Through my research in completing this project, I would say that the Denver Zoo is providing their animals, in general, with as good of care as they can for animals not in their natural habitats. I would also conclude that the only concern with care would be with their elephants.
The Denver Zoo is caring for their animals well because:
- They control the temperature of where they keep polar bears (however, they did not specify what temperature it is kept at)
- They have a number of qualified people and vets on staff
- They help stimulate natural instincts of the animals to mirror their life in the wild
- They treat their animals well medically, performing necessary surgeries and providing therapy
- They recently brought in a new elephant to the zoo and moving elephants around causes them a lot of stress
- They aren't following the example from other zoos and phasing out their use of elephant exhibits
- They keep penguins in warm environments while penguins are used to cooler temperatures
- Animals generally aren't provided with the amount of space they would find themselves living in in the wild
The Denver Zoo could improve their care of animals by providing an environment closer to that of their environment in the wild for penguins. They should also give more space for their elephants to live in and consider phasing out their elephant exhibits or moving towards only have elephants bred in zoos.