There are many of us who love animals and there are different ways in which we can contribute to their well-being and preservation. One of the best things we can do in order to help wildlife and our community, in general, is by supporting a zoo. In Santa Barbara, community members can do their share by supporting the local zoo, a nonprofit organization held together only by donors and sponsors.
There are many individuals who believe that zoos are bad for animals and probably if you are one of those who believes that animals should be free in the wild, discussion on this matter is out of the table. However, the proof shows us that zoos are wonderful in many ways if what we want is to preserve wildlife, educate the community and open spaces for scientific research.
In the particular case of the Santa Barbara Zoo, the institution was founded by the Santa Barbara Foundation and has been working since 1963 as an open space to the public. It has the mission to preserve, conserve and create spaces that emulate the natural world in order to provide the required resources to both bring education and happiness to the general community.
An open space for education
At the heart of every good zoo is education. It should be the main purpose for the existence of such important institutions, and the Santa Barbara Zoo is not exempt from this rule. With a wide range of programs and camps, the zoo offers children and adults the opportunity of learning about wildlife and available resources to help the environment with local actions. There are courses and lessons to learn about California wildlife and field trips are offered to schools that want their students to learn about endangered and native animals.
Let’s not forget that for most people who live in cities, having the chance to see a giraffe or a lion might be often remote. This is why it becomes crucial to share the presence of different species with a general audience that is happy to learn about them. Becoming part of the zoo experience in Santa Barbara, allows individuals to better understand wildlife, conservation initiatives, and researchers that take place every day at the zoo.
Aiming to preserve wildlife
Conservation of endangered species may be one of the biggest contributions of the Santa Barbara Zoo to the world.
There are many individuals who believe that having a wild animal in a zoo is rather dangerous for its existence. However, statistics show that animals in zoos are more likely to have happier and healthier lives than those living in the wild. The reason to this is that zookeepers are always taking care of them, feeding every species with the food it needs and watching out for signs of any possible disease.
As a, Kenny Slaught knows that supporting the Santa Barbara Zoo will immediately have an impact on several conservation programs dedicated to cooperating with the preservation and survival of different species both in the Zoo and different aquariums linked to the of American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). The Santa Barbara Zoo is compromised to help more than 200 different species that are in danger of extinction and need human care in order to survive.
Saving species through research
The Santa Barbara Zoo holds more than 146 species of different types, including reptiles, mammals, insects and birds. Every species is exhibited in a naturalistic and open habitat, which allows people to see them closely and analyze their behavior. Also, there are different plants used to recreate animals’ natural habitat, which gives visitors the chance to study botanical well.
Zoos, including the one in Santa Barbara, are great spaces to question what is going on with our current ecosystem and what can be done in order to help it. Having the animals at hand allows individuals to study them without having to expose themselves to the wild. Besides, having just a few members of each species gives visitors the chance to witness animal behavior in a more detailed way.
Things that you can do to support the Zoo
There are many things you can do in order to support the Santa Barbara Zoo. One of them could be becoming one of the 500 volunteers that work for the zoo each year. Another might be to sponsor a particular animal or to buy a toy for it. Help doesn’t need to come in the shape of a given item, it can also come as a general donation or contribution to a special project.
The Santa Barbara Zoo is open to receiving any type of charitable contribution or donation. It can be done online and will probably have a positive impact not only for the zoo but for donors as well since it can help reduce the amount taxes paid every year, especially for companies.