Russ Williams (Director of NC Zoo Society) reports on his blog that the North Carolina Zoo is experiencing record attendance.
He also notes that San Francisco Zoo is enjoying record numbers as well.
Why do you think zoos are so popular lately?
Finally, he mentions that in the Oakland Zoo, one can bring in the appropriate food and go into the exhibit to feed the elephants.
Sounds like fun! I did not even know there was a zoo in Oakland. I'll have to add it to my growing list of things to see while I am in the area.
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Interesting trend; I know I visit more than my fair share of zoos, but I do have to agree with an article David Quammen once wrote (collected in Wild Thoughts From Wild Places) where he argues that, much like museums, zoos are primarily places where people go to look, but actually learning about nature is secondary. Despite conservation plans and better enclosures (definitely good things), the overall attitude of zoo visitors doesn't seem to have changed much from the days of the iron-barred menagerie of centuries past.
Opportunities for animal interaction are definitely a draw, however. As much as I dislike Sea World for their treatment of cetaceans and other animals, the most enjoyable part of my visit to the Orlando park was feeding the seals and sea lions. Dolphins and rays could also be fed, although in the past some of the dolphins became morbidly obese because people gave them fried food from the food court. In fact, I would somewhat expect that zoos and aquaria that offer opportunities for animal interactions will help boost attendence, be they up-close safari rides like at Six Flags Great Adventure, opportunities to swim with/feed the sharks at "Adventure Aquarium," or simply being able to get up close to the animals. Sometimes this isn't particularly a good thing (primates at a zoo I recently visited were helplessly addicted to sugar, fruit loops being given out by the owners as a kind of "animal feed"), but such opportunities will certainly boost attendance.
I certainly do love the ability to see and photograph animals up close that I otherwise would not see, but I still feel that most zoos are a bit behind in providing enrichment and even basic care for their animals. Volunteering for a certain institution, I learned that many exotic birds were daily harassed and killed by the hippos, the administration deciding to simply keep buying more birds despite the fact that they were essentially dying of stress from being in with the hippos. After learning about this, I never went back.