the zoo is a member of a zoo federation or association. This might be a good starting point, working on the premise that members must meet certain standards, but again the facts don’t support the theory. The greatly respected American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA) has had extremely dubious members, and in the UK the Federation of Zoological Gardens of Great Britain and Ireland has occasionally had members that have been roundly censured in the national press. These include Robin Hill Adventure Park on the Isle Wight, which many considered the most notorious collection of animals in the country. This establishment, which for years was protected by the Isle’s local council (which viewed it as a tourist amenity), was finally closed down following a damning report by a veterinary inspector appointed under the terms of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. As it was always a collection of dubious repute, one is obliged to reflect upon the standards that the Zoo Federation sets when granting membership. The situation is even worse in developing countries where little money is available for redevelopment and it is hard to see a way of incorporating collections into the overall scheme of the WZCS.
Even assuming that the WZCS’s 1,000 core zoos are all of a high standard—complete with scientific staff and research facilities, trained and dedicated keepers, accommodation that permits normal or natural behaviour, and a policy of co-operating fully with one another—what might be the potential for conservation? Colin Tudge, author of Last Animals at the Zoo (Oxford University Press, 1992), argues that "if the world’s zoos worked together in co-operative breeding programmes, then even without further expansion they could save around 2,000 species of endangered land vertebrates". This seems an extremely optimistic proposition from a man who must be aware of the failing and weaknesses of the zoo industry-the man who, when a member of the council of London Zoo, had to persuade the zoo to devote more of its activities to conservation. Moreover, where are the facts to support such optimism?
Today approximately 16 species might be said to have been "saved" by captive breeding programmes, although a number of these can hardly be looked upon as resounding successes. Beyond that, about a further 20 species are being seriously considered for zoo conservation programmes. Given that the international conference at London Zoo was held 30 years ago, this is pretty slow progress, and a long way off Tudge’s target of 2,000. [br] Why does the writer refer to Robin Hill Adventure Park?
选项
A、To support the Isle of Wight local council.
B、To criticise the 1981 Zoo Licensing Act.
C、To illustrate a weakness in the WZCS document.
D、To exemplify the standards in AAZPA zoos.
答案
C
解析
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3299842.html
相关试题推荐
Whatisthemaintopicofthepassage?[originaltext]Myteenagesonrecently
AnarticlepublishedrecentlyintheprestigiousscientificjournalNaturei
AnarticlepublishedrecentlyintheprestigiousscientificjournalNaturei
AnarticlepublishedrecentlyintheprestigiousscientificjournalNaturei
AnarticlepublishedrecentlyintheprestigiousscientificjournalNaturei
AnarticlepublishedrecentlyintheprestigiousscientificjournalNaturei
[originaltext]W:RecentlyartistSamuelCliffandwriterDanArchertookourre
Mostsorethroatsarecausedbyaninfectionwhichtreatmentwithantibiotic
[originaltext]W:Excuseme,I’mdoingasurveyontherecentmodernizationo
[originaltext]W:Excuseme,I’mdoingasurveyontherecentmodernizationo
随机试题
EugeneO’NeilisanAmericanA、novelist.B、playwright.C、poet.D、essayist.B尤金·奥尼
Exercisehaslongbeentreatedasthecure-allforeverythingthatailsyou.
项目在借款偿还期内,各年可用于支付利息的息税前利润与当期应付利息的比值为( )
古希腊把艺术分为“通俗艺术”呾“自由艺术”两种。()
负责全国药品不良反应报告和监测的技术工作的部门是A:国家食品药品监督管理局 B
硬膜外血肿的意识障碍典型变化是A.逆行性遗忘 B.昏迷逐渐变浅至清醒 C.昏
患者,女,60岁,晨起左侧轻微偏瘫,下午检查已恢复正常。为防止再次发作,应采取的
建设单位应当将大型的人员密集场所和其他特殊建筑工程的消防设计文件报送公安机关消防
阿托品抗休克的机制是A:对抗迷走神经功能使心跳减慢 B:扩张支气管,改善呼吸
我国税收返还的内容包括( )。A.土地增值税返还 B.增值税、消费税返还
最新回复
(
0
)