I also have to agree burt I will be cheeky and say that IDEALLY we wouldn't have any animals (bar the natural ebb and flow of evolution and natural base rate species extinction (having forgotton the proper terminology I learnt in Biogeography!)) on the brinl of extinction.

I do however thing it's very important for people to lean about and respect animals of all kinds, and I do feel like those *good* zoos really do serve that purpose.