Fresh air, warm sunlight and clear skies surround you as you walk through the zoo, observing the animals living peacefully in replicas of natural habitats. Zoos, a safe domain for the world’s creatures, protect animals from habitat loss as well as other threatening factors.

“I think animals have a better life in the zoo than in the wild because they make sure that the animals don’t die from diseases,” Kingston Barber (9) said. “They also make sure that they are properly fed.” 

Threatened, endangered, and vulnerable species from around the world find their homes in zoos, including the world-renowned Memphis Zoo. Zoologists can salvage animals from near-extinction through conservation breeding, a process that seeks to avoid an eventual elimination of the species.

“I think zoos are very beneficial for animals, especially endangered species,” Barber said. “Animals that are going to die, like in the wildfires of Australia, have a home now to keep them alive.”

Recently, ravaging fires have decimated the Australian landscape, causing an estimated billion animal deaths, which in turn has created a public outcry for zoos to take action.

“I definitely think zoos could help with the fires in Australia,” Anna Rooker (10) said. “The United States sent a ton of firefighters over there. I think we could definitely take some of those animals in, and not just the United States. Australia’s other allies could help, too.”

One factor that advocates for animal safety is the humane quality of some safe haven zoos. “I think the animals are treated pretty well, at least at the Memphis Zoo,” Julie Zacher (11) said. “I’ve done some of their summer camps, and they show us how they feed them and take care of them.”