Traveling Petting Zoo (Boo)

I do not like going to circuses that include animals. I think it is mean and I do no believe it is humane. So when Jeffrey told me he was going to take the kids to the circus and if I would like to go... I just had to say no. Then, I found out it was a traveling petting zoo. In my head I pictured us going to some enclosed outdoor field where there would be rabbits, goats, maybe some ponies. I pictured a May Day celebration with sheep. I was actually curious and I went.

It was just... bad. 

There were several animals featured that I consider exotic and this was not the right place for them. To name a few there were camels, a kangaroo, a zebra, some yaks, and even an elephant. The event took place inside a warehouse. The animals were enclosed in small spaces. There were those little vending machine things were you can buy candy next to each enclosed animal but instead of candy you could put in 25 cents and get pebble feed for the animals. It was just so sad. I don't know. I think that there are better ways for people to be exposed to the animal kingdom and this does not garner any respect for them, or us.

I tried to think about it from the standpoint of a parent. I would want my child to get to see and experience the world (places, people, animals, etc.) but this form of exposure promotes little understanding and appreciation. At one point, Jeffrey pointed out that there were animals from all over the world, and they were being fed the SAME pebbles... for our fun.

So what do we do? What do I do? There are so many causes and I feel hopeless that I can't support each one. Is my only option to donate money to an organization that promotes saving these animals' homes? I don't know. I just do not know.