American Zoo: A Sociological Safari by David Grazian
By David Grazian
Orangutans swing from Kevlar-lined hearth hoses. Giraffes banquet on celebratory birthday tarts crowned with carrots rather than candles. Hi-tech dinosaur robots growl between metal timber, whereas owls watch lively cartoons on outdated tv units. In American Zoo, sociologist David Grazian takes us on a safari in the course of the modern zoo, alive with its many contradictions and unusual wonders.
Trading in his tweed jacket for a zoo uniform and a couple of muddy paintings boots, Grazian introduces us to zookeepers and animal rights activists, mom and dad and tots, and the opposite human primates that make up the zoo's social international. He indicates that during a big shift clear of their unlucky pasts, American zoos this day emphasize naturalistic shows teeming with lush and immersive landscapes, breeding courses for endangered animals, and enrichment actions for his or her captive creatures. In doing so, zoos blur the imaginary obstacles we often use to split tradition from nature, people from animals, and civilization from the wild. whilst, zoos deal with a barren region of competing priorities—animal care, schooling, clinical learn, and recreation—all whereas trying to function facilities for conservation within the wake of the present environmental and climate-change drawback. the realm of the zoo displays how we venture our personal prejudices and wishes onto the animal country, and make investments nature with that means and sentiment.
A revealing portrayal of comedian animals, thrilled young children, and feisty zookeepers, American Zoo is a notable close-up exploration of a vintage cultural attraction.
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