Debating a Visit to a Zoo with Mediocre Animal Care: Key Insights and Tips

Challenged by animal welfare

My young guide at the Mandalay Zoo in Myanmar. Photo by Matthew Bamberg

My ethics were tested when I visited Yadanarbon Zoo in Mandalay. Interacting with zoo animals up close motivated me to override my negative pathos about visiting a zoo with questionable animal welfare practices.

As a lover of animals and zoos, I want to see them all, especially ones where my camera can access the animals for dramatic shots. On every trip to third-world countries, I visit zoos. The ethics of doing so are challenging to address. The pros and cons of visiting zoos in developing countries must be weighed. As a writer who has visited his share of the developing world, I believe the pros outweigh the cons of visiting these animal homes.

Evaluating Myanmar as a tourist destination is challenging in itself. The country has a history of troubles, and travel there is not recommended.

However, visiting there was my most fascinating experience because of my interactions with young people and the country’s lure of…