Why Zoos and other Animal Attractions are good for you

I've always been an animal lover and from an early age my parents have took me to Chester Zoo. Since then, I've been going there regularly as a member (also have been going to other Zoos and Animal attractions including aquariums and safari parks). As I've been visiting to many good Zoos and other Animal attractions, I have gathered many thoughts on why going on trips to Zoos can be good for you in many ways as followed below:

• You get to see the animals - We may sometimes find wild animals or watch them on TV but there is no better place to see the animal in person than in the Zoo. They may include your favourites including Lions, Tigers or Elephants or even unusual ones that you may not have seen or heard of before including Bush Dogs, Bongos or Bantengs which makes it your chance to see them in person. 

• Watching the animal helps with your mind - I find that watching the animal in their exhibit helps to reduce any stress or anxiety I may have as my mind is occupied with the animal in front of me. I can watch the animal performing their natural behaviour for hours without having to worry about the world. Too many of us find ourselves occupied with real life news including on TV or social media, many of which can bring us down and lower our perspective in life. So next time you're feeling down with today's news, take a trip to the Zoo. Just by watching the animal doing something amusing, interesting or whenever it happens to be a cute  animals (including baby animals that'll contribute to conservation which will be my next point)  will give you a reason to enjoy life.

• Zoos helps you to learn about animals including their behaviour and conservation - Without many good Zoos, we wouldn't know about the wonders of the animal kingdom such why do Otters swims, what do Capybaras eat, where do Anteaters live or are Red Pandas are Pandas with the colour red. More importantly however, if we didn't have good Zoos, we would lost so many endangered species threatened with extinction including hunting, habitat destruction or illegal pet trade as said by a quote I've found by Betty White; "People forget the good that Zoos do. If it weren't for Zoos, we would have lost so many species that would be extinct today". Luckily, there are many good Zoos who are doing all they can to raise awareness and education about conservation and helping with the animals to safeguard their numbers for the future while still learning many new things about animals themselves, even if it's not always easy. So by supporting Zoos that helps with conservation, they can help to protect our animals while we can learn on how Zoos are contributing with conservation.

• You can get into animals - With the first three reasons above, going to Zoos can help you to get into animals as your hobby like with me. You could become an animal lover yourself, spending your time taking photos of animals in the zoo and sharing them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, watch animal programs, become a Zoologist or raise pets (as your own Zoo - not with wild animals of course!) 

• It's good excuse for exercise and going out for fresh air - I'm sure many of us are always told to go out and have some exercise which makes a trip to the Zoo an excellent excuse to do so as you walk around the Zoo, looking at each exhibits after exhibits in the great outdoors (especially on a nice sunny day).  Even indoor animal based attractions such as aquariums can help since you're standing up looking at aquariums. Since after all, walking is said to be the best exercise and going to Zoos is a fun way to exercise; looking at the animals while staying healthy. Also for me, I go to Chester Zoo for Pokemon Go and it's surprisingly an excellent place to use Pokemon Go with lots of Pokemon and Pokestops (while still seeing the animals of course).    

• They can help you with your social skills - If you're someone who needs help with communication skills like me with autism, then you could bring a friend or family to the Zoo with you. Watching the animal together can be a great conversation topic as you talk about what you have witnessed (like "Oh my god, did you see those Chimpanzees fighting? or "Aren't those Meerkats cute?). That way, you can spend your time talking about the animal with the person, helping with your communication skills. You can also educate them about the animal if you happen to know many facts about them. Alternatively, your recent trip to the Zoo can be your topic to talk about your friends or co workers, making them fascinated on what you saw and makes them what to go to the Zoo themselves. 

With those reasons above, they are the reasons why it's good to go to Zoos and other Animal Attractions. Of course, I understand that there are some bad Zoos that only keeps animals for money or failed to meet the standards for the animals' welfare but they should not define Zoos as a whole except themselves. There are still many good Zoos out there that helps with the animals and are worth visiting which will benefit you and your close ones.

So arrange a trip to the Zoo or whichever Animal Attraction which will help you out a lot. I'll end this article with this quote from Katherine Applegate:

"A good Zoo is a large domain. A wild cage. A safe place to be. It has room to roam and humans don't get hurt. A good Zoo is how humans makes amends".