The Modern Ark: The History of Zoos: Past, Present, and Future

As wildlife journalist Croke explains in this first-rate study of zoos, the goals of the modern zoo are to preserve endangered species and to maximize genetic diversity. In the 1980s, exhibits were renovated and basic patterns of display altered to accord with these goals, yet design and display continue to focus on the public. Croke, a reporter for the Boston Globe and author of the syndicated column ""Animal Beat,"" gives a splendid behind-the-scenes look at American zoos and addresses the ethical and moral issues confronting them. Even the best zoos, she says, are challenged by the animals they house. Zoos require that animals not go crazy in captivity, tolerate lots of people and eat what they are fed. A major problem is boredom; confinement can lead to neurotic, repetitive behavior, and only recently have zoos turned to innovative enrichment programs to counter animal ennui. Croke regards the polar bear as the toughest captive (a good polar bear exhibit, she says, doesn't exist in the U.S.), and elephants as the most dangerous. Ranging widely, she discusses efforts to ensure species survival, including artificial insemination and embryo transfer, as well as the morality of culling and disposal of surplus animals, the returning of animals to the wild and conservation outside the zoo. Not only humans but animals, too, are indebted to Croke for the fresh perspective she bestows on a beloved institution. (Mar.)