Advancing Education and Animal Welfare

Advancing Education and Animal Welfare. Historic Maryland Zoo. , Over the years, the Round Cage housed bears and, later, hyenas. The animals were kept as if in a fishbowl, on a concrete slab with no shelter or privacy. The Round Cage has long since been abandoned as suitable housing for any species., Education has always been central to the Zoo's mission, and the profession of zookeeping has beocme increasingly scientific. Under the auspices of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, reputable zoos like this one have evolved from basic custodial care to complex husbandry, animal welfare, and long-term population management. Visitors to the Zoo now see animals in naturalistic exhibits that offer space, shelter, variety, enrichment, and privacy if that's what the animal chooses., Visitors also have greater opportunity than ever before to learn about different species, their native habitats, the pressures they face in the wild, and the scientific underpinnings of biodiversity. For generations of Maryland schoolchildren, a trip to the Zoo has been an annual rite of passage.