New PDF release: American Zoo: A Sociological Safari

Orangutans swing from Kevlar-lined fireplace hoses. Giraffes banquet on celebratory birthday brownies crowned with carrots rather than candles. Hi-tech dinosaur robots growl between metal bushes, whereas owls watch lively cartoons on previous tv units. In American Zoo, sociologist David Grazian takes us on a safari in the course of the modern zoo, alive with its many contradictions and weird wonders.

Trading in his tweed jacket for a zoo uniform and 2 muddy paintings boots, Grazian introduces us to zookeepers and animal rights activists, mom and dad and children, and the opposite human primates that make up the zoo's social global. He indicates that during a big shift clear of their unlucky pasts, American zoos this present day emphasize naturalistic shows teeming with lush and immersive landscapes, breeding courses for endangered animals, and enrichment actions for his or her captive creatures. In doing so, zoos blur the imaginary barriers we frequently use to split tradition from nature, people from animals, and civilization from the wild. even as, zoos deal with a desolate tract of competing priorities—animal care, schooling, medical study, and recreation—all whereas trying to function facilities for conservation within the wake of the present environmental and climate-change drawback. the area of the zoo displays how we venture our personal prejudices and needs onto the animal country, and make investments nature with which means and sentiment.

A revealing portrayal of comedian animals, thrilled kids, and feisty zookeepers, American Zoo is a extraordinary close-up exploration of a vintage cultural attraction.