The term “captive wildlife” seems like such a contradiction in terms. How can creatures that are caged or fenced in and handed their food have any trace of wild life left in them, without the ability to roam far and wide, to hunt or forage, to establish their own territories, search for mates and keep their distance from other species—all the things that are characteristic of truly wild animals? But at least for the purposes of this article, I’ll refer to captive exotic animals as “wildlife.”
When people think of wildlife in captivity, they may first think of zoos. However, there’s a huge range of places that house captive animals, variously called sanctuaries, rescues, refuges, reserves, camps, game farms, menageries, wildlife centers, adventure or safari parks and ranches, among other…
