The mega zoo concept includes the, the globalization of the zoo field. Globalization has become a bad word, it’s causing so much trouble in terms of habitat destruction and loss of natural resources, loss of political responsibility as communities lose their opportunities to use the areas in which they live. The way I’m using globalization, is the cooperative, the collaborative effort of zoos to manage animals at great risk, threatened species, endangered species. They can only do that if they can come closer to agreeing to the same codes of ethics of operation, the same levels of wildlife management. That is going to take a long time. It’s already happening and most of Europe and the United States, but it has a long way to go and it may be that in the long run, the only way to handle such a mega zoo concept, will be in a regional fashion. And I’m beginning to suspect that may be at least the short term answer, but as nature continues to shrink, as animals are forced to live in dwindling remains of areas where they evolved, where they have always lived, either by humans, by climate change caused by humans, by bad luck. Those we wish to sustain are going to have to have intensive care.
