Hi everyone! I am Jeng Wei, a year 1 student from the Bachelor of Environmental Studies (BES) program at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and through this program, I hope to attain relevant knowledge and skills that will help me tackle the environmental crisis.

In this blog, I will zoom in and examine how zoos contribute towards wildlife conservation efforts, and also look at some of the criticisms.

“Captive audience” by jaci XIII is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

So you might wonder: of all the diverse elements that constitute the environmental crisis, why focus on wildlife conservation? And why zoos specifically? Well, the reason is actually far simpler than you might think. Every since I was young, I’ve always enjoyed watching various documentaries and similar programs (like the Animal Planet series) on the TV that showed the uniqueness of animals. Watching them developed my sense of awe and love for these beautiful creatures. Besides that, I’ve always enjoyed going to the zoo to look at the animals in person. Hence, I simply decided to combine these 2 elements, and look at how zoos can contribute to the conservation of wildlife species.

“146- Singapore Zoo=” by John is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Before we start our journey, let us first lay down some definitions, that help to set the scope of the topics discussed. With regards to zoos, they are simply places where animals are kept in captivity, for humans to view, and this includes places like bird parks or aquariums. Conservation on the other hand, refers to the protection of animal species, as well as their habitats, all in the goal of avoiding extinction of species.

To be honest, this is my first real step towards finding out a lot more on conservation, and especially into the roles that zoos play, so I look forward to the exciting new things that I will learn on my blogging journey. Hopefully, you will be able to learn something from my journey as well, and I look forward to sharing my learning experiences with all of you. Until next time, see ya!!

Cheers!
Jeng Wei

Featured image: “Singapore Zoo entrance” by shankar s. is licensed under CC BY 2.0