EVOLUTION

Think/Discuss:

There are significant social and moral implications of keeping animals in captivity for our amusement. We are essentially keeping animals that are meant to be free inside a cage where they are bored. However I do believe zoos also serve a positive role which is to educate the public about animals. Also I do believe that zoos play and important role in the preservation of animals. The problem is some zoos mainly in third world countries do not treat animals with care. Some zoos have animals that are subject to torture and don’t receive the food they need to survive. Also the cages those animals are kept in are just too small. But other zoos have animals that are living in really nice areas and receive a lot of food. A lot of endangered animals are kept in zoos as a conservation effort to ensure these animals can survive and those animals would be given food and medical treatment. Also, the zoo keepers will attempt to get those animals to breed in hopes of ending the endangered status of that animal.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch/Make Notes:

Jane Goodall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9eqh_kGg-Q

Jane Goodall says that zoos play an important role in education. It allows the public to see how animals live and the habitat it lives in. It allows humans to really see animals face to face and that encourages humans to take action and help preserve these animals. Goodall states that zoos that are actually taking action and focusing primarily on the conservation of animals are good. Zoos that are only focused on making money and don’t focus on rehabilitation are not good. Also zoos that have programs such as captive breeding are really good zoos because they are donating their time to focus on the rehabilitation of endangered animals. Goodall also feels that the best place for animals is the wild however the wild areas is constantly being reduced. Goodall also highlights some problems with zoos which include certain animals exhibiting unnatural behaviour while in captivity. Goodall also felt that some animals shouldn’t be kept in zoos. These animals include elephants, dolphins, and wolves because these animals require large areas to live and zoos cannot always provide that large area. I agree with what Jane said because she really highlighted some key points. I agree that zoo are really important however some zoos are unethical with their treatment of some animals. A lot of programs that zoos offer such as breeding are essential for the survival of some species. 

 

Read/Write:

1) When was the last time you were at the zoo?

The last time I was at a zoo was in 2007 in England. It didn’t call itself a zoo, instead it was a massive safari park.

2) What are you most looking forward to on this trip?

I'm really excited to just see the animals especially the pandas. I am also interested to see how the animals interact with the visitors, whether or not the animals will acknowledge our presence.

 

 3. What are your personal thoughts on the role and ethics of zoos

Zoos must work extra hard to ensure the protection of the animals. It is essential for zoos to provide their animals with a proper amount of food and medical care. These animals are kept inside an enclosed space and that may not be good for them so it is important for zoos to ensure the wellbeing of the animals.

 

4) Describe some of the conservation efforts that the zoo is involved in

The Toronto Zoo is involved in several conservation efforts. One of these is their Captive Breeding program. The programs aims to breed animals that are endangered in hopes of creating more of those animals and end their endangered status. Another one of their important programs is a Habitat Conservation program. Habitat loss is the biggest cause for endangered species and the Toronto Zoo aims to restore habitats for animals.

 

5) Explain at least 3 things that you learned from the zoo website that you didn’t know about before.

I learned that the Toronto Zoo is actually a non-profit organization. That actually really surprised me because it shows that they are dedicated to the cause and their mission is to help the animals. I was also surprised with Toronto Zoo's green technology. They have a ton of really cool machines to help the animals and are actually good for the environment. For example they have a machine called The Ice Bear Storage that stores energy at night when the demand is low and uses the energy during the day.  I was also really surprised with the fact that the Toronto Zoo is the only zoo in Canada that hires a full-time nutritionist. I was really surprised because nutrition is extremely important at a zoo and since Toronto Zoo is the only zoo in Canada to have a nutritionist is surprising. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflect/Journal:

 

This chapter has completely changed the way I look at the world. I was never really exposed to evolution in previous grades and I was too lazy to read about it before. In this chapter I was exposed to a lot of evidence supporting evolution. This evidence included Darwin’s observations on the Galapagos Islands, DNA Evidence, Fossil Evidence, as well as the anatomy of animals. The chapter as well as the videos we watched highlighted some of the misconceptions of evolution and also provided insight to a lot of old evolution theories such as Lamarck’s theories.

 

It is difficult for me to understand something that I cannot see. So I have difficulty in understanding the DNA evidence. It is also difficult for me to understand theories because they usually involve things that I just cannot see. My belief of evolution revolved around the anatomy of animals rather than the DNA evidence. These anatomical features include features such as vestigial, analogous, and homologous. I was actually able to observe these features which definitely helped my understanding of evolution with the aid of one simple word, “why”. By asking myself why these animals had these features, I felt that evolution would be the most reasonable answer. Another piece of evidence that I found most compelling was the fossil evidence highlighted in section 7.2. There were some legit points brought up in that section such as the fact that fossils of more complex organisms are found only at shallower depths. By questioning those points, it is possible to determine that evolution is behind that.

 

To reflect on the self-directed unit, I felt that it was really good. These last few weeks have been hectic because teachers would assign summative and tests during those last two weeks before the break. With the help of the self-directed unit, I essentially had one less course to worry about because I was able to prioritize my other course. Normally I would spend over 4 hours a night just doing homework but thanks to the self-directed unit, I was able to reduce that time. I was also able to study for other courses more in depth. However, I felt that I was wasted any free time I had by watching TV or just relaxing when I should have finished the daily module. To improve the self-directed unit, I feel it would be beneficial if we had to complete a few modules and show it to the teachers instead of handing it in all together. For example next time teachers should assign modules 1-4 and make it due in a week. However, the teacher wouldn’t have to mark it, instead they would just look it over for a minute to ensure the student did their work and wasn’t slacking off. I would like all my courses other than Math to be self-directed because it will allow me to prioritize my courses.