Before school started back daughter and I went to the Parc Merveilleux. There are animals from 5 continents kept for the most part in spacious and green enclosures as well as a petting zoo. So what did we find?
As a vegan I have really mixed feelings about this park because I don't think animals should be in zoos. But the daughter wanted to go and I try not to ram my beliefs down the kids' throats so off we went. On balance the animals are well cared for here, so insofar as one can ignore the horrors of a life in captivity and the incongruence of penguins in a grassy landscape, it's ok within the constraints of what it is. I can't fault the park for the way it does what it does, even if I do wish the animals had been left on their 5 continents.
As we wandered the park I had a think about what the Bible might have to say about it all. Obviously it says even less about zoos than it says about moths (one reference to them, in case anyone is counting), but it has things to say about humanity and our place in and relationship to creation that may shed light.
The first creation account gives humankind "dominion" over the earth (Gen 1.28). In the second man is commanded to till the soil in Eden and he names all the creatures in his search for a 'helper as his partner' (Gen 2.18-20). There seems to be a greater emphasis on humankind's connectedness to the rest of creation in the second account. Much ink has been spilled on defining 'dominion' in the first, with conclusions ranging from 'we're the pinnacle of God's creation and that gives us the right to do whatever we want to the earth' to 'our dominion is stewardship - it comes with tremendous responsibility' to 'our model for dominion must be that of Jesus, the servant king - we are here to serve creation, not exploit it'. Those who like the first definition will have no moral problem with zoos or aquariums while those who prefer the second or third definitions may well have more concerns.
The creation psalms serve as a good reminder to get outside and look up and around. There's so much beauty out there, and so much to praise God for. And I suppose zoos can help us with that as well: the animals we encounter may be sparkly, cute, magnificent, fascinating, profoundly other, easy to anthropomorphise - but whatever they are, they provoke an emotional response. That response can be a springboard for action to better look after the earth - and that has to be a good thing.
God's great rebuke to Job is a paean to his creation that celebrates its wild wonder as much as it reminds Job of God's ultimate dominion over it all. Perhaps if we were more mindful of whose creation it is, we might treat it with a little more respect. I suspect it would lead to a more nuanced understanding of "dominion" as well. It seems to me that while the Bible may not be either for or against zoos, it is very much in favour of us caring for creation with an attitude of humble wonder.
And maybe, if we looked after it a little better, preserving habitats for their natural inhabitants, there would be less need for zoos and their captive breeding programmes, and we could all enjoy even more Richard Attenborough documentaries showing animals in the wild doing things they probably never do in cages. So, in case you missed it, for your viewing pleasure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rX40mBb8bkU