A few miles down the road they could sketch living animals at the zoo. But so far as the law in many countries is concerned stuffed animals are educational and living animals are entertainment. And sadly, this seems to be the view of many educators as well. Not so many years ago, a visit to the zoo was unashamedly for fun. These days however, zoos have discovered 'Education', and school trips to the zoo may never be the same again.
Motives are probably a good place to start.
It is easy to be suspicious when an establishment that takes your money at the gate suddenly takes a strong moral stand on a subject like education. Education, like conservation, can be a very convenient label for poor zoos to use in an effort to justify their existence. It cost very little to produce an 'Education-Pack' of photocopied drawings for children to colour, or a simple quiz for school parties to complete. In many ways it is difficult to argue with this proposition. But then again, television is so forgettable.